- Family:
- Sapotaceae Juss.
- Genus:
- Manilkara Adans.
Manilkara obovata (Sabine & G.Don) J.H.Hemsl.

[FWTA]
Sapotaceae, H. Heine. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963
- Morphology General Habit
- A tree up to 80 ft. high, stem up to 4 ft. diam., frequently only as a shrub
- Note
- Old trees often resembling poplars
- Ecology
- Along lagoons and streams in small groups.
[FTEA]
Sapotaceae, J. H. Hemsley. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968
- Morphology General Habit
- Medium-sized to tall tree with long clean and slightly fluted bole and buttressed base, height up to 35 m.; bark pale grey to dark brownish-grey, fissured and rough.
- Morphology Branches
- Young branchlets (from crown) deep purplish-brown with pale lenticels, glabrous. Scars of fallen leaves prominent, sometimes raised and peg-like.
- Morphology Leaves Petiole
- Petioles 5–18 mm. long, glabrescent.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaf-lamina thinly to thickly coriaceous, obovate (rarely obovate-oblong), 3–10(–17) cm. long, l.6–5.5(–7.2) cm. wide, apex rounded or emarginate, rarely subacute, cuneate; upper surface fresh green, glabrous, lower surface paler, drying to a brownish-grey, appearing glabrescent; primary lateral nerves raised, arcuate, very fine and hairlike. Leaves clustered towards apices of branchlets.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers fascicled in axils of older or fallen leaves.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
- Pedicels 4–10 mm. long, with appressed brownish hairs.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx-lobes slightly connate at base; outer lobes ± ovate to ovate-oblong, up to 6 mm. long and 3.5 mm. wide, with brownish pubescence externally; inner lobes slightly narrower and with little pubescence externally.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla white; tube ±1.5 mm. long; lobes trifid; outer segments linear-lanceolate, up to 5 mm. long; median segment narrowly elliptic, up to 4.5 mm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamen-filaments up to 3.5 mm. long, flattened; anthers up to 2.5 mm. long; staminodes oblong to ± linear, irregularly laciniate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
- Ovary subglobose, densely pilose, 9–11-locular; style up to 6 mm. long; stigma minutely papillate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruits incompletely known, yellow when ripe, said to be edible, obovoid to subglobose, up to 2.5 cm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Mature seed not known.
- Note
- The species as here accepted is widespread and includes a number of smaller geographical segregates. Characters such as degree of laciniation and number of segments of staminodes, and minor differences in leaf-size, which previously have been used to distinguish species, have proved impossible to work within the range of material now available. The tree yields a useful timber, known as Nkunya in Uganda, which is very hard and durable in the ground (see Uganda For. Dept. Timber Leaflet No. 3). A single sterile gathering from the E. Usambara Mts. may possibly extend the species range into E. Tanganyika (see under imperfectly known species No. 1, page 73).
- Habitat
- Lowland rain-forest, riverine forest and swamp-forests of the SW. shores of Lake Victoria, commonly found as a co-dominant canopy tree in the latter with Podocarpus usambarensis var. dawei, P. milanjianus and Baikiaea insignis subsp. minor; 1100–1300 m.
- Distribution
- T1 U4 extends from Sierra Leone in the west, through Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Dahomey, Nigeria, Cameroun Republic, Gabon and Congo Republic to Zambia and Angola
[FZ]
Sapotaceae, F. K. Kupicha. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
- Anthers c. 1·5 mm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Staminodes
- Staminodes c. 3 mm. long, oblong in outline, the apex irregularly laciniate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Gynoecium up to 8 mm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit up to 2–5 cm. long, obovoid to subglobose.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seed c. 1 cm. long.
- Morphology General Habit
- Tree up to 14 m. or more.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves coriaceous, exstipulate or with subulate stipules soon falling, not clustered at ends of branches. Leaf lamina 7–14 x 2·–5–7 cm., obovate to oblong, the apex obtuse to cuspidate–acuminate, the base cuspidate; petiole 1–4 cm. long. Upper leaf surface glabrous; midrib slightly impressed, vein reticulation very fine. Lower surface with dense appressed indumentum of minute hairs giving a silvery sheen; midrib prominent, lateral nerves inconspicuous.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers clustered in leaf axils, with pedicels c. 1 cm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx c. 5 mm. long, sepals ± elliptic.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla c. 6 mm. long, with tube c. 1·5 mm. long, white to creamy yellow; median segments c. 4 mm. long, narrowly elliptic, lateral segments a little shorter, narrowly triangular.
[FWTA]
Sapotaceae, H. Heine. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963
- Morphology General Habit
- A fairly large tree, often branched from the base and stem, shrub-like, up to 40 ft. high, in habit
- Note
- Much resembling Mimusops kummel Bruce ex A. DC. and the following species
- Morphology Leaves
- The leaves without stipules, more or less crowded towards the end of branchlets
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Clustered white or brown flowers amongst them
- Ecology
- In gallery forest.
Native to:
Angola, Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre
- Chrysophyllum holtzii Engl.
