Diospyros zombensis (B.L.Burtt) F.White

Species

Angiosperms > Ericales > Ebenaceae > Diospyros

Characteristics

Evergreen shrub or tree 2-15(-18) m. tall, with thick canopy and dark brown-black finely reticulate bark; branchlets densely shortly setulose-pubescent and often with longer brownish hairs on young shoots.. Leaves sometimes slightly bullate, usually drying dull dark reddish brown above, paler beneath, less often blackish green, sometimes red and yellow variegated in life, obovate, oblong or rounded oblong, (2.3-)5.6-13.7 cm. long, (1.1-)3.3-8.5 cm. wide, shortly acuminate at the apex, rounded to subcordate at the base, glabrous above, sparsely to densely setulose-pubescent, especially along the nerves beneath and margin hairy but often ultimately ± glabrous everywhere; midrib and petiole sometimes red in life; lateral nerves in ± 7 pairs, prominent beneath, the venation closely reticulate darker than the lower surface but not raised; petiole up to 1 cm. long.. Male flowers 5-merous in usually 2-5-flowered axillary cymes; peduncle up to 1 cm. long; pedicels up to 1.8 cm. long; bracts opposite, linear, 3-5 mm. long, puberulous with seta-like hairs and glandular hairs; calyx 2.5-4 mm. long; calyx-lobes triangular to lanceolate, strigulose-and glandular-puberulous outside, tomentellous inside; corolla white or greenish cream, up to 6 mm. long, lobed almost to the base; corolla-lobes obtuse, spreading or reflexed, glabrous or with a few downwardly directed hairs on mid-petaline areas and scattered small glandular hairs outside; disk thin, fimbriate; stamens 10, cream, 3 mm. long with filaments 0.5 mm. long, glabrous; anthers lanceolate, 2.5 mm. long, densely strigose; rudimentary ovary conical, tomentellous, with 8-10 locules; styles 4-5, mostly glabrous.. Female flowers similar to male, 4-5-merous; staminodes 10, 1.5 mm. long; antherodes densely hairy; ovary conical, 2 mm. long and wide, tomentellous, with 8-10 locules; styles 4-5, united only at the base, glabrous.. Fruit yellow, depressed-subglobose, 2-3.3 cm. in diameter, ± densely shortly pubescent; accrescent calyx-lobes lanceolate, 1.2-1.8 cm. long, acute, reflexed.. Seeds 10 or fewer, reddish brown, oblong-ellipsoid, 1-1.6 cm. long, 7-9 mm. wide, shining; testa deeply and reticulately grooved; endosperm deeply ruminate.. Fig. 2/13; fig. 6/5-6.
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Leaves chartaceous, usually drying dull, dark reddish–brown above, paler beneath, more rarely blackish–green; lamina 5·6 x 3·3–13·7 x 8·3 cm., obovate, apex shortly acuminate, base rounded to subcordate; margin.pilose; lower surface sparsely to densely setulose, especially along the nerves, and also usually with scattered small glandular hairs; lateral nerves in c. 7 pairs, prominent beneath, tertiary nerves and veins closely reticulate, not prominent but on lower surface darker than the lamina.
A shrub or tree. It can grow up to 15 m high. It can flower as a small shrub. The leaves are papery. They are more pale underneath. The leaf blade is 6 cm long by 8 cm wide. The male flowers are in groups of 2-5. They are in axils. The female flowers are similar to the male flowers. The fruit is almost round and 2-3 cm across. There can be 10 seeds.
Male flowers usually in 2–5–flowered axillary cymes, pentamerous; peduncle up to 1 cm. long; pedicels up to 1–8 cm. long; bracts 0·3–0·5 cm. long, opposite, linear, puberulous with setulose and glandular hairs.
Corolla up to 0·6 cm. long, lobed almost to the base; lobes obtuse, spreading or reflexed; glabrous or with a few mid–petaline downwardly directed hairs and scattered small glandular hairs outside.
Disk thin, fimbriate.–Stamens 10, 0·3 cm. long; filaments 0·05 cm. long, glabrous; anthers 0·25 cm. long, lanceolate, densely strigose.
Seeds 10 or fewer, 1–1·4 cm. long, reddish–brown, shining; testa deeply and reticulately grooved; endosperm deeply ruminate.
Ovary 0·2 x 0·2 cm., conoidal, tomentellous; locules 8 or 10; styles 4–5, glabrous, united only at the base.
Calyx 0·25–0·4 cm. long; lobes debate, strigulose–and glandular –puberulous outside, tomentellous inside.
Pistillode conoidal, tomentellous; locules 8 or 10; stylodes 4–5, mostly glabrous.
Fruiting calyx accrescent; lobes 1·2–1·8 cm. long, lanceolate, acute, reflexed.
Staminodes 10, 0·15 cm. long; antherodes densely hairy.
Fruit subglobose, 2–3 cm. in diameter, setulose.
Evergreen shrub or tree 2–15 m. tall.
Female flowers similar to male.
Life form -
Growth form tree
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Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
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Mature height (meter) 2.0 - 15.0
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Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in lowland rainforest. It suits humid locations. It also grows along rivers. It grows from 350-900 m altitude.
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Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses material medicinal
Edible fruits
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Cultivation

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Distribution

Diospyros zombensis world distribution map, present in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, United Republic of, and Zambia

Conservation status

Diospyros zombensis threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:323214-1
WFO ID wfo-0000650005
COL ID 6CWDZ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Diospyros zombensis Royena zombensis Royena amnicola