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This species is accepted, and its native range is Uganda to S. Tropical Africa.

[FTEA]

Ericaceae, Henk Beentje. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2006

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or tree 0.3– 8 m high, evergreen; bole gnarled, bark dark brown and peeling off in strips; much branched from near base with ascending branches; branches with poorly developed infrafoliar ridges, densely puberulous to short-pubescent with short simple hairs and usually also with longer glandular hairs to 0.5 mm.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves in whorls of 4, appressed to spreading, pale green, straight or slightly incurved, fleshy, flat above, convex and sulcate beneath, narrowly elliptic, 0.8– 4.5 mm long, 0.4– 0.9 mm wide, margins minutely ‘ denticulate’ with a few glands, apex acute or obtuse, sparsely (glandular-)puberulous on both surfaces or glabrous; petiole 0.3– 0.7 mm long, puberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence with nodding flowers in clusters of 4– 12 at the tips of branchlets; pedicel reddish, 1– 2.2 mm long, puberulous with minute simple or glandular hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx (apparent calyx; some lobes are really recaulescent bracteoles) 4(– 5)-partite, green, bowl-shaped, 3 lobes subequal, broadly triangular, 0.8– 1.2 mm long, apex acute and slightly thickened, the 4th lobe slightly longer, apex green and slightly leaf-like, all lobes glabrous or puberulous with simple or glandular hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 4(– 5)-partite, dark pink to red, fading to brown, rarely whitish, bowl-shaped, 1.1– 1.8 mm long, 1.5– 2.5 mm in diameter, pubescent outside, the lobes ovate, 0.4– 0.8 mm long, apex broadly rounded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
At anthesis the red fused stamens surrounding the red capitate stigma may form a connate body to 2 mm in diameter; stamens 8, rarely 5– 9 in some flowers, slighly exserted, anthers remaining fused after dehiscence, filaments 0.5– 0.7 mm long, anthers 0.6– 0.9 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 4-locular, puberulous, to 0.8 mm long, to 1.5 mm in diameter in fruit; style 0.1– 0.3 mm long, stigma peltate, 0.6– 1.5 mm in diameter, with centrally 4– 5 crossing raised lines above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit splitting in 4 at maturity showing the central keel on the 4 concave valves, with a ridged central axis topped by the capitate stigma.
Figures
Fig. 3.

[FZ]

Ericaceae, R. Ross. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983

Morphology General Habit
A shrub or tree 1–6 m. tall.
Morphology Branches
Branchlets with poorly developed infrafohar ridges, with a dense pubescence of short simple hairs and, usually, sparser longer hairs that are often glandular.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves in whorls of 4, appressed to spreading, straight or slightly curved inwards, narrowly ovate, acute to obtuse, pubescent at least on the upper surface but the hairs sometimes evanescent, 1·5–4·5 mm. long, 0·4–0·7 mm. broad, but leaves on coppice shoots may be up to 10 mm. long and 3–5 mm. broad with the margins scarcely reflexed; petioles 0·5–0·7 mm. long, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in clusters of 4–12 at the tips of the branchlets.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicels 1–2 mm. long, pubescent with simple hairs less than 0·05 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx and corolla occasionally 5–partite, usually 4–partite. Calyx bowl–shaped, shortly pubescent, the margin glandular or fimbriate, occasionally very shortly ciliate; the 3 equal lobes broadly triangular, about equalling the sinuses of the corolla, leaf–like tips scarcely developed, 0·9–1·2 mm. long, fused for 2/3 of their length, the sinuses rounded; the 4th lobe somewhat longer, almost equalling to slightly exceeding the corolla, leaf–like at the tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla bowl–shaped, pubescent without, 1·1–1·8 mm. long, 1·5–2·5 mm. wide, lobes broadly rounded, sinuses shallow, rounded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 8 in all flowers of most specimens, but from 5 to 9 in some flowers of some specimens, Slightly exceeding the corolla, anthers remaining fused after dehiscence.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 4–locular, pubescent; style short, 0·1–0·3 mm., exceeded by the stamens until the capsule begins to ripen, terminal disc 0·8–1·5 mm. diameter.

Native to:

Angola, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Erica benguelensis (Welw. ex Engl.) E.G.H.Oliv. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Jan 1, 2004 Holst. C [9149], Tanzania K000225348 Unknown type material
Milne-Redhead, E. [3532], Zambia 10021.000
Welwitch [2560], Angola K000225341 Unknown type material
Whyte, A. [s.n.], Malawi K000225342
Whyte, A. [s.n.], Malawi K000225343 Unknown type material
Harris, T. [249], Mozambique K000613324
Patel, H. [7346], Mozambique K000613608
Timberlake, J. [5350], Malawi K000614694
Timberlake, J. [s.n.], Malawi K000614798

First published in Kew Bull. 47: 666 (1992)

Accepted by

  • Kalema, J. & Beentje, H. (2012). Conservation checklist of the trees of Uganda: 1-235. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Geerinck, D. (2009). Révision du genre Erica L. (Ericaceae) en Afrique centrale Taxonomania 28: 6-16.
  • Timberlake, J.R., Bayliss, J., Alves, T., Francisco, J., Harris, T., Nangoma, D. & de Sousa, C. (2009). Biodiversity and Conservation of Mchese Mountain, Malawi. Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036: 1-71. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Govaerts, R. (2001). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS E-F: 1-50919.

Literature

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • E.G.H.Oliv. in Kew Bulletin 47, 4: 666 (1992).

Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
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Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
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Kew Backbone Distributions
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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