Sapotaceae
Vitellaria

Vitellaria paradoxa C.F.Gaertn.

First published in Suppl. Carp.: 131 (1807)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Uganda. It is a tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/37083/10029534

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

Sapotaceae, J. H. Hemsley. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Tree with stout bole and much-branched spreading crown, height up to 20 m.; bark usually grey or blackish, deeply fissured and splitting into squarish or rectangular corky scales.
Morphology General Shoots
Short-shoots with conspicuous cycad-like annular leaf-base scars.
Morphology General Indumentum
Young shoots, petioles and flower-buds with ferrugineous pubescence of varying density.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petioles long, one-third to half length of leaf-lamina.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina oblong to ovate-oblong, 10–25 cm. long, 4.5–14 cm. wide, rounded at apex, base acute to broadly cuneate, margin thickened and undulate; upper and lower surfaces of mature leaf glabrescent or puberulous; lateral nerves 20–30 each side, regularly and closely spaced, slightly arcuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers fragrant.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicels up to 3 cm. long, puberulous to densely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Outer sepals lanceolate, 9–14 mm. long, 3.5–6 mm. wide, pubescent to ± floccose externally; inner sepals slightly smaller.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla cream; tube 2.5–4 mm. long, glabrous or pilose externally; lobes broadly ovate, 7–11 mm. long, 4.5–7 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments 7–12 mm. long; anthers ± lanceolate, up to 4.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Staminodes
Staminodes up to 8 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style 8–15 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Mature fruit greenish, up to 6.5 cm. long and 4.5 cm. in diameter, subglabrous or with pubescence persisting in small patches, containing a sweet pulp surrounding the seed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed up to 5 cm. long, 3.5 cm. in diameter.
Figures
Fig. 10.
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0