Diospyros acocksii (De Winter) De Winter

Species

Angiosperms > Ericales > Ebenaceae > Diospyros

Characteristics

Rigidly branched shrubs up to 5 m high; branches spreading at nearly right angles; bark smooth to finely rugose, ash-grey with blackish markings to grey with a reddish brown tinge; young branches smooth, deep mahogany red, glabrous or with a few scattered appressed hairs. Leaves alternate, very shortly but distinctly petiolate; leaf-blade 1-2 cm long and 0.5-1 cm broad, elliptic to obovate-elliptic, glossy, coriaceous, finely rugose and glabrous above, more or less smooth and sparsely strigose below(young leaves densely strigose); margins usually slightly undulate, entire, often involute, nerves inconspicuous except for the midrib and sometimes faintly marked secondary nerves. Flowers tetramerous, solitary in the axils of the leaves, dioecious, functionally male or female with the stamens reduced to staminodes, pendulous, up to 1 cm long but mostly shorter; peduncles 5-7 mm long, sparsely strigose; bracts 2, more or less approximate, up to 5 mm long, oblanceolate. Calyx deeply divided, lobes 4, triangular, 4-5 mm long, and 2.5 mm wide at the base, sparsely strigose outside, glabrous inside, rather thick in texture. Corolla creamy white, urceolate, 4-angled, slightly hairy on the angles, otherwise glabrous; tube short (1/4 of the length of the flower); lobes very broadly ovate with an acute apex, distinctly imbricate. Stamens 8,3 mm long; filaments very short and broad, glabrous; anthers lanceolate, 2.5 mm long, hairy on the back, less so on inside face, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary borne on a distinct disc, four-angled, pyramidal, when more mature very broadly oblong, glabrous, or sparsely hairy on the angles; style as long as the four branches or slightly shorter. Fruit 1-1.3 cm long, glabrous, broadly oblong in outline to semi-globose, slightly 4-angled, occasionally dehiscing along the four sutures which are visible as fine but distinct lines; calyx accrescent, 1/3 the length of the fruits, lobes ovate, apices acute, more or less reflexed. Seeds strongly laterally compressed, 8 (or fewer), glabrous, blackish, shiny.
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A rigidly branched shrub or small tree up to 5 m in height, with the branches at right angles to the stem. Bark: ash-grey with blackish markings, or grey with a reddish tinge, smooth to finely warty; young branches deep mahogany red. Leaves: spirally arranged, small, elliptic to obovate-elliptic, 1-2 x 0.5-1 cm, leathery, glossy green above, often with sharp hairs below, midrib distinct, other veining indistinct; apex and base tapering; margin entire, often slightly wavy, rolled under; petiole very short but distinct, 0.5-1.5 mm long. Flowers: creamy white, urn-shaped, up to 10 mm long, axillary, solitary, pendulous, on stalks up to 5-7 mm long; floral parts in 4s (Sept.-Apr.). Fruit: ovoid, slightly 4-angled, 1-1.5 cm long, persistent calyx tube forming a cup-shaped base that covers the lower third of the berry, the 4 lobes slightly bent backwards (May-Oct.). Seeds: up to 8, flattened, black, shiny.
Rigid, branched, dioecious shrub or small tree, up to 5 m tall. Leaves ± obovate-elliptic, leathery, glossy green above, sparsely bristled beneath, margin rolled under, often ± wavy. Flowers solitary, creamy white. Fruit an ovoid berry.
Life form -
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
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Sexuality dioecy
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Mature height (meter) 5.0
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Environment

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Soil humidity 1-12
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Usage

Uses environmental use
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
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Cultivation

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Distribution

Diospyros acocksii world distribution map, present in Namibia and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:322038-1
WFO ID wfo-0000648455
COL ID 36DSF
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Royena acocksii Diospyros acocksii