Ekebergia capensis Sparrm.

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Meliaceae > Ekebergia

Characteristics

Medium-sized evergreen or semi-evergreen tree up to 30 m. tall, but usually less; bole slightly buttressed or fluted at base, up to 1 m. diameter at breast height; second-year branchlets slender, usually less than 0.6 cm. diameter, smooth, with scattered leaf-scars, closely lenticellate with large whitish lenticels.. Leaves imparipinnate, usually entirely glabrous, sometimes pubescent, rarely tomentose; petiole and rhachis up to 35 cm. long; leaflets opposite or subopposite, 7–15, subsessile or shortly petiolulate, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, up to 14.5 × 6 cm., usually much smaller, tapering to an acuminate or subacuminate apex, base asymmetric, lower surface rarely drying whitish.. Flowers white or pinkish white, sweet-scented, borne in many-flowered cymose panicles.. Calyx 0.2 cm. long, sparsely to densely puberulous.. Petals elliptic-oblong, 0.4–0.5 cm. long, densely puberulous on both surfaces.. Staminal tube 0.2 cm. long, puberulous outside, densely bearded at throat inside.. Ovary 0.15 × 0.2 cm., densely setulose; style 0.05–0.1 cm. long.. Drupe ± 1.5 × 1.5 cm., deep red, with 2–4 pyrenes.. Fig. 10/6–9, p 36.
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Evergreen or semi-evergreen tree up to 20 m tall, often with a wide, umbrageous crown. Leaflets (7)9-13, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, up to 145 x 60 mm, tapering to an acuminate, subacuminate or, rarely, acute apex, base asymmetric; lower surface glabrous to tomentose. Inflorescence 70-250 mm long. Flowers white or pinkish white. Calyx 2 mm long, sparsely to densely puberulous. Petals 4-5 mm long, elliptic-oblong, densely puberulous on both surfaces. Staminal tube 2 mm long, puberulous outside, densely bearded at the throat inside. Ovary 15 x 2-2.5 mm, densely setulose; style 0.5 mm long. Drupe deep red, 18 x 15 mm, with (1)2-4(5) pyrenes.
Evergreen or semi-evergreen tree, 2-18 m high; wide canopy; dioecious. Leaves imparipinnate; leaflets ± lanceolate, entire, apex acuminate, base asymmetric. Flowers unisexual; in axillary panicles up to 250 mm long; white or pinkish white. Calyx saucer-shaped, puberulous. Petals elliptic-oblong, densely puberulous on both surfaces. Disc annular. Staminal tube basin-shaped, with 10 sessile anthers at apex of tube. Ovary sessile; style short and thick; stigma obscurely 4-or 5-lobed. Fruit a dry, globose, deep red drupe, 18 x 15 mm, with 2-4 pyrenes. Seeds mostly 1 per locule, exarillate.
A tall tree. The leaves are densely clustered. The leaves have up to 6 pairs of leaflets. They are opposite with a leaflet at the end. The leaflets are broadly sword shaped. They narrow to the tip. They are 8 cm long by 2.5 cm wide. The flowering shoots are in the axils of leaves. They are 12 cm long and branched. The flowers are greenish-white. The fruit is slightly fleshy and pink. They are round and 1 cm across.
Leaves imparipinnate, usually entirely glabrous, sometimes pubescent, rarely tomentose; petiole and rhachis up to 35 cm. long; leaflets up to 14·5 × 6 cm., usually much smaller, opposite or subopposite, 3–5 (6)-jugate, subsessile or shortly petiolulate, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, tapering to an acuminate or subacuminate apex, base asymmetric, lower surface never drying whitish.
Medium-sized evergreen or semi-evergreen tree up to 30 m. tall but usually less; bole slightly buttressed or fluted at base, up to 1 m. d.b.h.; second-year branchlets slender, usually less than 0·6 cm. diameter, smooth, with scattered leaf-scars, closely lenticellate with large whitish lenticels.
Evergreen or semi-evergreen tree, up to 20 m high. Leaf rhachis not winged or very narrowly winged; leaflets 9-13, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, up to 145 x 60 mm. Drupe with 2-4 pyrenes. Flowers white or pinkish white.
Dioecious tree to 20 m. Leaves opposite, imparipinnate, leaflets lanceolate, asymmetric at base. Flowers in axillary, cymose panicles, whitish.
Ovary 1·5 × 2 mm., densely setulose, style 0·5–1 mm. long, Drupe about 1·5 × 1·5 cm., bright red or (?) black, with 2–4 pyrenes.
Flowers dioecious, white or pinkish-white, sweet-scented, borne in many-flowered cymose panicles.
Staminal tube 2 mm. long, puberulous outside, densely bearded at throat inside.
Petals 4–5 mm. long, elliptic-oblong, densely puberulous on both surfaces.
Calyx 2 mm. long, sparsely to densely puberulous.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 22.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) 0.7
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry forest on well-drained soil. It grows in savannah woodland and along rivers. It grows between 600-3,000 m altitude. It can grow in arid places. In Zimbabwe it grows up to 1,670 m above sea level. It grows in areas with a mean annual rainfall of 750-2,000 mm. In the Brisbane Botanical Gardens.
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Occurs in a number of different habitats, from high altitude evergreen forests to riverine forests, and from the sea level to about 1,500 metres above sea level. Dry montane forest, open grassland and the coastal savannah belt in E. Africa.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The fruit are eaten raw.
Uses animal food bee plant charcoal dye environmental use fodder food fuel gene source invertebrate food material medicinal ornamental poison social use timber wood
Edible fruits seeds
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown from fresh seeds. The seeds germinate in 4-9 weeks. Soaking the seeds then rubbing them improves germination. Seeds cannot be stored for long. It can be grown by cuttings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 18 - 26
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Ekebergia capensis leaf picture by Bilqees Baker (cc-by-sa)
Ekebergia capensis leaf picture by Manfred Jensen (cc-by-sa)
Ekebergia capensis leaf picture by Yvette Mulder (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Ekebergia capensis fruit picture by Manfred Jensen (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Ekebergia capensis world distribution map, present in Angola, Burundi, Benin, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, eSwatini, Togo, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Conservation status

Ekebergia capensis threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:578362-1
WFO ID wfo-0000663623
COL ID 38W6M
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Trichilia capensis Trichilia rueppelliana Sorindeia doeringii Ekebergia buchananii Ekebergia capensis Ekebergia chevalieri Ekebergia complanata Ekebergia petitiana Ekebergia senegalensis Charia chevalieri Ekebergia dahomensis Ekebergia holtzii Ekebergia indeniensis Ekebergia meyeri Ekebergia mildbraedii Ekebergia ruppeliana Trichilia ekebergia Polyscias lepidota Charia indeniensis Ekebergia senegalensis var. coriacea Ekebergia senegalensis var. parvifoliola