Vitellariopsis marginata (N.E.Br.) Atthrev.

Species

Angiosperms > Ericales > Sapotaceae > Vitellariopsis

Characteristics

Tree 6-20 m high and 30-60 cm in diam.; stem straight; branches terete, grey, more or less rough; ultimate branches short and rather stout, usually over 3 mm thick, often much thicker, glabrous. Leaves obovate or elliptic-obovate, sometimes elliptic-oblong or elliptic-(ob)lanceolate, with a dull shine(but not smooth)and drying a greyish green(rarely brown)above, paler and duller below, 3-15(usually 6-13) cm by 1.5-6(usually 2-5) cm; more or less acuminate with obtuse apex, with a narrowed or somewhat rounded base and subreflexed margin; midrib distinct; petioles 5-20 mm long. Flowers on 2-5 cm long pedicels, generally 4-merous. Calyx lobes acuminate or acute, 7.5-12 mm long, outer rusty-pubescent, inner pale pubescent. Corolla dull white; tube 1-2 mm long, pubescent outside, lobes and appendages subequal, 6-9.5 mm long. Staminodes densely villous outside, 4.5-5.5 mm long. Stamens 6-8 mm long. Style 9-11 mm long, Fruit rather large, ovoid or ellipsoid, apiculate or attenuate-apiculate, ultimately glabrous, purplish-red, up to 5 cm long and 3.5 cm diameter. Seed broadly ellipsoid, 2-2.5 cm long, about 2 cm wide and about 1.8 cm thick; testa pale buff when dry; scar somewhat shorter than the seed, occupying about half its surface area, elliptic or oblong in outline, emarginate at the apex and about 2 cm broad in the widest place.
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Perennial tree or shrub, 4-10 m high, bark grey. Leaves glabrous, narrowly obovate, apex acute to apiculate, margins revolute; petioles up to 10 mm long. Flowers white-yellow, up to 4 in axil; pedicels pubescent, up to 30 mm long. Calyx 6-lobed, divided nearly to base, up to 9 mm long. Corolla 3-or 4-merous; tube short; lobes and lateral appendages subequal. Stamens up to 8; anthers up to 2.5 mm long. Ovary ± 8 locular, subglobose; style terete, obtuse. Flowering time Sept.-Nov. Fruit 1(2)-seeded, ellipsoid with pointed apex, up to 50 x 35 mm, purplish red. Seeds testa thin and broad scar, 20-25 mm long.
A small evergreen tree. It grows 6 m high. The stem is 30 cm across. The branches are often held horizontally. The leaves are on short, thick, rigid small branches. They are broadly oval and 7-16 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. They taper to the base. They are dark green and shiny above and more pale underneath. The midrib is yellow. The flowers are white or cream and 1 cm long. They are in clusters of 2-4 flowers. These are in the axils of leaves at the ends of branches. The fruit are oval and have sepals around the base. They are green but ripen to red.
Leaves glabrous; lamina 4·5–10 x 1·5–4 cm., narrowly obovate, apex acute to cuspidate–apiculate, base tapering gradually; midrib and the very fine vein reticulation raised on both surfaces; margin revolute; petiole 6–10 mm. long.
Fruit up to 5 cm. long and 3·5(5) cm. in diameter, ovoid, ellipsoid or globose, with pointed apex, glabrous and purplish–red when ripe; fruiting calyx spreading to reflexed.
Flowers white, in 1–4–flowered axillary fascicles, on ferrugineous–pubescent pedicels up to 3 cm. long, each subtended by a minute, broadly triangular, caducous bract.
Tree, 6-20 m high. Leaves usually longer than 60 mm, generally obovate, petiole usually longer than 10 mm. Pedicels 20-50 mm long. Flowers dull white.
Corolla c. 8·5 mm. long; tube c. 1 mm. long; median and lateral lobes similar, narrowly oblong–elliptic.
Young sterns glabrous or ferrugineous–pubescent and soon glabrescent; bark grey, striated.
Staminodes c. 4·5 mm. long.
Shrub or tree 3–7 m. tall.
Gynoecium c. 13 mm. long.
Anthers c. 2·5 mm. long.
Calyx c. 9 mm. long.
Seed 20–25 mm. long.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.3
Mature height (meter) 6.0 - 10.0
Root system -
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Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in densely wooded hillsides and in forested valleys.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses food gene source medicinal
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
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Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Vitellariopsis marginata unspecified picture

Distribution

Vitellariopsis marginata world distribution map, present in Mozambique, eSwatini, and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:790051-1
WFO ID wfo-0000332907
COL ID 7G5NT
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Mimusops marginata Mimusops sylvestris Austromimusops sylvestris Inhambanella natalensis Mimusops natalensis Mimusops schinzii Austromimusops marginata Vitellariopsis sylvestris Baillonella marginata Baillonella sylvestris Vitellariopsis marginata