Family:
Sapindaceae Juss.
Genus:
Lecaniodiscus Planch. ex Benth.

Lecaniodiscus fraxinifolius Baker

This species is accepted, and its native range is S. Tropical Africa.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Tree to 20 m tall; bole sometimes slightly buttressed; branchlets tomentellous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves including petiole 6–20 cm long; petiole 2–5 cm, subglabrous to tomentellous; leaflets in 2–6 pairs, entire or slightly crenate, very often galled near the main veins beneath
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 1–10 cm long, sometimes forming a compound inflorescence towards the end of branches, puberulous; pedicels 2–5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals (3–)4, ovate to elliptic, 2–3 x c. 2 mm, yellowish green to cream
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 8–11; filaments 3–4 mm long, glabrous; anthers red
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 2–3 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 1-celled, ovoid to ellipsoid or subglobose, 10–15 x 8–15 mm, yellow to pink
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed ellipsoid, c. 10 x 8 mm.

[FTEA]

Sapindaceae, Davies & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1998

Morphology General Habit
Untidy tree to 20(–30) m. tall with pale grey bark, sometimes slightly buttressed; young twigs, petioles, rhachides and petiolules tawny-pubescent and sometimes with sessile glands.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves often pink when very young; petiole 1–6 cm. long, rhachis 2–15 cm. long; petiolules 0–3(–5) mm. long; leaflets in 2–6 pairs, opposite or alternate, very varied in shape (see subspecies below), lanceolate, elliptic, ovate or obovate, the uppermost pair the largest, 4–12 cm. long, 2–3.5 cm. wide, variously long tapering to rounded at the apex, often slightly asymmetric at the base, undulate in dried specimens, glabrescent or sparsely pilose, with or without sessile glands; lateral nerves in 5–16 pairs, prominent beneath.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary on the main stems and in the axils of immature leaves on short shoots; axes (1–)4–12 cm. long, with or without lateral branches; pedicels 1–3(–5) mm. long, densely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 4, 2.5–3 mm. long, pubescent outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disk ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 8–11, exserted; staminodes with shorter filaments.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary flask-shaped, 2–3 mm. long, densely tomentose; style truncate, persisting on the fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit pink when fresh, greyish tomentose when dry, 1–1.5 cm. long, said to be blue internally.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed ellipsoid, 1–1.2 cm. long, 8 mm. wide.
Distribution
K3 K4 K5 K7 T1 T2 T3 T6 U1 U3 Z

[FZ]

Sapindaceae, A. W. Exell. Flora Zambesiaca 2:2. 1966

Morphology General Habit
Tree usually up to 7 m. tall (but said to reach 20 m. in N. Rhodesia) or shrub; bark light brown, dark grey or blue-grey; young branchlets tomentellous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves up to 30 cm. long; petiole up to 5·5 cm. long; leaflets 3–7-jugate, subsessile; leaflet-lamina up to 11 × 4 cm., oblong or narrowly oblong to oblong-elliptic or narrowly oblong-elliptic, papyraceous, glabrous above, minutely glandular-pubescent on the nerves beneath, apex blunt to rounded, margin entire, base cuneate to rounded; lateral nerves 8–12 pairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence often borne in the axils of fallen leaves; rhachis minutely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers yellow; pedicels up to 4 mm. long, minutely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 2·5–3 × 1·5–2 mm., elliptic or ovate-triangular, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Stamens with glabrous filaments 4·5–5 mm. long and anthers 1·8 mm. long; staminodes 1·5 mm. long in male flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary ovoid, tomentose; style c. 0·5 mm. long; pistillode present in male flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit pinkish with pale blue flesh, up to 1·5 × 1·3 cm., ellipsoid, tomentellous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed 11–12 × 7–8 mm., ellipsoid, glabrous.

Native to:

Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Lecaniodiscus fraxinifolius Baker appears in other Kew resources:

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 1: 429 (1868)

Accepted by

  • Exell, A.W., Fernandes, A. & Wild, H. (eds.) (1966). Flora Zambesiaca 2(2): 353-653. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Kalema, J. & Beentje, H. (2012). Conservation checklist of the trees of Uganda: 1-235. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Timberlake, J.R., Bayliss, J., Alves, T., Francisco, J., Harris, T., Nangoma, D. & de Sousa, C. (2009). Biodiversity and Conservation of Mchese Mountain, Malawi. Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036: 1-71. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Exell, A.W., Fernandes, A. & Wild, H. (eds.) (1966). Flora Zambesiaca 2(2): 353-653. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Timberlake, J.R., Bayliss, J., Alves, T., Francisco, J., Harris, T., Nangoma, D. & de Sousa, C. (2009). Biodiversity and Conservation of Mchese Mountain, Malawi. Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036: 1-71. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 2, (1999) Author: by I. Friis & K. Vollesen [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Baker in Flora of Tropical Africa 1: 429 (1868), as ‘ fraxinifolia ’.
  • Beentje, Kenya Trees, Shrubs and Lianas p. 420, map & fig. (1994).
  • Dale & Greenway, Kenya Trees and Shrubs p. 514 (1961).
  • Exell in Flora Zambesiaca 2: 530, t. 111 (1966).
  • F. White, Forest Flora of Northern Rhodesia p. 225 (1962).
  • Friis in Kew Bulletin 39: 781 (1984).
  • Hamilton, Field Guide Uganda For. Trees: 223 (1981).
  • J.P.M. Brenan, Check-lists of the Forest Trees and Shrubs of the British Empire no. 5, part II, Tanganyika Territory p. 558 (1949).
  • Radlk. in A. Engler, Das Pflanzenreich IV, 165: 881 (1932).
  • Vollesen in Fl. Ethiopia 3: 504 (1990).

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    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

  • 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

  • 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