Trichilia emetica Vahl

M. Thulin. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1–4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Distribution

Widespread in Africa from Senegal to the Red Sea and southwards through East and Central Africa to the Caprivi Strip, Botswana and South Africa (Natal)

Morphology General Habit

Evergreen or semi-evergreen tree, usually 10–15 m high; crown dense, spreading; foliage very dark green; bark dark grey or dark brown, rough or smooth

Morphology Leaves

Leaves up to 28 cm long; leaflets usually 9–11, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, usually up to 15 x 5 cm, nearly always broadest near the middle and with the apex of lateral leaflets rounded, emarginate or broadly acute without a hollow curve; lateral nerves usually in 11–18 closely set pairs; lower surface sparsely to densely puberulous with short, weak curly or flexuous hairs, usually drying olive-green or pale yellow-brown

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence usually condensed and many-flowered

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 0.35–0.5 cm long, tomentellous, lobed almost to the base; lobes suborbicular, imbricate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla (0.7–)1–1.6 cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Staminal tube usually 0.8–1.1 cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule 1.8–2.5 cm in diam., usually crowded at the end of the branchlets

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds black, basal part fleshy, scarlet, resembling an aril.

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

Morphology General Habit

Medium-sized handsome evergreen tree 8–20 (25) m. tall, with a wide umbrageous crown when growing in the open; bark dark grey or dark brown, rough or smooth, foliage very dark green, glossy.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves imparipinnate; petiole and rhachis up to 28 cm. long, tomentellous or densely puberulous; leaflets up to 15.5 × 5 cm., usually smaller, opposite or alternate, (3) 4–5-jugate, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, rarely narrowly elliptic or lanceolate-elliptic, not or scarcely broadest near the apex, apex nearly always rounded or emarginate, very rarely acute, apiculate or subacuminate, base rounded or cuneate, upper surface drying olive-green or pale brown, lateral nerves in (10–12) 13–16 (19) pairs, lower surface densely puberulous with short curly hairs, especially on the nerves; petiolules up to 5 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers pale green, pale yellow-green or pale yellow, fragrant, borne in congested cymes in leaf-axils or towards the base of the current-year’s shoot.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel

Pedicels very short.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx usually 3–5·5 mm. long, tomentellous, lobed almost to the base, lobes subcircular, imbricate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 7 (10) –15·5 (16) mm. long, linear, tomentellous on both surfaces.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Filaments usually 7–10 mm. long, united for about 1/2 of their length, sparsely puberulous outside, densely villous in the upper half inside. Appendages deltate, nearly 3/4 as long as anthers; anthers 2 mm. long, slightly apiculate, antherodes a little smaller, not producing pollen.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disk glabrous, thin, with 10 deltate teeth alternating with the filaments.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary (2) 3-locular; style usually 6–8 mm. long, columnar, densely setulose-puberulous almost to the apex; style-head capitate with a crateriform apical (?) stigmatic region.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistillodes

Pistillode with vestigial ovules.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule 1·8 × 1·8–2·5 × 2·5 cm., obovoid-globose, with a long stipe (0·4) 0·6–1 cm. long, slightly sulcate, surface transversely wrinkled, fulvous-tomentellous, opening by (2) 3-valves; seed black, almost completely concealed by the scarlet aril.

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

Morphology General Habit

Evergreen or semi-evergreen tree, usually 8–20(–25) m. tall; crown very dense, widespreading in open; foliage very dark green; bark dark grey or dark brown, rough or smooth.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves up to 28 cm. long; leaflets usually 9–11, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, up to 15 × 5 cm., nearly always broadest near the middle and with the apex of lateral leaflets rounded, emarginate or broadly acute without a hollow curve; lateral nerves usually in 11–18 closely set pairs; lower surface sparsely to densely puberulous with short, weak curly or flexuous hairs, usually drying olive-green or pale yellow-brown.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence usually condensed and many-flowered.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 0.35–0.5 cm. long, tomentellous, lobed almost to the base; lobes suborbicular, imbricate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals (0.7–)1–1.6 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Staminal tube usually 0.8–1.1 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule (unopened but mature) 1.8–2.5 cm. in diameter, usually crowded at the ends of the branchlets.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds as in T. dregeana.

Figures

Fig. 8/8–10, p. 31.

Habitat

In coastal forest, drier types of riparian forest and riparian woodland; more rarely in rocky outcrops or in wooded grassland; 10–1300 m.

Distribution

K1 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 widespread in Africa but absent from the Guineo-Congolian regionfrom Senegal to the Red Sea and southwards through East and Central Africa to the Caprivi Strip, Botswana and South Africa (Natal)also in the Arabian Peninsula

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