Artabotrys likimensis De Wild.

Climbing shrub or liane, sometimes even reaching into the forest canopy; young branchlets densely pilose with adpressed or spreading ferruginous hairs; older stems glabrescent or glabrous, ridged.. Leaf-blades oblong-elliptic, elliptic or obovate-oblong, 2.5–20 cm. long, 1.3–7 cm. wide, subacute or acuminate at the apex, rounded to cuneate at the base, thin to mostly subcoriaceous, somewhat shining and glabrous above, adpressed pilose beneath with ferruginous hairs, sometimes only on the nerves or less often almost glabrous; very young leaves densely ferruginous silky; venation reticulate and raised on both surfaces; petioles 3–4 mm. long, pilose or glabrous.. Flowers 3-many (sometimes up to 15 arranged distichously) in often very dense inflorescences up to 3.5 cm. wide, densely ferruginous hairy, borne on hooked peduncles; pedicels 3–6 mm. long, pubescent; bracts numerous, ± 2–3 mm. long, 0.5–1 mm. wide.. Sepals ovate-triangular, 2.5–4 mm. long and wide, acute or acuminate, shortly pilose outside.. Petals reddish, rose, whitish or yellowish, subequal, cylindrical, subcylindrical or narrowly lanceolate, 3–9 mm. long, 0.5–2 mm. wide, widened and concave at the base, 1.5–2.5 mm. wide, densely adpressed silky pubescent.. Stamens cuneiform, 0.7–1 mm. long; connective-prolongation truncate.. Carpels 7–15; ovary ovoid, ± 1 mm. long, first appearing glabrous but soon developing spreading ferruginous hairs; styles ellipsoid-oblong, curved, 0.7 mm. long, papillate; receptacle hairy between the carpels.. Monocarps red, ellipsoid, 1.2–1.9 cm. long, 0.7–1.1 cm. wide, rounded, finely rugulose and pubescent with adpressed ferruginous hairs, 1–2-seeded, sessile.. Seeds dark chestnut, ellipsoid, 1.3 cm. long, 9 mm. wide and thick, shining, finely rugulose.

It is a tropical plant. In East Africa it grows between 1,150-1,800 m above sea level. It grows in evergreen forest. It can grow in arid places.