Garcinia stuhlmannii (Engl.) P.W.Sweeney

Guttiferae, P. Bamps, N. Robson & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1978

Morphology General Habit

Tree 12–36(?–45) m. tall, with bole clear for often about 9 m.; branches drooping; bark dark grey, not or rarely flaking; slash with a clear exudate.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades oblong or elliptic-oblong, 5–19.5 cm. long, 1.2–7 cm. wide, shortly acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, coriaceous or subcoriaceous, deep green with midrib yellowish beneath; petiole 1–1.8 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Male and female flowers large and fleshy, on different trees, both ♂ and ♀ solitary in the axils but ♂ may be crowded at ends of shoots with short internodes and appear terminally racemose if leaves have fallen; pedicels (3.5–)6.5–8 cm. long. Male flowers:sepals pale yellowish, rounded ovate, the outer 4–8 mm. long, 8–9 mm. wide, the inner ± 2 cm. in diameter; petals cream, flushed scarlet at the base or all scarlet, rounded or spathulate, ± 2.7–3.7 cm. long, 1.8–2.6 cm. wide; staminal bundles crimson, often very unequal, thick and fleshy, 1.8–2 cm. long, 0.8–1 (–1.7) cm. wide, 8 mm. thick, angled on inner face; anthers yellow; disc-lobes green. Female flowers:similar to the male, the petals up to 2.3 cm. long and wide; stamens reduced to a few free with filaments ± 4 mm. long; ovary ellipsoid or conic, 1.3–1.5 cm. tall, the stigma peltate, sessile, 8–9 mm. wide, 3–4 mm. tall.

sex Male

Male flowers:sepals pale yellowish, rounded ovate, the outer 4–8 mm. long, 8–9 mm. wide, the inner ± 2 cm. in diameter; petals cream, flushed scarlet at the base or all scarlet, rounded or spathulate, ± 2.7–3.7 cm. long, 1.8–2.6 cm. wide; staminal bundles crimson, often very unequal, thick and fleshy, 1.8–2 cm. long, 0.8–1 (–1.7) cm. wide, 8 mm. thick, angled on inner face; anthers yellow; disc-lobes green.

sex Female

Female flowers:similar to the male, the petals up to 2.3 cm. long and wide; stamens reduced to a few free with filaments ± 4 mm. long; ovary ellipsoid or conic, 1.3–1.5 cm. tall, the stigma peltate, sessile, 8–9 mm. wide, 3–4 mm. tall.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit brown or reddish brown, oblong, tapering cylindric-oblong or subglobose, 16–34 cm. long, 15–17 cm. in diameter, weighing 5 1/2–15 lbs. with (7–)12–28 seeds in each of 5 locules.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds with 4 obtuse angles, 4 cm. long, 2–3 cm. wide, one angle with a fleshy aril; testa crustaceous.

Figures

Fig. 3/1, 2, p. 9.

Habitat

Rain-forest; 540–1200 (–1600) m.

Distribution

T3 T6 T7 not known elsewhere

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/34745/2854630

Conservation

LC - least concern