Bridelia atroviridis Müll.Arg.

Euphorbiaceae, A. Radcliffe-Smith. Flora Zambesiaca 9:4. 1996

Morphology General Habit

A forest tree up to 20 m high with a straight trunk up to 45 cm in diameter.

Morphology General Bark

Bark pale grey, ± smooth or rough.

Morphology General Wood

Heartwood dark.

Morphology Branches

Branches spiny.

Morphology Twigs

Twigs brown to dark purplish-brown, sparingly lenticellate.

Morphology General Shoots

Young shoots and petioles evenly to sparingly puberulous, later glabrescent, or else quite glabrous.

Morphology Leaves Petiole

Petioles 2–8 mm long.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules 3–8 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, acutely acuminate, evenly to sparingly pubescent, soon falling.

Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina

Leaf blades 2–17 × 1–10 cm, elliptic to oblanceolate, acutely acuminate, rounded-cuneate to subtruncate at the base, membranous, sparingly pubescent along the midrib and otherwise glabrous or else completely glabrous above, evenly to sparingly pubescent along the midrib and veins and sometimes glabrescent beneath, dark green and shiny above, mid-green and dull beneath, almost blackening above in drying; lateral nerves in 10–22 pairs, camptodromous, not or slightly prominent above, somewhat so beneath, tertiary nerves subparallel.

sex Male

Male flowers: pedicels c. 1 mm long, pubescent; sepals c. 2 × 1 mm, triangular-ovate, acute, pubescent without at the base, otherwise glabrous, often pinkish or purplish-tinged; petals 0.75 × 0.75 mm, spathulate, somewhat erose at the apex; disk 1.5 mm in diameter, annular, verruculose, ± entire; staminal column 1 mm high; anthers 0.75 mm long; pistillode 1 mm tall, ampulliform, bifid at the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Female flowers subsessile or very shortly pedicellate; sepals ± as in the male; petals 0.5 × 0.5 mm, spathulate, subentire; outer disk as in the male; inner disk 3-lobed, lobes c. 1 × 1 mm, ± triangular, toothed at apex; ovary 1 × 0.75 mm, ovoid, 2-celled, styles 2, c. 1 mm long, ± free, bifid, stigmas ± smooth. Male flowers: pedicels c. 1 mm long, pubescent; sepals c. 2 × 1 mm, triangular-ovate, acute, pubescent without at the base, otherwise glabrous, often pinkish or purplish-tinged; petals 0.75 × 0.75 mm, spathulate, somewhat erose at the apex; disk 1.5 mm in diameter, annular, verruculose, ± entire; staminal column 1 mm high; anthers 0.75 mm long; pistillode 1 mm tall, ampulliform, bifid at the apex.

sex Female

Female flowers subsessile or very shortly pedicellate; sepals ± as in the male; petals 0.5 × 0.5 mm, spathulate, subentire; outer disk as in the male; inner disk 3-lobed, lobes c. 1 × 1 mm, ± triangular, toothed at apex; ovary 1 × 0.75 mm, ovoid, 2-celled, styles 2, c. 1 mm long, ± free, bifid, stigmas ± smooth.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit 6–8 × 5–6(7) mm when dried, obovoid-ellipsoid, 1-locular by abortion, green at first, blackish-brown when ripe.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed 4 mm long, smooth, shiny, chestnut-brown.