Diospyros mafiensis F.White

Shrub or small tree 2.7-6 m. tall, with much branched twigs; young shoots turning blackish, slender, densely minutely setulose-pubescent.. Leaves drying brown or reddish brown, elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, 1.5-5.5(-7.5) cm. long, 0.8-2.2(-3.2) cm. wide, narrowly rounded to an obtuse or minutely emarginate apex or shortly obtusely subacuminate, cuneate at the base, slightly revolute at the margin, glabrous above, sparsely strigulose-puberulous beneath and slightly glaucous due to dense scales and scale-like hairs; lateral nerves in 4-5 pairs, inconspicuous; tertiary nerves and veins invisible; petiole 3-6 mm. long, pubescent.. Male flowers solitary, subsessile, axillary or in axils of fallen leaves; calyx 1.5-2 mm. long, lobed for ± 2/3 its length; calyx-lobes 3, narrowly triangular, 1-1.3 mm. long and wide, ± acuminate, glabrous inside, densely strigulose outside; corolla red in bud, cream when open, narrowly conical in bud, 6 mm. long, glabrous, 3-lobed the lobes 2 mm. long; mature corolla not known; stamens 3, 2.5 mm. long, inserted on the receptacle, included; filaments 0.5 mm. long, setose; anthers 2 mm. long, apiculate, glabrous or with sparse hairs; rudimentary ovary absent.. Female flowers similarly arranged; calyx glabrous outside save for margin, densely strigulose inside; mature corolla not known; ovary obovoid-cylindrical, 2 mm. long, densely strigulose, with 6 locules; styles 3, 1 mm. long, erect, joined for lower half, glabrous.. Fruit red, obovoid-cylindrical, broadly cylindrical or subglobose, 1.3-2 cm. long and wide, sulcate between the seeds when young, verruculose, apiculate (or beaked when young), pale brown pilose when young but soon glabrous save for base of persistent styles, the calyx not accrescent.. Seeds 4(-?6) or fewer by abortion, blackish brown, narrowly oblong, 1.3-1.5 cm. long, 5-6 mm. wide and thick; endosperm not ruminate.. Fig. 3/21.