Apocynaceae
Landolphia

Landolphia parvifolia K.Schum.

First published in H.G.A.Engler, Pflanzenw. Ost-Afrikas, A: 50 (1895)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a climber and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Liana up to 15 m or (scrambling) shrub or small tree, 1–10 m high, with or without curled tendrils up to 40 cm long; bark smooth, grey to brown; branchlets densely pilose to glabrous with redddish indumentum.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate, blade elliptic-oblong, 0.6–6.6 cm long, 0.4–2.7(–3.7) cm wide, shortly acuminate to rounded at the apex, subcordate to rounded at the base, glabrous to densely pilose; petiole 2–6 mm long, tomentose to glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence terminal, often with empty bracts, 1–4.5(–14) cm long, 2–40(–60)-flowered, pilose to glabrous; bracts resembling sepals, up to 3 mm long; peduncle 0.3–2.5 cm long, when tendril-like up to 6 cm long, with hooks up to 2.5 cm long; pedicels 0.2–1.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers fragrant; sepals reddish brown, ovate to obovate, 1.4–4 mm long, 0.9–2.9 mm wide, pubescent outside on midrib and margins; corolla yellowish white or pink, throat and buds often darker; tube 2.9–5.3 mm long; lobes ovate, elliptic or oblong, 2.2–7.9 mm long, 1–2.1 mm wide, rounded or obtuse at the apex, ciliate or not; stamens included for 0.2–0.9 mm, inserted 1.7–3 mm from the base; pistil 2.4–3.3 mm long; ovary ellipsoid to obovoid, pubescent; ovules 40–90; style 0.5–1.2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits globose, whitish grey, yellow or greenish-violet, often with rusty to yellowish spots, up to 4.8 cm long, 8–30 seeded; pericarp 0.9–4 mm thick.
Habitat
Woodland, thicket and secondary bushland; 60–2000 m
Distribution
T2 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 U2
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Many-stemmed shrub or small tree up to 4 m. tall, with scandent branches climbing when supported.
Morphology General Shoots
Young shoots densely brownish or ferrugineous hispid-pubescent, indumentum persisting until bark formation.
Morphology Leaves
Upper leaf surface glossy, usually glabrous except for the pubescent midrib and leaf-margins, occasionally the leaf margins also glabrous, occasionally the whole lamina puberulent; venation conspicuous, characteristically regular, the midrib channelled, the other nerves raised; lower leaf surface completely glabrous or with pubescent midrib, venation less conspicuous than above, midrib prominent, other nerves raised. Leaves characteristically neatly and closely arranged, orange-tinged when dry, yellowish-green, not strongly discolorous, coriaceous in texture; petiole 2–4 mm. long, hispid; lamina 2·6–5.2 x 1–2·6 cm., oblong, narrowly elliptic-ovate or elliptic-obovate, the apex cuspidate-attenuate into a short round-tipped acumen, the base cuneate to subcordate.
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils uncommon.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences many-flowered paniculate cymes borne terminally on the main stems and on lateral branches, and rarely also in leaf axils; panicles usually forming compact clusters but very occasionally lengthening greatly and becoming tendrillous; axes tomentose to pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers subtended by two sepal-like bracteoles, white or creamy-white, sweet-scented.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx of 5 strongly imbricate free sepals, these 2·5–3 mm. long, oblong, rounded or emarginate at apex, characteristically glistening reddish-brown at least when dry, margin ciliate, dorsal surface glabrous or the midrib finely long-hispid; calyx 1/2–2/3 the length of the corolla tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla tube 3·5–4·5 mm. long, clavate, its wall thickened at the level of the anthers, its mouth constricted; outer surface finely puberulent, giving a mealy appearance; corolla lobes narrowly elliptic, ± equalling tube in length, dorsally mealy-puberulent on the overlapping surface.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens inserted in the upper half of the tube with the anthers reaching to the mouth; anthers c. 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary c. 1 mm. long, cylindrical, densely pubescent at apex; style, clavuncle and stigma 1·5–2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit up to 5 cm. in diameter, globose, white or purplish or greenish with brown spots, or brown or purplish-blue, edible.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 14–26 mm. long.
[FZ]

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
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/147270202/147270204

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • 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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 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 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0