Xylopia rubescens Oliv.

First published in Fl. Trop. Afr. 1: 30 (1868)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Uganda and Zambia. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Tall tree 4.5–27(–30) m. tall, with smooth pale grey or grey-brown bark and numerous stilt roots; young shoots finely adpressed ferruginous pubescent, but very soon glabrous, older shoots with longitudinally rugose grey-brown bark.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades oblong to elliptic, oblanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, (7–)9–21.5 cm. long, (2.2–)4–8.5 cm. wide, obtuse to ± abruptly acuminate at the apex, rounded to cuneate and slightly decurrent at the base, thinly to thickly coriaceous, glabrous and drying bluish- or dull green above, finely adpressed pubescent or glabrescent and drying a distinct orange-brown colour beneath (but grey in life); venation finely reticulate and often prominent on both surfaces or obscure above; petiole 0.5–1.8 cm. long, glabrescent or finely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary or in 2–5-flowered fascicles; pedicels 4–6 mm. long, adpressed ferruginous pubescent; bracteoles 2–5, oblong, 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals ovate-triangular, 2–4 mm. long, 2–3 mm. wide, acute to apiculate, adpressed pubescent outside, glabrous and often crimson inside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals very unequal; outer orange-yellow or greenish-yellow, mostly crimson at the base within, narrowly linear-lanceolate, but widened and concave at the base, (2–)2.6–3.7 cm. long, 3–4 mm. wide, 3-angled above, silky ferruginous pubescent outside, puberulous within save at base; inner crimson, rhomboid to oblanceolate or elliptic, 5–8 mm. long, 2.5–3.5 mm. wide, apiculate, keeled, concave, silky pubescent above outside, otherwise glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens linear, ± 2 mm. long; connective-prolongation obliquely capitate, papillose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Carpels
Carpels 8–11; ovary cylindrical, ± 1.5–2 mm. long, adpressed pubescent with simple or 2-branched hairs, 9–10-ovuled; style linear, 2–3.5 mm. long, papillate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruiting pedicels 1–1.5 cm. long; monocarps 1–11, green, ± cylindrical, 2–7 cm. long, 0.8–1.2 cm. wide, curved, apiculate, 1–8-seeded, ± constricted between the seeds, glabrescent, finely rugose; stipes 0.5–1 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds reddish-brown, globose to cylindric, 0.7–1.2 cm. long, 5–9 mm. wide and thick, vertical; aril 2–4 mm. long, made up of many filaments.
Habitat
Riverine forest (swamp forest and evergreen forest relics in other areas); 1200–1350 m. (probably lower in Uganda)
Distribution
widespread in tropical Africa from Liberia to the Sudan and south to Angola and Zambia T4 U1
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/137024574/137048387

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tree 4.5–20 (30) m. high, erect, or rarely ± straggling, with smooth pale grey bark and numerous stilt roots.
Morphology Branches
Branches greyish-fawn to red-brown or dark-brown, markedly rugose, soon glabrous; lenticels few, not conspicuous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate; lamina (7) 9–21.5 x (3.5) 4–8.4 cm., oblong or elliptic to oblanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, obtuse or ± abruptly acuminate at the apex, cuneate to rounded and decurrent at the base, coriaceous, bluish-green and glabrous above, orange or brick-coloured and shortly appressed-pubescent or glabrescent below, with densely reticulate venation prominent on both sides; petiole 5–18 mm. long, often blackish, appressed-pubescent or glabrescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary or in 2–5-flowered fasciculate cymes; pedicels 4–6 mm. long, appressed-rusty-pubescent; bracteoles 2–5, ± oblong.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 2–4 mm. long, ovate-triangular, acute or apiculate, appressed-pubescent outside, glabrous and crimson within.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals very unequal, the outer ones 2.6–3.7 x 0.3–0.4 cm., orange-yellow when mature, crimson at the base within, linear, triquetrous above, ± concave at the base, sericeo-pubescent outside, puberulous above and glabrous below within, the inner ones 0.4–0.6 cm. long, crimson, rhomboid to oblanceolate, apiculate, concave, carinate, sericeo-pubescent above outside, otherwise glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens c. 2 mm. long, linear; connective-prolongation obliquely capitate, papillose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Carpels
Carpels 8–11, c. 4 mm. long; ovary cylindric, appressed-pilose with simple or forked hairs, 9–10-ovulate; style as long as the ovary, cylindric.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit on a pedicel 10–15 mm. long; fruiting carpels 1–11, 2–7 x 0.8–1.2 cm., 1–8-seeded, curved-cylindric, apiculate, ± constricted between the seeds, glabrescent, finely rugose, green, narrowing into stipes 5–10 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 10–12 mm. long, cylindric or globose, red-brown, vertical, with aril 2–4 mm. long formed of numerous filaments.
[FZ]

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]

Annonaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Morphology General Habit
A forest tree, up to 90 ft.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves coriaceous, drying reddish
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit-carpels slender, stoutly stipitate, cylindric, slightly twisted; with shallow constrictions.
[FWTA]

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
  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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