Malvaceae
Hermannia

Hermannia oliveri K.Schum.

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 15: 134 (1892)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya to E. Tanzania. It is a shrub 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

Type
Type: Kenya, Teita District: Taveta, 600 m, Johnston s.n. (B, holo., presumed destroyed; K! iso.)
Morphology General Habit
Shrub 0.45–1(–2.5) m tall, stems dark or red brown, white stellate-hairy with hairs of two sizes
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blade ovate or ovate-rhombic, 3.8–6.2 × 1.6–4.7 cm, apex rounded, base obtuse or rounded, margin dentate, 12–25 teeth/side, teeth 0.5–1 × 1.5–5 mm, nerves 5–8 on each side of the midrib, surface with 5–6-armed whitestellate hairs, obscuring ± half the upper surface, lower surface totally obscured; petiole (7–)10–22 mm long; stipules narrowly lanceolate or triangular, 5–7(–14) × 0.5(–3) mm, apex acute
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a terminal thyrse 8–13(–22) cm long, densely white stellate-hairy; partial-inflorescences (5–)8–11, (2–)3–7 cm long at base, each bearing (15–)20–30(–65) flowers, lowest partial peduncle 1–3(–18) mm long; peduncular bracts narrowly triangular, 2–3(–7) mm long; partial-rhachis bracts 1–4 mm long; pedicellar bracts filiform, subpatent, single, rarely 2 or 3, 0.5–1.2(–3) mm long; pedicel 2–3.5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers erect, yellow or orange, 6–8 mm wide
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx with basal part campanulate, 2.5–5 × 4–5 mm, lobes spreading slightly, narrowly triangular, 2.7–4 × 1.5–2 mm, stellate-hairy
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals spatulate, 5–6.5 × 1.8–2.2 mm, not, or slightly involute in basal 1/4, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with filaments triangular or elliptic, 1.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm, lacking appendages, glabrous, anthers 4–4.5 × 0.6–1 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary ellipsoid, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, lacking awns; style 3.2–3.5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Immature fruit capsules ovoid-ellipsoid, 9 × 7 mm, 5-ridged, ridges slightly echinate; seeds unknown.
Ecology
Grassland, wooded grassland, Acacia bushland or woodland; 400–1500 m
Conservation
Although endemic to the FTEA area, this species is widespread and common (38 specimens are known), and its habitat not significantly threatened. It is rated here as of “least concern” for conservation.
Note
The record of this species for Zimbabwe (Wild in F.Z. 1: 548 1961), is erroneous. The specimen concerned, Phipps 1330, is H. macrobotrys. The flowers do not open before noon fide Huck & Huck 1031 ( K 7).
Distribution
Flora districts: K4 K6 K7 T2 T3 Range: Not known elsewhere
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrublet c. 1 m. tall; branches stellate-tomentose, eventually glabrescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina up to 4 (5·8) × 2 (4) cm., ovate-oblong to ovate, apex obtuse, margin crenate-dentate, stellate-pubescent above, stellate-tomentose below, nerves prominent beneath; petiole up to c. 1·7 cm. long, stellate-tomentose; stipules up to 2 (5) mm. long, stellate-tomentose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in ± diffuse panicles; branches of inflorescence stellate-tomentose; pedicels c. 5 (9) mm. long; bracts and bracteoles c. 2 mm. long, subulate, stellate-tomentose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx c. 6 mm. long, campanulate, stellate-tomentose, lobed 3/5 of the way down; lobes narrowly lanceolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals yellow, c. 6 mm. long, narrowly obovate, margins not inrolled, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with ± subulate, glabrous filaments c. 1·5 mm. long; anthers rather long-ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary oblong-ovoid, subsessile, stellate-tomentose, with 5 thickened longitudinal ribs; styles c. 3·5 mm. long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule c. 8 × 5 mm., oblong-ovoid, with thickened ribs, stellate-tomentellous, not horned at the apex. Mature seeds not seen.
[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: low confidence
[AERP]

Uses

Use
None recorded.
[FTEA]

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