Annonaceae
Annona

Annona stenophylla Engl. & Diels

First published in H.G.A.Engler, Monogr. Afrik. Pflanzen-Fam. 6: 78 (1901)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tanzania to Zambia. It is a subshrub or shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Annonaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Subshrub or shrub 0.3–1 m. tall, mostly rhizomatous; stems mostly annual, simple or branched, densely ferruginous hairy when young, later often glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades narrowly oblong-elliptic, oblanceolate, ovate or obovate, 1.5–18(–24) cm. long, 0.5–6(–12.5) cm. wide, rounded, acute, acuminate or even slightly emarginate at the apex, cuneate or rounded at the base, not coriaceous, glabrous or sparsely pubescent above, glaucous and mostly densely pubescent beneath; petioles channelled, 0.2–2 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary or rarely paired, extra-axillary; pedicels 0.8–2.5 cm. long, tomentose or pubescent; bracteoles small, oblong-ovate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals ovate, triangular, 3–4 mm. long and wide, tomentose outside, glabrous inside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals green outside, yellow inside, fleshy or woody; outer broadly ovate, 0.8–1.2(–1.5) cm. long and wide, obtuse, concave, shortly densely adpressed pubescent outside; inner linear-oblong or narrowly oblong-elliptic, 10 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. wide, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens linear or clavate, 1.5–2 mm. long, the connective-prolongations obliquely capitate, finely papillate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Carpels
Carpels cylindric, 1–1.5 mm. long, glabrescent; stigmas subclavate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruiting pedicels (1–) 1.5–4 cm. long, pubescent; fruit yellowish-brown, ovoid or globose, 1.7–3 cm. in diameter, reticulate, glabrescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds chestnut, ovoid to cylindrical, longitudinally flattened, 7–9 mm. long, 3–4 mm. wide; aril fibrillated.
[FTEA]

Annonaceae, N. K. B. Robson. Flora Zambesiaca 1:1. 1960

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or rhizomatous shrublet, up to 1 m. high, with stems simple or ± branched, usually annual.
Morphology Branches
Branches cylindric or with opposite pairs of raised lines decurrent from the leaf-bases, red, fawn-tomentose at first, eventually glabrous or persistently tomentose.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate; lamina 4–18 (24) x 1–6 (12.6) cm., narrowly oblong or oblanceolate to ovate or obovate, rounded or slightly emarginate to acute or apiculate at the apex, narrowly cuneate to rounded at the base, membranous, bright or bluish-green and glabrous or sparsely pubescent above, usually paler or glaucous and ± densely tomentose (more rarely glabrous) below, with green to orange or reddish-purple nerves and densely reticulate venation usually ± prominent above as well as below; petiole 2–10 mm. long, densely tomentose to glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary or rarely paired, extra-axillary, spreading or usually ± deflexed; pedicel 10–25 mm. long, pubescent or tomentose; bracteoles 0–1, oblong-ovate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals as in A. senegalensis.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals cream-yellow to buff or brownish inside, otherwise as in A. senegalensis.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens linear to clavate, c. 1.5–2 mm. long, otherwise as in A. senegalensis; filament cuneate or oblong-orbicular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Carpels
Carpels as in A. senegalensis.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit on a pedicel (10) 15–40 mm. long, spreading or deflexed; syncarp 1.7–2.7 x 1.7–2.7, ovoid or globose, obtusely squamose, glabrescent, orange or yellow.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds numerous, 7–9 mm. long, cylindric or flattened-ovoid, orange-brown; aril pectinate.
[FZ]

Sources

  • 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

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. 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 2023. 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