Skip to main content
This species is accepted, and its native range is South Sudan to NE. Zambia.

[FTEA]

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Morphology General Habit
A shrub or more commonly a low-branched small to large tree up to 30 m. with a spreading rounded crown.
Morphology Stem
Trunk sometimes spiny.
Morphology General Bark
Bark grey, brown or reddish brown, ± smooth or reticulate, flaking and roughened.
Morphology Twigs
Twigs dark brown, purplish brown or blackish, usually prominently lenticellate.
Morphology General Shoots
Young shoots and petioles sparingly, evenly or densely ferruginous pubescent, later glabrescent.
Morphology Leaves
Petioles 5–10 mm. long; leaf-blades elliptic, elliptic-obovate or elliptic-oblong, (4–)6–15(–21) cm. long, (2–)3–7(–10) cm. wide, obtuse or subacute or obtusely to subacutely shortly acuminate at apex, cuneate-rounded, rounded, truncate or shallowly cordate at base, thinly coriaceous, lateral nerves (11–)12–18(–20) pairs, craspedodromous, not prominent above but prominent beneath, tertiary nerves parallel, slightly to fairly prominent beneath, quaternary nerves not prominent, evenly to sparingly pubescent along the midrib and main nerves above, otherwise subglabrous, densely, evenly or sparingly pubescent along the midrib and main nerves beneath, otherwise evenly pubescent to subglabrous, pale apple-green to deep green and shiny above, pale dull green beneath, with the nerves yellow-green and pellucid, usually becoming blackish or dark brown above and reddish brown beneath on drying.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules soon caducous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in terminal leafless, spicate or paniculate clusters, 3–14 cm. long; axes densely ferruginous pubescent; bracts ovate-lanceolate, not or scarcely keeled, ferruginous pubescent without, glabrous within. Male flowers:pedicels 1.5 mm. long, glabrous; sepals triangular-ovate, 2 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide, acute, glabrous, pale yellow-green; petals spathulate-flabelliform, 0.7 mm. long, denticulate in the upper half; disc annular, 1.5 mm. across, entire, verrucose, glabrous, deep yellow; staminal column 0.5 mm. high; filaments white; anthers 1 mm. long; pistillode conical, 0.5 mm. tall, bifid at the apex, the lobes connivent. Female flowers:pedicels 0.5 mm. long, pubescent; sepals triangular-lanceolate, 2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute, glabrous; petals oblanceolate, 1 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, toothed at the apex, glabrous; outer disc cuguliform, 2 mm. across, verruculose, inner disc divided into 4–5 deeply laciniate lobes enclosing the ovary; ovary ellipsoid, 1.5 mm. long, 2-locular, pale yellow; styles 2, ± free, bifid.
sex Male
Male flowers:pedicels 1.5 mm. long, glabrous; sepals triangular-ovate, 2 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide, acute, glabrous, pale yellow-green; petals spathulate-flabelliform, 0.7 mm. long, denticulate in the upper half; disc annular, 1.5 mm. across, entire, verrucose, glabrous, deep yellow; staminal column 0.5 mm. high; filaments white; anthers 1 mm. long; pistillode conical, 0.5 mm. tall, bifid at the apex, the lobes connivent.
sex Female
Female flowers:pedicels 0.5 mm. long, pubescent; sepals triangular-lanceolate, 2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute, glabrous; petals oblanceolate, 1 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, toothed at the apex, glabrous; outer disc cuguliform, 2 mm. across, verruculose, inner disc divided into 4–5 deeply laciniate lobes enclosing the ovary; ovary ellipsoid, 1.5 mm. long, 2-locular, pale yellow; styles 2, ± free, bifid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits ellipsoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, 1-locular by abortion, 7–12 mm. long, 4–7 mm. wide, smooth, shiny, yellow-green at first later becoming purple or purplish black and somewhat translucent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed 5–6 mm. long, smooth, brown.
Figures
Fig. 23/9–12, p. 124.
Habitat
Upland evergreen forest, mostly at edges, along rivers or in secondary formations, also in associated bushland and thicket; 1200–2440 m.
Distribution
T6 T7 T8 U2

