Malvaceae
Dombeya

Dombeya kirkii Mast.

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 1: 227 (1868)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Ethiopia to KwaZulu-Natal. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Sterculiaceae, Martin Cheek & Laurence Dorr; Nesogordonia, Laurence Dorr, Lisa Barnett. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2007

Morphology Leaves
Leaves ovate to broadly ovate or suborbicular, usually unlobed, rarely shallowly 3-lobed, 3.5–18 cm long, 2–13 cm wide, acuminate or subacuminate, rarely acute or rounded, margin evenly or irregularly serrate or crenate toothed, base cordate, upper surface sparsely stellatepuberulous, lower surface pubescent; petiole 1.5–9 cm long; stipules lanceolatesubulate, 0.4–0.7 cm long, 0.1–0.15 cm wide, pubescent, caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence axillary, 3–12.5 cm long, the two main branches bearing numerous subumbellate, 3–5-flowered clusters on short branches or single flowers; peduncle 1.9–7.2 cm; bracts and bracteoles not seen; pedicels 0.7–1.5 cm, shortly stellate to villous; epicalyx bracts inserted on calyx base or pedicel, ligulate–oblong, 0.3–0.4 cm long, caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx lobes reflexed, lanceolate, 0.4–0.7 cm long, 0.1–0.2 cm wide, acuminate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white, spreading, 0.7–1.3 cm long, 0.4–0.7 cm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Androecium 0.6–0.8 cm long; staminal tube dilating towards apex, 0.1 cm long; staminodes 0.5–0.7 cm long; longest stamen 0.3–0.45 cm; anthers ± 0.15 cm long; ovary tube dilating towards apex, 0.1 cm long; staminodes 0.5–0.7 cm long; longest stamen 0.3–0.5 cm; anthers ± 0.15 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary globose, tomentose; style 0.2–0.3 cm long, glabrous, 3-branched
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule oblate, 0.4–0.6 cm diameter, tomentose; seeds 0.2–0.3 cm long, ± 0.2 cm wide, dull pale brown, rugose
Figures
Fig 12: 1–3, p 71
Ecology
Forest edge, Acacia bushland, bushland on rocky slopes; 600–2400 m
Conservation
A widespread and common taxon, here assessed as of Least Concern.
Type
Types: Malawi, 16° S, Meller s.n. (K, lecto., chosen by Seyani, 1991); Mozambique, Lupata, Kirk s.n. (K, syn.)
Morphology General Habit
Small tree or shrub 2–15 m tall; stems terete, densely pubescent to subglabrous, hairs simple, stellate and subsessile-glandular
Distribution
Flora districts: U2 U3 U 4 ; K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T7 Range: Congo-Kinshasa, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa
[FTEA]

Sterculiaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit
Much-branched shrub or small tree up to c. 9 m. tall; young branches tomentellous or densely pubescent, dark brown and glabrescent later; bark smooth and light grey.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina up to 13 × 10 cm., ovate, usually unlobed, rarely shallowly 3-lobed, apex acuminate, cordate at the base, margin irregularly crenate-serrate, base cordate and 5 (7)-nerved, thinly scaberulous-pubescent above, softly and rather thinly pubescent below, nerves fairly prominent below; petiole up to 5·5 cm. long, densely pubescent or glabrescent; stipules c. 5 mm. long, very caducous, subulate, tomentose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white, in many-flowered axillary panicles; peduncles slender, densely pubescent with both long and short stellate hairs; pedicels up to c. 2 cm. long, with similar indumentum; bracts c. 4 mm. long, very caducous, linear-lanceolate, densely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-lobes c. 7 × 1·5 mm., narrowly lanceolate-acuminate, tomentellous outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals c. 1 × 0·6 cm., very obliquely cuneate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Stamens united below for c. 1 mm.; staminodes c. 6 mm. long, narrowly linear, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary depressed-globose, tomentose; loculi glabrous inside; ovules 2 (3) per loculus; style 2 mm. long, glabrous; stigmas 3, recurved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule c. 5 mm. in diam., depressed-globose, somewhat 3-lobed, tomentose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 3 × 2 mm., dark brown, usually 1 per loculus, obovoid; testa almost smooth or very minutely reticulate.
[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]

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

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