Meliaceae
Ekebergia

Ekebergia benguelensis Welw. ex C.DC.

First published in A.L.P.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 1: 642 (1878)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to S. Tropical Africa. It is a tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Meliaceae, Styles & F. White (Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1991

Morphology General Habit
Small semi-evergreen tree up to 10 m. tall, frequently stunted and of irregular growth; bark rough, exfoliating in irregular scales; first-year branchlets often with smooth reddish bark; second-year branchlets stout, usually more than 0.7 cm. in diameter, rough, with thick corky bark and crowded leaf-scars; lenticels inconspicuous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves imparipinnate, glabrous to densely pubescent; petiole and rhachis up to 20 cm. long, frequently reddish; leaflets opposite or subopposite, rarely alternate, 7–9, subsessile or shortly petiolulate, ovate, ovate-oblong, oblong-elliptic or elliptic, up to 9 × 5 cm., usually smaller, apex broadly rounded to subtruncate, emarginate or with a minute apiculum, base usually asymmetric, lower surface nearly always drying whitish.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white or pinkish white, sweet-scented, borne in many-flowered cymose panicles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 0.15 cm. long, sparsely puberulous to tomentellous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals elliptic-oblong, 0.5 × 0.25 cm., densely puberulous on both surfaces.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal tube 0.2–0.3 cm. long, puberulous outside, densely bearded at throat inside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 0.15 × 0.25 cm., densely setulose; style 0.05 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupe ± 1.5 × 1.5 cm., bright red, with 2–4 pyrenes.
Habitat
Woodland and wooded grassland; 275–1900 m.
Distribution
T1 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8
[FTEA]

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]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/146416273/147268849

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Meliaceae, F. White and B. T. Styles. Flora Zambesiaca 2:1. 1963

Morphology General Habit
Small semi-evergreen tree up to 10 m. tall, frequently stunted and of irregular growth; bark rough, exfoliating in irregular scales; first-year branchlets often with smooth reddish bark; second-year branchlets stout, usually more than 7 mm. in diam., rough, with thick corky bark and crowded leaf-scars; lenticels inconspicuous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves imparipinnate, glabrous to densely pubescent; petiole and rhachis up to 20 cm. long, frequently reddish; leaflets up to 9 × 5 cm., usually smaller, opposite or subopposite, rarely alternate, 3–4-jugate, subsessile or shortly petiolulate, ovate, ovate-oblong, oblong-elliptic or elliptic, apex broadly rounded to subtruncate, emarginate or with a minute apiculus, base usually asymmetric, lower surface nearly always drying whitish.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers dioecious, white or pinkish-white, sweet-scented, borne in many-flowered cymose panicles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1·5 mm. long, sparsely puberulous to tomentellous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5 × 2·5 mm., elliptic-oblong, densely puberulous on both surfaces.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal tube 2–3 mm. long, puberulous outside, densely bearded at throat inside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 1·5 × 2–2·5 mm., densely setulose; style 0·5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupe c. 15 × 15 mm., bright red, with 2–4 pyrenes.
[FZ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • 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 2025. 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 2025. 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