Brachystegia manga De Wild.

Tree (4–)7–12(–20) m. high; bark at first smooth, silver-grey, becoming roughly reticulate-fissured in age, persistent (?), grey, darker when burnt; crown rounded; foliage usually bunched, mature bluish-glaucous, old pale, yellowish grey-green.. Branchlets usually soon rusty.. Stipules free, linear to falcate-subfoliaceous, (0.7–)1–1.5(–2.5) cm. long, usually fugacious; auricles 0.. Leaves glabrous (see note), with 2–4(–5) pairs of leaflets, the middle or distal pairs the largest; petiole (1.5–)2–3(–3.5) cm. long; rhachis (3–)5–10(–15) cm. long, not (or very obscurely) channelled, without stipels or expansions; leaflets very variable in shape but usually broad, subcircular or ovate to obovate, often ± irregularly rhombic, (1.5–)2–8(–10) × (1–)1.5– 4.5(–6) cm., emarginate to obtuse, normally not acuminate, ± obliquely cuneate to cordate at base; midrib subcentral; basal fanwise nerves 2–3 (very rarely 4, even when base very broad); surfaces mat, ± concolorous, both equally but obscurely reticulate, glabrous or very rarely puberulous (see note).. Panicles terminal and often also axillary (rarely lateral on older wood), slender, up to 9 × 5 cm.; axis and branches usually glabrous, remainder finely sericeous.. Flowers very small; bracteoles 3–5(–6) × 3–4 mm., yellowish green.. Tepals (4–)5(–6), usually all sepaloid and subequally broad but very small, up to 2 × 1 mm., pale green, shortly and sparsely cihate or glabrous.. Stamens ± 10, usually free, filaments 6–8 mm. long.. Ovary 2–2.5 × 1 mm., subdensely setose with very dark brown hairs; style 6–8 mm. long; stigma rather prominent.. Pod thinly woody, up to 10 × 3.5 cm., pendulous, smooth, pinkish-or purplish-brown, ± pruinose over a mat, minutely papillose surface; sutural wings thin, spreading, each 4–6 mm. wide.. Fig. 35/3, p. 160.