Ventilago africana Exell

Stout liane to 30 m. long.. Branches somewhat zig-zag; branchlets essentially glabrous, often divaricate.. Leaf-blades ovate-lanceolate or narrowly ovate, 5–12 cm. long, 17–55 mm. broad, at base rounded, acute or usually shortly acuminate (with an acumen ± 1 cm. long), essentially glabrous, beneath with prominulent veins, with ± 6 or 7 pairs of secondary nerves, appressed serrate or appressed crenate; petioles 2–5 mm. long.. Stipules subulate, 1–2 mm. long, subpersistent, glabrescent.. Flowers borne in axillary glomerules of 4–10 flowers at nodes where the leaves are obsolete or often merely reduced to lanceolate bracts 2–4(–7) cm. long, the compound inflorescences 10–15 cm. long; branches vaguely panicle-like, both terminal and lateral on the branch system, when young minutety pubescent in lines;pedicels l–2(–3) mm. long in flower, 3–4(–5) mm. in fruit, at first minutely pubescent with tawny appressed hairs.. Sepals deltoid, 1–1.3 mm. long, glabrous.. Petals oblanceolate, ± 1 mm. long, strongly reflexed at anthesis, glabrous.. Disk glabrous.. Fruit (3–)4–6 cm. long, the wing (7–)8–10 mm. broad, glabrous.. Fig. 11, p. 35.

In forest, especially marshy areas.