Rosaceae
Leucosidea

Leucosidea sericea Eckl. & Zeyh.

First published in Enum. Pl. Afric. Austral.: 265 (1836)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Zimbabwe to S. Africa. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Rosaceae, E. J. Mendes. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Much-branched shrub c. 3 m. tall or small tree up to 5(?10) m., usually appearing shaggy shining white at a distance; young twigs densely leafy; branches flexuous, exfoliating, reddish-brown.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves (2)5–7(10) cm. in outline; upper surface dark green, turning dark brown when dried, shortly tomentose, lower surface shining white sericeous-villous; lateral leaflets 2–3-paired, oblong to obovate with cuneate base; margins regularly inciso-dentate with c. 15 uninerved teeth 2–4 mm. long; distal pair of leaflets up to 3·5 x l·5 cm., the more proximal ones smaller and sometimes interposed with 1–2 pairs of reduced minute leaflets with only 1–3(5) teeth; rhachis, midribs and lateral main nerves densely white-sericeous-villous; petiole 0·5–0·8(1·2) cm. long, articulated; stipules c. 10 x 3·5 mm., entire, brown, membranous, white-sericeous, adnate to and exceeding petiole, sheathing the stem, persistent for years after the leaves are shed, usually ± imbricate towards the base of the branches.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers borne in many-flowered ± cylindrical erect racemes up to 10 x 3 cm.; pedicels up to 6 mm. long, ± hidden within a basal cymbiform bract and also subtended by 2 smaller (c. 2·5 mm. long) ovate-acute bracts which embrace the base of the calyx-tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube obconical, 3–4 mm. long, dorsally sericeous-villous; epicalyx-lobes c. 2 x 2 mm., ovate-rhombic, with the apex obtuse; calyx-lobes c. 4 x 1·5 mm., triangular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals c. 3 x 1·6 mm., broadly elliptic-rhombic, lemon-yellow.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disk annular, hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments of longer stamens c. 1·1 mm. long, of shorter ones c. 0·7 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary sericeous in upper 1/3; styles 1·5–2·0 mm. long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes 1(2-?3), enclosed within the indurated calyx-tube with persistent epicalyx and calyx-lobes.
[FZ]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/146442236/146442238

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: confident
[AERP]

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

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images