Funtumia africana (Benth.) Stapf

Apocynaceae, E.A. Omino. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2002

Morphology General Habit

Tree 8–30 m high; latex not easily coagulating; trunk up to 50 cm in diameter; branchlets glabrous or minutely pubescent; bark smooth, sometimes with a few orbicular lenticles, greenish brown to grey, mottled; wood light, soft.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves petiolate; blade ovate or elliptic, 5–32 cm long, 1.7–17 cm wide, base cuneate, apex shortly acuminate, often puberulous on midrib; domatia if present of a tuft of straight hairs; petiole 3–15 mm long, glabrous or minutely pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence 2–2.5 cm long, 3–40-flowered; bracts 0.9–2 mm long, obtuse or acute; pedicels 3–15 mm long, glabrous or puberulous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers with sepals triangular to broadly ovate, 1.5–4 mm long, with 5–50 colleters in a single flower; corolla tube very pale green to creamy, 5.8–10 mm long, glabrous to puberulous outside; lobes creamy, obliquely ovate to narrowly oblong, sometimes auriculate, 5–17 mm long, 2–5 mm wide, obtuse or acute at the apex; disk 5-lobed; pistil 4–7 mm long; ovary pubescent at the apex; style 1.2–3 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits grey-brown, fusiform, 8.4–32 cm long, 1.4–2 cm in diameter; seed 3.5–7.5 cm long, 0.2–0.6 cm wide, coma 1.6–6 cm long; glabrous basal portion of beak 0.1–1.1 cm, hairs 3.2–9 cm long.

Figures

Fig. 29 (p. 87).

Habitat

Moist forest, riverine or swamp forest; 30–1600 m

Distribution

K3 K5 K7 P T1 T3 T4 T6 T7 T8 U2 U3 U4 Z tropical Africa from Senegal to Congo (Kinshasa) to Angola and S to Zimbabwe and Mozambique

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61984889/61984891

Conservation

LC - least concern

Apocynaceae, A. J. M. Leeuwenberg and F. K. Kupicha et al.. Flora Zambesiaca 7:2. 1985

Morphology General Habit

Tree or shrub, up to 30 m. high.

Morphology Trunk

Trunk up to 50 cm. in diam.; branchlets glabrous or minutely pubescent.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves petiolate; petiole 0·3–1·5 cm. long, glabrous or minutely pubescent; lamina subcoriaceous to coriaceous, 1·5–4 times as long as wide, 5–32 x 1·7–17 cm., often puberulous on the midrib; secondary veins 6–13, mostly parallel; domatia consisting of a tuft of straight hairs, varying in density, sometimes absent; margin slightly undulate and somewhat revolute.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence 3–40-flowered, 2–2·5 x 1·5–4·5 x 1·5–4·5 cm.; pedicels 3–15 mm. long, glabrous or puberulous; bracts obtuse or acute, 0·9–2 mm. long with colleters in the axils.

Morphology General Buds

Mature buds cylindrical to slightly conical, 8·5–22 mm. long, obtuse to subacute.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals triangular to broadly ovate, l·5–4x 1·8–3 mm., glabrous or puberulous outside; colleters, 5–50 varying in both shape and size, even in a single flower.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla tube very pale green to creamy, almost cylindrical, ventricose at 2/5–4/5 from the base, 1·7–5 times as long as the calyx, 5·8–10 x 2·5–5 mm., glabrous to puberulous outside; lobes creamy, recurved, 0·5–1·6 times as long as the tube, obliquely ovate to narrowly oblong, 1–5·5 times as long as wide, 5–15 x 2–5 mm., obtuse or acute, glabrous to puberulous on both sides, sometimes pubescent inside near the base.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 1·1–4·5 x 0·6—1·5 mm., inserted at 2/5–4/5 from the base of the tube; anthers 1–4·5 x 0·6–1·5 mm. with a 1·1–2·2 mm. long fertile portion; connective dorsally appressed pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Pistil 4–7 mm. long; ovary almost cylindrical to subglobose, 1·2–2 x 0·9–2 mm., pubescent at the apex, style 1·2–3 x 0·2–0·35 mm., glabrous or with a few erect hairs; clavuncula and stigma 0·9–2·4 x 0·3–1·1 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disk 5-lobed; lobes 0·4–1·6 mm. long, shorter than or rarely as long as the ovary.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a follicle 8·4–32 cm. long, almost fusiform, 1·4–5·1 cm. in circumference and with the flat adaxial side 0·6–3·6 cm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed 3·5–-7·5 x 0·2–0·6 cm.; rostrum 1·6–6 cm. long with 3·2–-9 cm. long hairs.