- Chrysophyllum obovatum Sabine & G.Don
- Kaukenia cuneifolia (Baker) Kuntze
- Kaukenia lacera (Baker) Kuntze
- Kaukenia multinervis (Baker) Kuntze
- Manilkara angolensis (Engl.) Lecomte ex Pellegr.
- Manilkara argentea Pierre ex Dubard
- Manilkara cuneifolia (Baker) Dubard
- Manilkara dahomeyensis Pierre ex Dubard
- Manilkara densiflora (Baker) H.J.Lam
- Manilkara lacera (Baker) Dubard
- Manilkara maclaudii Pierre ex Lecomte
- Manilkara multinervis (Baker) Dubard
- Manilkara multinervis subsp. argentea (Pierre ex Dubard) Aubrév.
- Manilkara multinervis subsp. atacorensis Aubrév.
- Manilkara multinervis subsp. lacera (Baker) Aubrév.
- Manilkara multinervis subsp. matanou Aubrév.
- Manilkara multinervis subsp. schweinfurthii (Baill.) J.H.Hemsl.
- Manilkara propinqua (S.Moore) H.J.Lam
- Manilkara remotifolia Pierre ex Dubard
- Manilkara schweinfurthii (Baill.) Dubard
- Manilkara welwitschii (Engl.) Dubard
- Mimusops angolensis Engl.
- Mimusops atacorensis A.Chev.
- Mimusops chevalieri Pierre
- Mimusops cuneifolia Baker
- Mimusops densiflora Baker
- Mimusops djalonensis A.Chev.
- Mimusops lacera Baker
- Mimusops multinervis Baker
- Mimusops propinqua S.Moore
- Mimusops schweinfurthii Baill.
- Mimusops schweinfurthii Engl.
- Mimusops welwitschii Engl.
Manilkara obovata (Sabine & G.Don) J.H.Hemsl. appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan 1, 2006 | Chevalier, A.J.B. [344], Sudan | K000883666 | isotype | Yes | |
Jan 1, 2004 | Pollard, B.J. [508], Cameroon | K000746050 | No | ||
Mar 1, 1959 | Bagshawe, A.W.G. [76], Uganda | K000883671 | isotype | Yes | |
Jan 1, 1959 | s.coll. [1270], Nigeria | K000901133 | Unknown type material | Yes | |
Jan 1, 1959 | Ujor, E.U. [FHI 30408], Cameroon | K000027930 | No | ||
Jan 1, 1959 | Mann, G. [489], Nigeria | K000901128 | isolectotype | Yes | |
Jan 1, 1959 | Chevalier, A. [16254], Côte d'Ivoire | K000901130 | Yes | ||
Schweinfurth, G.A. [1378], Sudan | K000883667 | isotype | Yes | ||
Rowland [s.n.], Nigeria | K000901127 | Yes | |||
s.coll. [4836] | K000901116 | isotype | Yes | ||
Smith, C. [s.n.], Congo | K000901135 | holotype | Yes | ||
Chevalier, A. [24192], Benin | K000901132 | isotype | Yes | ||
Andrews, F.W. [1588], Sudan | Manilkara schweinfurthii | 2517.000 | No | ||
s.coll. [4814] | Manilkara welwitschii | K000901117 | isotype | Yes | |
Jan 1, 1959 | s.coll. [1123], Nigeria | Manilkara multinervis | K000901131 | holotype | Yes |
Brenan, J.P.M. [8638], Nigeria | Manilkara multinervis | 2511.000 | No |
First published in Kew Bull. 17: 171 (1963)
Accepted by
- Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
- Brunel, J.F., Hiepo, P. & Scholz, H. (eds.) (1984). Flore Analytique du Togo Phanérogames: 1-751. GTZ, Eschborn.
- Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- Figueiredo, E., Paiva, J., Stévart, T., Oliveira, F. & Smith, G.F. (2011). Annotated catalogue of the flowering plants of São Tomé and Príncipe Bothalia 41: 41-82.
- Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Pennington, D. (2001 publ. 2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Sapotaceae: 1-364. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.
Literature
Flora of West Tropical Africa
- in Kew Bull. 17: 171 (1963),
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.
- Figueiredo, E., Paiva, J., Stévart, T., Oliveira, F. & Smith, G.F. (2011). Annotated catalogue of the flowering plants of São Tomé and Príncipe Bothalia 41: 41-82.
- Lebrun, J.-P., Audru, J., Gaston, A. & Mosnier, M. (1972). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Tchad Méridional: 1-289. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
- Lebrun, J.P., Toutain, B., Gaston, A. & Boudet, G. (1991). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Burkina Faso: 1-341. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
- Lisowski, S. (2009). Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée Scripta Botanica Belgica 41: 1-517.
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Heine in Flora of West Tropical Africa, ed. 2, 2: 20 (1963).
- J. H. Hemsl. in Kew Bulletin 17: 171 (1963).
- J. H. Hemsl. in Kew Bulletin 20: 468 (1966).
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Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
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Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
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Flora of West Tropical Africa
Flora of West Tropical Africa
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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