Funtumia Stapf

Apocynaceae, A. J. M. Leeuwenberg & F. K. Kupicha et al. Flora Zambesiaca 7:2. 1985

Morphology General Habit

Evergreen trees or shrubs, with white sticky latex; bark smooth, sometimes with a few lenticels, greenish-brown to grey; wood of low density, soft; branches terete, sometimes lenticellate, very dark brown; branchlets smooth, terete or laterally compressed with a longitudinal groove below the ocrea.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, petiolate, those of a pair connate into a short ocrea, with many small colleters in two or three rows in the axils; lamina ovate, elliptic or oblong, decurrent into the petiole, acuminate at the apex, entire, glabrous above; often domatia in the axils of the secondary veins; margin both undulate and revolute.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences congested, terminal and axillary, cymose, much shorter than the leaves; peduncle short; bracts ovate or elliptic, often with small colleters in the axils.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers actinomorphic, fleshy, fragrant.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals free, thick, ovate or nearly so, obtuse or subacute at the apex, often membranous and minutely ciliate at the margin, inside with a single row of colleters at the base.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla tube ventricose at the middle, inside thickened at the throat, densely hirto-pubescent from the insertion of the stamens to the level of the apex of the ovary, with an indumentum which gradually becomes thinner and shorter; lobes overlapping in bud to the right, often auriculate at the left, entire, recurved.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens included; filaments very short or absent, ventrally densely hirto-pubescent, dorsally glabrous; anthers narrowly triangular with a very short point at the acuminate apex, sagittate at the base, glabrous, 2-celled, introrse; connective dorsally appressed-pubescent, ventrally at the base stiffly coherent with the clavuncula.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary composed of 2 almost-free carpels which are united by the base of the style; placenta adaxial, 2-lobed; style not split at the base, with two longitudinal grooves, thickened below the clavuncula; clavuncula grading into the stigma, together ovoid; stigma conical.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disk 5-lobed; lobes truncate or acute, minutely toothed at the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary Ovules

Ovules pendulous, 200–350 in each carpel.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit of two follicles which are connate at the base, green and glossy when young, turning grey-brown and woody when maturing, striate; follicles adaxially flattened and there dehiscent, abaxially convex, sometimes slightly curved; wall woody, thick, outside grey-brown smooth and yellowish-brown inside.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed slender, fusiform, with the apex rostrate; rostrum at least above the middle with long straight hairs enveloping the seed within the fruit; testa rugose; endosperm white, surrounding the embryo; embryo white, straight, about 0·9 times as long as the seed.