Malpighiaceae
Acridocarpus

Acridocarpus alopecurus Sprague

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1909: 185 (1909)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is DR Congo, SE. Kenya to E. Tanzania. It is a scrambling shrub or liana and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Malpighiaceae, E. Launert (British Museum (Natural History)). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Spreading shrub or woody climber.
Morphology General Shoots
Young shoots ferrugineously sericeous, older ones somewhat pubescent but usually glabrescent, lenticellate.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina obovate, obovate-oblong, elliptic or oblanceolate, 11–18(–20) × 2.8–6.5(–8.5) cm., shortly acuminate, rounded or cuneate at base, chartaceous or chartaceous-membranous, usually glabrous but sometimes finely pubescent, with 7–11 lateral nerves, mostly with 1 or 2 glands beneath near insertion of petiole, and often with a pair of smaller ones near the apex at base of apiculum; petiole 4–8 mm. long, robust, canaliculate, finely pubescent or glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences mostly axillary (rarely terminal) racemes, many-flowered; axis very stout, often thickened (sausage-like), very short and very shortly peduncled or often elongate and then with a longer peduncle (up to 2 cm.), ± densely ferrugineous- or rubiginose-sericeous; bracts broadly ovate-triangular or lanceolate-triangular, usually acute, persistent, inserted at base of or some way below pedicel, with a pair of glands above or at the very base; bracteoles very small, sometimes with a single gland at base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers ± 2.5 cm. in diameter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx with usually 3 (rarely 5) circular glands; lobes subcircular or ovate to ovate-oblong, 3–3.5 mm. long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals golden yellow, subcircular to broadly obovate, 10–12 × 7–9 mm., shortly clawed, deeply lacerate on the margin.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with oblong anthers 3.5–5 mm. long; filaments cylindrical, 1–2 mm. long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary ± densely sericeous; styles 2, 0.7–1 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Wing of samara (see fig. 1/5) obliquely obovate to obovate-oblong, 3.5–4.5(–5.5) × 1.7–2.1 cm., with the upper margin straight or slightly curved towards the apex, very rarely somewhat constricted at the base, distally obliquely truncate, clasping the nut halfway or somewhat nearer to the base.
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/179571/1582981

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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: low confidence
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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