Family:
Malvaceae Juss.
Genus:
Abutilon Mill.

Abutilon longicuspe Hochst. ex A.Rich.

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

[FZ]

Malvaceae, A. W. Exell. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit
Perennial shrub up to 5 m. tall; stems when young somewhat angular to subterete, densely covered with a short velutinous to somewhat harsh stellate indumentum, usually of a greyish-olive colour and as a rule with long whitish spreading hairs (very rarely absent) at least on the very young parts, when older terete, glabrescent, woody and ultimately with a grey cortex, faintly fissured by rather short longitudinal markings.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina up to 20 × 18 cm. (much smaller in upper leaves), suborbicular-cordate or broadly ovate-cordate, acuminate, with a usually long narrow acumen and a deep narrow basal sinus, somewhat irregularly but usually distinctly crenate or serrate; the upper surface dark green, very shortly stellately subvelutinous, the lower surface much paler, grey, densely stellate-velutinous, and sometimes in addition with few-rayed to simple stiff stellate hairs mainly on the distinct prominent reticulate nervation and with long patent hairs on the main veins near the base; petiole usually about as long as the lamina, velutinous, with or without long patent hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pale mauve, lavender or lilac with deep-red-purple centre and radiating purple veins, numerous, axillary, on main branches and also on short axillary shoots, aggregated in terminal and lateral, ultimately leafless, often large pseudo-panicles; pedicels usually under 3 cm. long, velutinous, with or without pilose hairs, articulated in upper 6 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 4–6 mm. long, cupuliform, tomentose and sometimes also pilose; lobes 4–7 mm. long, triangular or ovate-triangular, acute or mucronate, tomentose-velutinous, with inconspicuous median veins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals c. 12 mm. long, obovate-obcuneate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal tube deep red-purple and glabrous in conical portion, stellate-hairy at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Mericarps 12–25, c. 10 × 5–6 mm., semi-orbicular-reniform, rounded and muticous, papery and brittle when mature, 1-seeded. Fruit c. 10 × 15 mm., subglobose to depressed-globose, umbilicate, densely stellate-hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 3 × 2 mm.

[FTEA]

Malvaceae, Bernard Verdcourt & Geoffrey Mwachala. Pavonia, B Verdcourt; Kosteletzkya, OJ Blanchard Jr.; Gossypium, P Fryxell & B Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2009

Type
Types: Ethiopia, Memsach, Genniam, Schimper 258 (P, syn.; BM!, FT, K! isosyn.) & near Adua, Mt Scholoda, Schimper 1511 (P, syn.; BM!, FT, K!, isosyn.)
Morphology General Habit
Shrubby herb to softly woody shrub (even described as a small tree) 1–4.5(–5.5) m tall, sometimes clump-forming
Morphology Stem
Young stems and most of plant densely velvety stellate-tomentellous, sometimes slightly angular; older parts of stem with typical malvaceous pattern of longitudinal impressions
Morphology Leaves
Leaves somewhat discolorous; lamina ovate, 2.5–22 × 1.6–16 cm, acute to more usually acuminate to longacuminate at the apex, shallowly crenate or serrate, the fine stellate indumentum above not obscuring the green leaf surface but fine greyish tomentum covering the undersurface or with long hairs in some variants; petiole 1.5–15(–19) cm long; stipules linear, 6 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in terminal or lateral panicles up to 23 × 13 cm; pedicel 0.5–3(–4) cm long, the upper part beyond the joint 4 mm long; calyx 6–9(–12) mm long, brownish stellate-pubescent and sometimes with long hairs, lobed for 1/3 to 1/2 into oblong-ovate to triangular lobes 6–8 × 4–5 mm with midrib often raised
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white, pink, lilac or mauve often with a dark purple to inky blue centre (never yellow); petals obovate, 0.8–1.4(–2) × ± 1 cm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal column often dark purple with characteristic transparent simple to 2–3-fid trichomes above (often flattened in dry state) but glabrous on the widened part though there may be long hairs at basal edge of petals
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit depressed oblate, ± 9 mm long, 1.3–1.5 cm diameter, densely stellate-hairy when young Mericarps (13–)23–27, semicircularreniform, 6–10 × 4–7 mm, rounded above without a dorsal angle, 1-seeded
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed oblong-cordiform, 2 mm long, glabrous.

Native to:

Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Abutilon longicuspe Hochst. ex A.Rich. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Dec 1, 2007 Mwachala [1250], Kenya K000449447 No
Dec 1, 2007 Katende [1865], Uganda K000449446 No
Jan 1, 1958 Cecil, E. [196] K000240585 Yes
Smith, A.R. [4725], Yemen 43367.000 No
Gurke [8921] K000240386 Unknown type material Yes
K000240393 isosyntype Yes
Ethiopia K000240394 isosyntype Yes
Ethiopia K000240395 isosyntype Yes
Van Heist [1980], Uganda K000449448 No

First published in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 69 (1847)

Accepted by

  • Boulos, L. (2000). Flora of Egypt 2: 1-352. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo.
  • 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.
  • Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2012). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 4: 1-431. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Edwards, S., Tadesse, M. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 2(2): 1-456. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Exell, A.W. & Wild, H. (eds.) (1961). Flora Zambesiaca 1(2): 337-581. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Fischer, E., Rembold, K., Althof, A. & Obholzer, J. (2010). Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Kakamega forest, Western province, Kenya Journal of East African Natural History 99: 129-226.
  • Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 529. MIM, Deurne.
  • Robyns, W. & al. (eds.) (1948-1963). Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi 1-10.
  • Verdcourt, B. & Mwachala, G.M. (2009). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Malvaceae: 1-170.
  • Wood, J.R.I. (1997). A handbook of the Yemen Flora: 1-434. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • 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.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Fischer, E., Rembold, K., Althof, A. & Obholzer, J. (2010). Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Kakamega forest, Western province, Kenya Journal of East African Natural History 99: 129-226.
  • Wood, J.R.I. (1997). A handbook of the Yemen Flora: 1-434. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Brenan, T.T.C.L.: 298 (1949)
  • Cribb & Leedal, Mt. Fl. S. Tanz.: 91, t. 6a (1982)
  • Exell & Mendonça, C.F.A. 1: 373 (1951)
  • F.T.A. 1: 184 (1868)
  • F.Z. 1: 489, t. 93/4 (1961)
  • Fl. Eth. & Eritr. 2 (2): 241, fig. 82.21.1–5 (1995).
  • Mem. N.Y. Bot. Gard. 8: 223 (1953)
  • P.O.A. C: 265 (1895)
  • Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 69 (1847)
  • U.K.W.F. ed. 2: 101, t. 29 (1994)

  • 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

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

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. 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 2022. 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