Landolphia kirkii [dyer]

Kirk's landolphia (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Gentianales > Apocynaceae > Landolphia

Characteristics

Scandent shrub or woody climber with branched tendrils (modified inflorescences); young branches rusty-tomentose or finely tomentose, later glabrescent; bark reddish brown with small whitish lenticels; sap milky, rubbery. Leaves subcoriaceous, petiolate, lanceolate to oblong, rarely ovate or elliptic, 3-8 cm long and 1.5-2.8 cm broad, thinly pubescent on both surfaces, more densely so on the midrib below, becoming glabrescent, base obtuse, apex tapering to a blunt acumen; midrib shallowly channelled above, prominent below, secondary nerves 10-12 on each side, slightly oblique, indistinct; petiole 4-6 mm long. Inflorescence a simple and shortly pedunculate corymb or, occasionally, branched and more elongate, sometimes passing into tendrils, rusty pubescent or finely tomentose; bracts minute, ovate. Flowers small, whitish, scented; pedicels very short. Calyx 2 mm long, divided almost to the base, pubescent; sepals broadly ovate, obtuse, thinner at the margins. Corolla salver-shaped; tube 4.5 mm long, somewhat spindle-shaped, inflated above the middle, narrowed below and constricted at the throat, pubescent without; lobes linear-oblong, 4 mm long, subacute or obtuse. Stamens situated above the middle of the tube; anthers ovate, less than 1 mm long. Ovary entire, ovoid, glabrous; ovules numerous; style columnar, less than 1 mm long; stigma situated at the base of the anthers, cylindrical from a thickened base, apex bifid. Fruit globose to almost pear-shaped, 4-8 cm in diameter. Seeds numerous, variously compressed, embedded in a stringy pulp, 11-14 mm long; cotyledons thin; endosperm horny.
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Upper leaf surface fairly glossy, almost always puberulent when young, glabrescent, or less often glabrous except for the pubescent midrib, very rarely lamina completely glabrous, midrib channelled, lateral and tertiary nerves more or less raised, never impressed; lower surface crispate-pubescent or glabrous except for the appressed-or spreading-pubescent midrib, midrib prominent, other nerves raised or level with surface, tertiary reticulation easily seen with a hand-lens.
Leaves membranous to subcoriaceous, usually drying discolorous with the upper surface much darker than the lower; petiole 2–7 mm. long, pubescent; lamina 2·4–9·2 x 1–3·2 cm., oblong to narrrowly ovate or rarely oblong-obovate, the apex attenuate or cuspidate-attenuate into a short to long acumen, or acumen ± absent, the base rounded to cuneate.
A shrub or woody climber. It is slender and can climb 25 m high. The stems are 1-2 cm across. The plant contains latex. The leaves are small, opposite and narrowly oval or sword shaped. The flowers are small and white or pale pink. They are in groups. The fruit is round and speckled. It is 5-7 cm across. It is edible.
Corolla white, cream-coloured or yellow, darker on the tube and reverse of petals; corolla tube 3·5–4 mm. long, clavate, the wall thickened in the upper half and the mouth very restricted; exterior surface puberulous especially above the calyx; corolla lobes narrowly elliptic, ± equalling the tube, glabrous.
Inflorescences terminal, many-flowered paniculate cymes forming dense clusters or sometimes the branches elongating and becoming tendrillous; axes densely rufous-tomentose or-pubescent.
Stamens inserted at or just above the middle of the corolla tube; anthers subsessile, c. 0·75 mm. long, reaching to base of constricted part of corolla tube.
Calyx c. 2 mm. long, sepals almost free, oblong, greyish-brown, not glossy, ciliate, dorsally glabrous or puberulent, with hispid midrib.
Flowers scented, each subtended by two sepal-like bracteoles and the inflorescence branches by bracts.
Scandent shrub or woody climber. Corolla tube 3-5 mm long, lobes 4-6 mm long. Flowers white.
Fruit globose or pyriform, attaining 15 cm. in diameter, green with white flesh, edible.
Ovary 0·75–1 mm. long, glabrous; style, clavuncle and stigma 1–1·5 mm. long.
Straggling shrub or liane attaining 18(30) m., with rough dark bark.
Young stems brownish-or ferrugineous-pubescent, later glabrescent.
Seeds 8·5–10 mm. long.
Tendrils common.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support climber
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 15.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It does better in areas with high rainfall. It grows in evergreen forest and along rivers. In Kenya it grows in coastal areas between sea level and 300 m altitude. It is usually on sandy soils.
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A strong climber in forest, at forest edges and in Brachystegia bushland, miombo woodlands on plateaux and wet valleys.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

The ripe fruit are eaten raw. The shell is broken and the pulp sucked but the seeds are discarded. It is also used for drinks and jams. The leaves are cooked and eaten.
Uses material medicinal
Edible fruits leaves seeds
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Landolphia kirkii world distribution map, present in Burundi, Central African Republic, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Somalia, Taiwan, Province of China, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:79636-1
WFO ID wfo-0000222794
COL ID 3S6P2
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Landolphia polyantha Vahea kirkii Landolphia dondeensis Clitandra stapfiana Landolphia delagoensis Landolphia kirkii var. delagoensis Landolphia kirkii