Cephalocroton cordofanus Hochst.

An erect, sprawling or subscandent much-branched shrub 0.3–3 m. tall, with the young parts often somewhat viscid.. Bark dark grey.. Twigs sparingly stellate-pubescent, with or without stalked glandular hairs.. Leaves alternate; blade broadly ovate to elliptic-ovate, (0.7–) 1.5–4(–6) cm. long, (0.5–) 1–2.5(–4) cm. wide, acute or sub-acute, rarely obtuse, somewhat acuminate, cuneate, rounded or shallowly cordate, subentire to distinctly crenate-serrate, chartaceous, 5–7-nerved from the base, lateral nerves 3–6 pairs, not prominent above, slightly prominent beneath, evenly or sparingly stellate-pubescent with scattered stalked glandular hairs to subglabrous and subeglandular above and beneath; petioles (0.5–)1–2.5(–4) cm. long, stellate-pubescent with scattered stalked glandular hairs.. Stipules laciniate, the segments linear or fili-form, up to 2 mm. long, gland-tipped, sparingly stellate-pubescent.. Male peduncles 2–6 cm. long, sparingly stellate-pubescent and glandular, rarely with a solitary cluster of flowers below the terminal head.. Male flowers: bracts subulate, 0.5 mm. long, glabrous; pedicels up to 5 mm. long, usually glabrous; sepals 4, elliptic-ovate, 2 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide, subacute, glabrous or very sparingly stellate-pubescent without, glabrous within, white or pale greenish white; stamens 4–5, filaments 5 mm. long, bright yellow, anthers 1 mm. long, golden yellow; pistillode narrowly cylindrical, 1 mm. long, bilobed.. Female flowers (0–)1–4(–6) at the base of the ♂ peduncle; bracts resembling the stipules, up to 3 mm. long; pedicels 1–1.5 cm. long, extending to 2.5 cm. in fruit, stellate-pubescent and glandular; sepals 6, bipinnatipartite, the lateral lobes filiform or linear, with lateral subulate or filiform, sometimes gland-tipped, processes, strongly accrescent, 5 mm. long, 2–3 mm. wide, extending to 1.5 cm. long and 1 cm. wide in fruit, stellate-pubescent without and within, the lobes usually sub-glabrous, often flushed purplish red; ovary 3-lobed, 1.5 mm. long, 2 mm. diameter, densely stellate-pubescent; styles 3, 7 mm. long, united at the base for a quarter of their length, multifid, the ultimate segments filiform, glabrous, lime-yellow or ochreous.. Fruits deeply trilobed, 8 mm. long, 1.25 cm. diameter, sparingly stellate-pubescent.. Seeds ovoid-subglobose, 7.5 mm. long, 6 mm. wide, greyish, flecked and mottled with dark brown, somewhat shiny.. Fig. 55/8.

Dried-out river beds; seasonally waterlogged, open grassland; and in mixed open bushland; usually on sandy soils, less often on clayey soils (including black cotton soil); at elevations up to 1,200 metres.

Plants are grown from seeds.