[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
A deciduous tree up to 33 m high with a spreading crown, borne on stilt roots or with fluted buttresses up to 3 m high.
Morphology Trunk
Trunk spiny.
Morphology General Bark
Bark smooth or scaly, pinkish-brown.
Morphology Branches
Branches ± flattened.
Morphology Twigs
Twigs dark purplish-brown or blackish.
Morphology General Shoots
Young shoots, petioles and inflorescence axes evenly to sparingly pubescent or ± glabrous.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petioles 5–12 mm long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules very fugacious; scars 3 mm long.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf blades 4–17 × 2–11 cm, elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong, shortly acutely to obtusely acuminate at the apex, cuneate-rounded to truncate or shallowly cordate at the base, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, glabrous above with the midrib and lateral nerves sparingly pubescent above, more evenly pubescent beneath, dark green above, paler beneath, often drying blackish above and brownish beneath; lateral nerves in 11–20 pairs, cheilodromous, often branched, scarcely prominent above, prominent beneath, tertiary nerves parallel.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in terminal leafless or almost leafless panicles 3–13 cm long. Female flowers subsessile or very shortly pedicellate; sepals 2 × 1.5 mm, triangular-ovate, otherwise as in male; petals oblanceolate, otherwise as in male; outer disk similar to that of male; inner disk irregularly 3-lobed, lobes c. 1 × 1 mm, ± triangular, irregularly lobulate at apex; ovary 1 × 1 mm, subglobose, 2-celled; styles 2, 1.3 mm long, united at the base, bifid, stigmas ± smooth. Male flowers: pedicels 1.5 mm long, glabrous; sepals 2.5 × 1 mm, triangular-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, pale greenish; petals 1 × 0.5 mm, spathulate-flabelliform, tridentate, yellowish-green; disk 2 mm in diameter, annular, verruculose, yellow; staminal column 1.5 mm high; anthers 0.8 mm long; pistillode 0.75 mm high, ampulliform, bifid at the apex, the lobes connivent.
sex Male
Male flowers: pedicels 1.5 mm long, glabrous; sepals 2.5 × 1 mm, triangular-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, pale greenish; petals 1 × 0.5 mm, spathulate-flabelliform, tridentate, yellowish-green; disk 2 mm in diameter, annular, verruculose, yellow; staminal column 1.5 mm high; anthers 0.8 mm long; pistillode 0.75 mm high, ampulliform, bifid at the apex, the lobes connivent.
sex Female
Female flowers subsessile or very shortly pedicellate; sepals 2 × 1.5 mm, triangular-ovate, otherwise as in male; petals oblanceolate, otherwise as in male; outer disk similar to that of male; inner disk irregularly 3-lobed, lobes c. 1 × 1 mm, ± triangular, irregularly lobulate at apex; ovary 1 × 1 mm, subglobose, 2-celled; styles 2, 1.3 mm long, united at the base, bifid, stigmas ± smooth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 9–12 × 5–7 mm, ellipsoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, 1-locular by abortion, green at first, later becoming purple or purplish-black.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed 7 × 5 mm, smooth, brown.

Native to:

Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre

Bridelia brideliifolia (Pax) Fedde appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Osmaston, H.A. [1332], Uganda 2104.000

First published in Just's Bot. Jahresber. 36(11): 413 (1905)

Accepted by

  • Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. MIM, Deurne.

Literature

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Troupin, Fl. Rwanda 2: 210, t. 63/3 (1983).
  • Troupin, Fl. Pl. Lign. Rwanda: 250, t. 86.3 (1982)
  • J. Léon. in Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, 8(1): 36 (1962).
  • J. Léon. in Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de l'État a Bruxelles 31: 55 (1961)
  • F. W. Andr., The Flowering Plants of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 2: 57 (1952).
  • W.J. Eggeling, Indigenous Trees of the Uganda Protectorate, ed. 2: 117 (1952).
  • J.P.M. Brenan, Check-lists of the Forest Trees and Shrubs of the British Empire no. 5, part II, Tanganyika Territory p. 200 (1949).
  • Robyns, Flore des Spermatophytes du Parc National Albert 1: 448 (1948).
  • A. Engler & O. Drude, Die Vegetation Der Erde, IX, Pflanzenwelt Afrikas 3(2): 45 (1921).
  • Jabl. in A. Engler, Das Pflanzenreich IV. 147 (8): 83 (1915).
  • Fedde in Just’s Bot. Jahresb. 36(2): 413, in adnot. (1910).

Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0