Ebenaceae
Diospyros

Diospyros whyteana (Hiern) F.White

First published in Bothalia 7: 458 (1961)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SW. Tanzania to S. Africa. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Ebenaceae, F. White & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Morphology General Habit
Evergreen shrub or tree 1.2-13 m. tall; bark sepia, rough, shallowly vertically fissured with yellow slash darkening to deep yellow; young shoots red, densely hairy.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves drying pale reddish brown and ± shiny above, lanceolate, lanceolate-elliptic or elliptic, 2-8 cm. long, 1-3 cm. wide, tapering acute to subacuminate, rounded to cordate at the base, glossy and glabrous to adpressed pilose above, sparsely pilose with long hairs beneath, particularly on the midrib; margins fringed with long hairs; lateral nerves in ± 6 pairs, the venation indistinct but darker than the lamina beneath.
sex Male
Male flowers 5-6(-7)-merous, solitary, axillary; pedicels 0.5-2 cm. long; bracts 2, leafy, separated, ovate-lanceolate, 6 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide; inflorescence indumentum of unicellular hairs and shorter multicellular glandular hairs; calyx urceolate, 3.5-7.5 mm. long, shortly toothed, with adpressed to spreading hairs; corolla white or pale orange, sometimes tinged pink, campanulate, 0.5-1.2 cm. long, 5-6-lobed to ± the middle, minutely puberulous; disk fimbriate; stamens 10, all fertile or some replaced by staminodes, 4-5 mm. long; filaments 0.5-1 mm. long, glabrous; anthers lanceolate, 3-4.5 mm. long, setulose on the distal half of the connective, otherwise glabrous; rudimentary ovary conical, tomentellous, with 4-6 locules; styles 2-3, hairy on the united basal half.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers similar to the male; staminodes 6-10, 1.2 mm. long, glabrous or sparsely setulose at the apex; ovary conical, 2 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, with 4-6 locules; styles 2-3. Male flowers 5-6(-7)-merous, solitary, axillary; pedicels 0.5-2 cm. long; bracts 2, leafy, separated, ovate-lanceolate, 6 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide; inflorescence indumentum of unicellular hairs and shorter multicellular glandular hairs; calyx urceolate, 3.5-7.5 mm. long, shortly toothed, with adpressed to spreading hairs; corolla white or pale orange, sometimes tinged pink, campanulate, 0.5-1.2 cm. long, 5-6-lobed to ± the middle, minutely puberulous; disk fimbriate; stamens 10, all fertile or some replaced by staminodes, 4-5 mm. long; filaments 0.5-1 mm. long, glabrous; anthers lanceolate, 3-4.5 mm. long, setulose on the distal half of the connective, otherwise glabrous; rudimentary ovary conical, tomentellous, with 4-6 locules; styles 2-3, hairy on the united basal half.
sex Female
Female flowers similar to the male; staminodes 6-10, 1.2 mm. long, glabrous or sparsely setulose at the apex; ovary conical, 2 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, with 4-6 locules; styles 2-3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit red, subglobose, up to 2 cm. diameter, glabrescent, the calyx green flushed red, accrescent, papery, inflated, bladder-like, 6-7-grooved, completely concealing the fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4 or fewer, chestnut, oblong-subtrigonous, 7-10 mm. long, 5-6 mm. wide, with smooth endosperm.
Figures
Fig. 2/15; fig. 6/7-9.
Habitat
Edges of moist upland forest, with Hagenia, Newtonia, Cephalosphaera, etc., fringing forest by streams and rivers; (1350-)1500-2300 m.
Distribution
Zimbabwe south to South Africa (Cape Province) T6 T7 T8
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/173767/1398578

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Ebenaceae, F. White. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983

Morphology General Habit
Evergreen shrub or tree up to 13 m. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves subcoriaceous, drying pale reddish–brown; lamina 3 x 1·4–8 x 3 cm., lanceolate, lanceolate–elliptic or elliptic; apex broadly acute to subacuminate; base rounded to cordate; margin fringed with long hyaline hairs; lower surface sparsely hairy with long, weak, appressed hairs; lateral nerves in c. 6 pairs, venation on lower surface indistinct, but darker than the lamina.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Male flowers solitary, axillary, pentamerous (rarely hexamerous); pedicel 0·5–2 cm. long; bracts 2, foliaceous, c. 0·6 x 0·25 cm., separated by an internode, ovate–lanceolate; indumentum of unicellular hairs and shorter, multicellular, glandular hairs. Female flowers similar to male.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 0·35–0·75 cm– long, urceolate, shortly toothed, indumentum appressed to spreading.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 0·5–1·2 cm. long, campanulate, minutely puberulous, lobed to about the middle.
sex Male
Corolla 0·5–1·2 cm. long, campanulate, minutely puberulous, lobed to about the middle. Disk fimbriate. Male flowers solitary, axillary, pentamerous (rarely hexamerous); pedicel 0·5–2 cm. long; bracts 2, foliaceous, c. 0·6 x 0·25 cm., separated by an internode, ovate–lanceolate; indumentum of unicellular hairs and shorter, multicellular, glandular hairs. Calyx 0·35–0·75 cm– long, urceolate, shortly toothed, indumentum appressed to spreading. Stamens 10, all fertile or some replaced by staminodes, 0·4–0·5 cm. long; filaments 0·5–0·1 cm. long, glabrous, anthers 0·3–0·45 cm. long, lanceolate, setulose on the distal half of the connective, otherwise glabrous. Pistillode conoidal, tomentellous; locules 4 or 6; styles 2–3, hairy in the united lower half.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disk fimbriate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 10, all fertile or some replaced by staminodes, 0·4–0·5 cm. long; filaments 0·5–0·1 cm. long, glabrous, anthers 0·3–0·45 cm. long, lanceolate, setulose on the distal half of the connective, otherwise glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistillodes
Pistillode conoidal, tomentellous; locules 4 or 6; styles 2–3, hairy in the united lower half.
sex Female
Female flowers similar to male. Staminodes 6–10, 0·12 cm. long, glabrous or sparsely setulose at apex. Ovary 0–2 x 0·15 cm., conoidal; locules 4 or 6; styles 2 or 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Staminodes
Staminodes 6–10, 0·12 cm. long, glabrous or sparsely setulose at apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 0–2 x 0·15 cm., conoidal; locules 4 or 6; styles 2 or 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4 or fewer, 0·7 cm. long; endosperm smooth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruiting calyx accrescent, papery, inflated, bladder–like, completely concealing the fruit. Fruit subglobose, up to 2 cm. diameter, glabrescent.
Cytology
Chromosome number: 2n = 30.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Common Names

unknown
black bark, zwartbast

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • 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.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0