Shrub or small tree 2.5–15 m. high, often leaning, sprawling or horizontal; bark smooth, reddish-brown (I.T.U.: 298).. Young branchlets (in East Africa) glabrous or thinly and inconspicuously appressed-grey-puberulous, or in some Congo specimens with dense rusty pubescence; branchlets soon glabrescent.. Leaves on petioles 0.5–4 cm. long which are glabrous or clothed when young like the young branchlets, as is also at first the lower side of the midrib; blade elliptic or sometimes obovate-elliptic or ovate-elliptic or lanceolate, (3–)4.5–16.5(–25) cm. long, (1.2–) 1.5–7(–11) cm. wide, acuminate, rounded at base, glabrous when mature; lateral nerves and reticulate venation prominent on both surfaces.. Racemes single or clustered, or themselves racemose on a very short axis, axillary, among or below the leaves, (in East Africa) up to 3.5 cm. long, but their axis often very short or almost absent, grey-puberulous or rusty-pubescent in some Congo specimens; pedicels 0.6–2 cm. long.. Buds 5–6 mm. long.. Flowers white except for the yellow anthers.. Petals 6–10 mm. long, 2.5–3 mm. wide, oblanceolate to narrowly obovate or elliptic, scarcely clawed.. Stamens 13–18(–41 in the Congo).. Ovary glabrous to thinly grey-pubescent or (in Congo) densely rusty-pubescent.. Pods 3–4:(–6 , fide F.C.B.) cm. long, 1.5–2.5 cm. wide, black.. Seeds 2.5–4 cm. long and ± 1.5 cm. wide.. Fig. 49, p. 217.
Home