Cola dorrii Cheek

Species

Angiosperms > Malvales > Malvaceae > Cola

Characteristics

Dioecious, evergreen, small tree 3.5-8(-18) m tall, up to 20 cm diam. at 1.5 m from ground; bark light-brown, flaking; Terminalia-branching; bud-scales c. 10-12, lanceolate, 3-3.5 x 1 mm, grey, densely and minutely puberulent. Indumentum dimorphic, stellate, c. 90% of hairs white, persistent, 0.025-0.03 mm diam., 7-8-armed, arms appressed; c. 10% of hairs pale brown, caducous, 0.75-1.25 mm diam., 6-9-armed arms erect, sinuate, indumentum covering current season’s growth (larger, pale brown hairs falling first) previous season’s stems glabrous, epidermis white, often with deep longitudinal ridges. Leafy stems terete 1.5-2(-3) mm diam., with (2-)6(-8) alternate, spirally arranged leaves (at anthesis) inserted over the distal 1-2 cm of stem in a rosette, the distal-most leaves subsessile, with the smallest blades, the most proximal leaves with the longest blades and longest petioles. Leaf-blades glossy, dark green, oblanceolate (the smallest elliptic) (1.2-)3.5-8.5(-10.4) x (0.7-)1.2-3.6(-4.3) cm, apex shortly acuminate, acumen as broad as long, c. 0.5 cm long, base cuneate, abruptly rounded or obtuse, secondary nerves (4-)5-9(-11) on each side of the midrib, arising at c. 60° from the midrib, arching gradually up towards the margin and apex, connecting with the secondary nerve above, forming a looping inframarginal nerve 1.5-2 mm from the margin, domatia absent; tertiary and quaternary nerves inconspicuous; glabrescent, young leaves with dense, overlapping 7-9-armed stellate hairs 0.5-0.7 mm diam., the arms slender, sinuous. Stipules highly caducous, sub filiform, 3-4 x 0.6 mm, twisted, subglabrous. Petioles, terete, 2-20 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide pulvinus 3-6 mm long, 1 mm wide, at apex of petiole, persistently densely pale brown hairy; indumentum as stem. Inflorescence buds globose, 1.75-2 mm diam., 1(-2) per axil at (usually) leafy nodes, flower single, enclosed in c. 6 variously-shaped bracts; proximal bract pair semi-circular, about 5x broader than long, c. 0.2 x 1 mm; middle bract pair concave, bifurcate, 2-3x broader than long, c. 0.5 x 1.5 mm, persistent postanthesis and becoming flat, exposing the glabrous glossy mid brown adaxial surface; distal bract pair caducous, naviculate, about 3x longer than broad, constricted midlength, c. 1.75-3 x 0.8-1.5 mm, outer surface of bracts densely and minutely dull brown puberulent. Inflorescences 1-flowered, bracts caducous or nil, in axils of the previous season’s leaves (borne immediately below the leaves, 1-4 per leafy stem; pedicels 1-1.5 mm long. Flowers pale green, divided into lobes for 5A their radius. Male flowers 12-14 mm across, pedicels 10-15 x 0.1 mm, terete, c. 50% covered by 4-8-armed stellate hairs, arms 0.2-0.5 mm long, articulated 7-8 mm below the flower. Tepals 6 patent (to slightly campanulate); oblanceolate to lanceolate 5.5 x 2.2 mm; apex acute, abruptly rounded, base 1-1.5 mm wide, inner surface glabrous in proximal two-thirds, distal third with 30-50% cover of 3-5-armed stellate hairs 0.2-0.35 mm diam.; outer surface moderately densely stellate-hairy, hairs overlapping, dimorphic, smaller hairs 5-10-armed, 0.1-0.15 mm diam., larger hairs 6-8-armed, 0.25-0.35 mm diam. Androphore 2 x 0.5 mm, base densely stellate hairy, hairs c. 8-armed, 0.6 mm diam., otherwise glabrous. Staminal head c. 2 mm diam., 1 mm long, stamens c. 8; gynoecium vestigial, concealed within apex, styles 4. Female flowers 13-14 mm diam. with pedicels 10-12 mm long at anthesis, indumentum as male. Tepals 6, patent to ascending, lanceolate, 7.5-8 x 2.5-3 mm, apex acute to subacuminate, base 1.8-2.2 mm wide, inner surface glabrous, outer surface 60% covered in a mixture of dimorphic stellate hairs: (1) 5-7-armed hairs 0.15-0.2 mm diam. (2) 6-9-armed hairs 0.4-0.7 mm diam. Stamens 5, alternating with carpels, each 1 mm long, indehiscent. Gynoecium: ovary 4-5-lobed, 1.75 x 3.2 mm, densely patent hairy, style c. 1 x 1 mm, densely patent hairy, hairs extending to the dorsal surfaces of the style-arms, hairs 0.2 mm long, patent. Style arms (4-)5, spreading, 3.5-4 mm diam., each blade-like laterally flattened 1.5 x 0.6-0.7 x 0.2-0.3 mm, the apex recurved, the ventral edge lacerate. Fruit pedicels accrescent 1.5-2.2 cm long, articulation 0.4-0.6 cm below the apex; perianth persistent; carpels (1-)4(-5), each globose 1-1.5 cm diam., apex rounded, base stipitate, stipe slender 2-3 mm long; orange, with a slight ventral groove, stigmas persistent, indumentum of scattered 5-9-armed stellate hairs, each 0.4-0.7 mm across.
Life form -
Growth form tree
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Foliage retention
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
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Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 3.5 - 8.0
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Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 5-6
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Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

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Distribution

Cola dorrii world distribution map, present in South Africa

Conservation status

Cola dorrii threat status: Endangered

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60476373-2
WFO ID wfo-0001330954
COL ID 7VCBR
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cola dorrii