Tricalysia acocantheroides K.Schum.

Species

Angiosperms > Gentianales > Rubiaceae > Tricalysia

Characteristics

Shrub or sometimes a small tree, 1.5–4.5(–7) m. high, with puberulous young twigs.. Leaf-blades mostly ovate, (2–)3.5–7.5(–9) cm. long, (1–)2–2.7(–4) cm. wide, pointed or shortly acuminate at apex (the actual tip mucronulate), cuneate or rarely rounded at base, glabrous above and beneath except for the puberulous midrib, rather coriaceous; 5–8 pairs of main lateral nerves; domatia evident, hairy; petioles 2–3(–5) mm. long, puberulous; stipules triangular, fused at the base, with awns 3–5 mm. long, puberulous.. Flowers 5–6-merous, heterostylous, sweet-scented, sessile, inflorescences mostly 3-or 5-flowered; bracts and bracteoles cupular, those subtending inflorescence branches bearing 2 small foliaceous appendages and 2 short awns, those subtending flowers with 4 unequal awns.. Calyx-tube glabrous; limb-tube 1.5–2.5 mm., puberulous; lobes subulate, mostly equalling the tube.. Corolla white, the outside pubescent especially towards the top (except for that part of the lobes covered in bud) and inside glabrous; tube 7.5–11 mm. long, 1–3 mm. in diameter; lobes 4–5 mm. long, 2–3 mm. wide.. Anthers 3 mm. long, shortly apiculate, sessile and almost completely included in the corolla-tube in short-styled flowers, or with a short filament (0.5–1 mm.) and ± exserted in long-styled flowers.. Placenta mostly with 2 collateral ovules, sometimes 1-or 3-ovulate; style glabrous, included (the 2 lobes lying under the anther-bases) in short-styled flowers or shortly exserted in long-styled flowers.. Fruit spheroidal, ?orange or red (only recorded from three collections), ± 8 mm. in diameter, with 2 chambers or sometimes 1 by abortion.. Seeds 1–2 per chamber, hemi-ellipsoid; testa weakly striated.
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Leaf blades dimorphic, those at start of new season’s growth smaller and either the same shape or more rotund; main blades (2)3.5–7.5(10) × (1)2–3.4(4) cm, elliptic, oblong elliptic to broadly elliptic or ovate, acute or shortly and finely acuminate at the apex with a mucronulate tip up to 1.25 mm long, cuneate or rarely rounded at the base, slightly recurved at margin, subcoriaceous, glabrous on both surfaces; midrib puberulous, lightly impressed above, prominent beneath; lateral nerves in 4–6 main pairs, rather faint; tertiary nerves mostly obscure; domatia hairy; petioles 2–7 mm long, pubescent or puberulous; stipule limbs 1.5–2 mm long, puberulous with awns 3–6 mm long.
Inflorescences borne in leaf axils or at leafless nodes, mostly 3–5-flowered, subsessile; bract and bracteoles cupular,pubescent, those subtending inflorescence branches bearing 2 small subulate (foliaceous fide Robbrecht) appendages and 2 short awns, those subtending flowers with 4 unequal awns.
Anthers 3–3.5 mm long, shortly apiculate, ± medifixed, either sessile with tips (i.e. ¼–½ length) exserted from corolla tube, or with filaments 0.5–1 mm and mostly (i.e. ¾ held erect) or fully (i.e. spreading) exserted from corolla throat.
Style and stigma/pollen presenter arms glabrous, in flowers with included anthers, arms included and lying level with anther bases or between anthers, or in flowers with exserted anthers, at throat or exserted and lying between anthers.
Calyx tube glabrous, hidden by upper bracteolar cup; limb-tube 1.25–2(2.5) mm long, pubescent; lobes subulate, or subulate from a deltoid base, 0.5–1.75 mm long, sometimes rudimentary lobes present between main lobes.
Corolla white; tube 5.5–11 mm long, glabrous at base, often pubescent towards the top outside,glabrous inside;lobes 3–5 × (1.5)2–3 mm, acuminate at apex, pubescent below on the part exposed in bud, glabrous above.
Shrub or sometimes a small tree, 1.5–5(7) m high; young twigs puberulous; older stems with greyish or light brown bark.
Fruit yellow-orange, orange or red, c. 8 mm in diameter, with 2 chambers or sometimes 1 by abortion.
Placenta mostly with 2 collateral ovules; sometimes 1-or 3-ovulate.
Seeds 1–2 per chamber, semi-ellipsoid; testa weakly striated.
Flowers 5–6-merous, heterostylous, sweet-scented, sessile.
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Growth form tree
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Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Mature height (meter) 1.5 - 4.5
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Environment

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Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

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Cultivation

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Distribution

Tricalysia acocantheroides world distribution map, present in Mozambique, Tanzania, United Republic of, and Zambia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:767979-1
WFO ID wfo-0000327149
COL ID 7D2L8
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Tricalysia milanjiensis Tricalysia mucronulata Tricalysia acocantheroides