Allanblackia ulugurensis Engl.

Guttiferae, P. Bamps, N. Robson & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1978

Morphology General Habit

Evergreen tree or rarely shrubby, (3–)15–30 m. tall, with spreading open branching; bole slightly buttressed, clear for 7.5 rn.; bark brownish grey or red-brown, finely reticulate; slash salmon-pink with yellow inner layer slowly exuding a yellow latex.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades oblong, elliptic or often slightly obovate-oblong, 7.5–19.5 cm. long, 4–11 cm. wide, rounded or slightly emarginate at the apex, broadly cuneate at the base, very leathery, the reticulate venation very prominent on both surfaces when dry, margins inrolled; petiole 0.7–1.4 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers clustered towards the ends of the branchlets, axillary, fleshy; pedicels short, up to 0.5(–l.2) cm. long. Male flowers reddish pink; sepals red-brown, elliptic or ± round, the inner 4–7.5 mm. long, 4–6.5 mm. wide, the outer ± round, up to 1.2 cm. long and wide; petals pink or carmine or purplish, ± 1 cm. long and wide; staminal bundles clavate, 1–1.4 cm. long, widened above, ± 0.7–1.2 cm. wide, angled, the angle pointing towards the centre of the flower.

sex Male

Male flowers reddish pink; sepals red-brown, elliptic or ± round, the inner 4–7.5 mm. long, 4–6.5 mm. wide, the outer ± round, up to 1.2 cm. long and wide; petals pink or carmine or purplish, ± 1 cm. long and wide; staminal bundles clavate, 1–1.4 cm. long, widened above, ± 0.7–1.2 cm. wide, angled, the angle pointing towards the centre of the flower.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits reddish pink but ochraceous when dry, conical-oblong to conic, 10–13.5 cm. long, 6.5–8 cm. across, 2–few-seeded.

Figures

Fig. 3/3, 4.

Habitat

Rain-forest; 1000–2050 m.

Distribution

T6 T7 not known elsewhere