- Family:
- Apocynaceae Juss.
- Genus:
- Cryptolepis R.Br.
Cryptolepis calophylla (Baill.) L.Joubert & Bruyns

[FTEA]
Apocynaceae (part 2), David Goyder, Timothy Harris, Siro Masinde, Ulrich Meve, Johan Venter. Flora of Tropical East Africa, 2012
- Morphology General Habit
- Large liana.
- Morphology Roots
- Roots unknown.
- Morphology Stem
- Stems up to 20 m long, pale brown, glabrous, verrucose, flaky
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaf petiole (2–)5–7 cm long; blade broadly ovate, 9–12(–14) × 5–11 cm, obtuse to cuspidate, base cordate, veins pale green above, dark green beneath
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences 10–30-flowered.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
- Peduncles 1–3 cm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
- Bracts acicular, ± 2 mm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
- Pedicels 4–5 mm long
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals sub-orbicular, 2 × 2 mm
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla glabrous outside; tube campanulate, 5–6 mm long, inside of mouth papillate; lobes spreading, broadly elliptic to broadly ovate, 6–7 × 6–7 mm, obtuse, inside papillate, pink, maroon, dark red or violet to deep violet
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corona
- Coronal collar borne in lower half of corolla tube; lobes violet to maroon, 2 mm long and fused to corolla tube’s inner face for ± 2 mm, radiating into corolla tube cavity, radiating processes channelled, upper part bisegmented, outer segment subulate to obtuse, inner segment concavely hoodshaped
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens green.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
- Filaments terete, ± 0.5 mm long, glabrous.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
- Anthers narrowly hastate-ovate, ± 0.5 mm long, pubescent to rarely glabrous on back
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
- Interstaminal nectaries sub-orbicular, erect around style.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
- Style terete, ± 1 mm long, style-head ± 1 mm long; translators ± 1 mm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynostegium
- Gynostegium concealed in corolla tube
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Follicles very narrowly deltoid-ellipsoid to deltoid-ovoid, 2-edged, obtuse-acute, 11–25 cm long, 2–4 cm diameter, glabrous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds dark brown, narrowly elliptic to obliquely narrowly elliptic, 6–8 mm long, reticulate to warty; coma 3–4 cm long
- Figures
- Fig 39, p 124
- Ecology
- Swampy forest, riverine forest and coastal thicket to grassland; 0–1150 m
- Distribution
- Flora districts: U4 K1 K4 K7 T2 T3 T6 T7 T8 Z Range: Senegal and Mali to Central African Republic and South Sudan
[FTEA]
- Use
- The roots are used as an aphrodisiac. The flossy cortical fibres are spun into fish nets and bow strings
Native to:
Benin, Burkina, Central African Repu, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Cryptolepis calophylla (Baill.) L.Joubert & Bruyns appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan 1, 2010 | Bally, P.R.O. [1995], Kenya | Parquetina calophylla | 3430.000 | No | |
Jan 1, 2009 | Polhill, R. [463], Kenya | Parquetina calophylla | 1066.000 | No | |
Jan 1, 2009 | Faulkner, H.G. [2783], Tanzania | Parquetina calophylla | 30460.000 | No | |
Jan 1, 2009 | Drummond, R.B. [2992], Tanzania | Parquetina calophylla | 5124.000 | No | |
Jan 1, 2009 | Faulkner, H. [562], Tanzania | Parquetina calophylla | 5125.000 | No | |
Jan 1, 2009 | Keay, R.W.J. [FHI 37131], Nigeria | Parquetina calophylla | 7044.000 | No | |
Jan 1, 2009 | Thomas, N.W. [1011], Nigeria | Parquetina calophylla | K000234313 | holotype | Yes |
Jan 1, 2005 | Andrews, F.W. [1620], Sudan | Parquetina calophylla | 1067.000 | No |
First published in Taxon 65: 498 (2016)
Accepted by
- Govaerts, R., Nic Lughadha, E., Black, N., Turner, R. & Paton, A. (2021). The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00997-6. Scientific Data 8: 215.
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
- Goyder, D.J., Gilbert, M.G. & Venter, H.J.T. (2020). Flora Zambesiaca 7(3): 1-375. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Goyder, S., Harris, T., Masinde, S., Meve, U. & Venter, J. (2012). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Apocynaceae(2): 1-530.
- Thiombiano, A., Schmidt, M., Dressler, S., Ouédraogo, A., Hahn, K. & Zizka, G. (2012). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Burkina Faso. Boissiera 65: 1-391.
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Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0