Homalium abdessammadii Asch. & Schweinf.

Flacourtiaceae, H. Sleumer (Rijksherbarium, Leiden). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1975

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or usually a tree, 5–10(–20) m., trunk straight, sometimes fluted, up to 40 cm. in diameter; bark smooth, greyish.

Morphology Branches

Branchlets puberulous or glabrous, often purplish brown and with pale lenticels.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blade subcoriaceous, variable in shape and size, obovate or broad-elliptic, sometimes lanceolate-ovate, ovate or almost rounded, entire or undulate, or ± deeply glandular-serrate-crenate, 5–10(–12) cm. long, (2.5–)3.5–5.5 cm. wide, subacuminate or obtuse, base broadly cuneate to subcordate, glabrous, or with (sometimes subsetular) hairs on midrib and secondary veins, and quite often in the nerve-axils beneath; lateral veins 6–7(–8) pairs, prominent beneath, reticulation rather coarse and but slightly raised beneath; petiole 0.7–1.5(–2) cm. long; stipules caducous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Spike-like racemes solitary or aggregated into subterminal or axillary sparsely branched and laxly flowered panicles up to 12 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers subsessile, 5–7-merous, greenish-whitish, solitary or often 2 together.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx-tube broadly cup-shaped. Sepals puberulous on the back, elliptic or ovate, 3.5–5 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals broadly rhomboid-elliptic or ovate, puberulous dorsally, 3.5–4 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens in fascicles of 3 opposite the petals; filaments glabrous or hairy, 3.5 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disk-glands discoid, tomentose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary conical, pilose; styles connate to a column below, stigmatic arms free and divergent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule woody, similar in shape to the ovary, with persistent sepals and petals and usually containing 1 seed 2–3 mm. long and 1 mm. wide.

Figures

Fig. 15.

Habitat

Forest or forest edge, often in riverine forest; lowland to 1980 m.

Distribution

K7 T3 T4 T6 U3 westwards to Cameroun, Zaire and NE. Angola, northwards to the Sudan (Equatoria), southwards to Rhodesia, the Caprivi Strip, and Mozambique

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/153929004/153937153

Conservation

LC - least concern

Flacourtiaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:1. 1960

Morphology General Habit

Small tree c. 10 m. tall; young branches pubescent or glabrous, often purplish-brown and with pale lenticels.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-lamina 5–10 x 3.5–5.5 cm., obovate or broadly elliptic, apex acuminate or rarely rounded, base broadly cuneate or truncate, margin coarsely and irregularly crenate-serrate, lateral nerves in c. 6 pairs, slightly prominent above, prominent below, venation laxly reticulate, glabrous on both sides or setulose-pubescent on the midrib and main nerves below, sometimes with tufts of hairs in the nerve-axils below; petiole often purplish, up to 1.5 cm. long, pubescent or glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers in lax, terminal or axillary panicles up to 12 cm. long, the individual flowers 1–2 together and sessile or nearly sessile on the puberulous branches of the panicle.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals 5–7, 3.5–5 x 1.5–2.5 mm., elliptic or ovate, acute at the apex, densely pubescent on the back.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 5–7, 3.5–4 x 2–2.5 mm., broadly rhomboid-elliptic or ovate, subacute at the apex, densely pubescent on the back.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens in fascicles of 3 opposite the petals; filaments 3.5 mm. long, slender, glabrous or sparsely pilose; anthers 0.5 mm. in diam., globose, the thecae free in the lower half and the connective with a blunt glandular process at the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disk glands 1–1.5 mm. in diam., discoid, tomentose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary conical, pilose outside, full of long pilose hairs inside; ovules 6–9, discoid; style 2–3.5 mm. long, columnar, pilose at the base; stigmatic arms divergent, very short.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit capsular, woody and perhaps indehiscent, surrounded by the persistent corolla, pilose, similar in shape to the ovary.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed usually solitary, c. 3 x 2 mm., narrowly ovoid; testa thin and brown.