Androstachys johnsonii Prain

Lebombo ironwood (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Picrodendraceae > Androstachys

Characteristics

Male flowers: pedicels 5–6 mm long in lateral flowers, or 1–1.3 cm long in central flowers, pubescent; sepals 2–3 in lateral flowers, or 5 in central flowers, 4 × 0.5 mm, linear-oblanceolate, subacute, sericeous-hirsute without, glabrous within; receptacle up to 1.5 cm long in lateral flowers, or 2 cm long in central flowers; stamens up to c. 35 in lateral flowers, or to c. 50 in central flowers, filaments of lowest stamens up to 1 mm long, anthers 3 × 0.5 mm, connective sparingly sericeous-pubescent at first, later glabrescent, thecae yellow.
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Female flowers: pedicels 1–1.5 cm long, extending to up to 3 cm long in fruit; sepals 7–8 × 2–2.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, obtusely acuminate or sometimes bifid at the apex, minutely crisped-puberulous on the margins and at the base, otherwise ± glabrous; ovary c. 3 mm in diameter, ovoid, densely tomentose; stylar column with styles c. 7 mm long, puberulous, stigmas minutely papillose.
Leaf blades 3–9(13) × 2–7(12) cm, broadly ovate or asymmetrically hemirhombic-ovate, less often elliptic-ovate, obtuse or rounded at the apex, cuneate to rounded or truncate at the base, or peltate, entire, coriaceous, glabrous, shiny and dark green on upper surface, densely whitish-tomentose beneath, 5–7-nerved from the base; lateral nerves in 5–8 pairs.
Fruit 8–10 × 12–13 mm, minutely crisped­ puberulous, bright green at first, yellowish to light brown when mature; indumentum detersible (easily detached).Seeds 6.5–7(8)× 4.5–5(6) × 2–3 mm, laterally compressed-ovoid, shallowly longitudinally striate-ridged, chestnut-brown.
Tree, up to 15 m high. Branchlets silky-hairy, angular and articulated. Leaves opposite, decussate, long-petiolate, coriaceous, silky beneath. Flowers yellow.
Stipular sheath 1–3.5 × 0.4–0.7 cm, oblong, rounded, detersibly tomentellous (indumentum easily detached).
Male inflorescences up to 3 cm long, 3-flowered, with the central flower longer than the laterals.
Bark blackish-grey, longitudinally fissured.
Young growth densely whitish-tomentose.
Petioles 0.5–4 cm long.
A tree up to 20 m high.
Twigs grey.
Wood hard.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 20.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Locally common in hot dry localities on well drained soils; usually gregarious on rocky hillsides and along seasonal watercourses; often forming dense shrub thickets; mixed deciduous woodland; at elevations from 100-900 metres.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 7-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses animal food material medicinal poison vertebrate poison wood
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Androstachys johnsonii unspecified picture

Distribution

Androstachys johnsonii world distribution map, present in Madagascar, Mozambique, eSwatini, and South Africa

Conservation status

Androstachys johnsonii threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:338703-1
WFO ID wfo-0000972676
COL ID DVM8
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Androstachys johnsonii Androstachys subpeltata Weihea subpeltata