Thymelaeaceae
Struthiola

Struthiola thomsonii Oliv.

First published in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 21: 404 (1885)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Ethiopia to E. Central & E. Tropical Africa. It is a subshrub or shrub and grows primarily in the montane tropical biome.

Descriptions

Thymelaeaceae, B. Peterson (University of Göteborg). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or undershrub, sparsely to much branched, up to 2(–3) m. high.
Morphology Branches
Branches 4-angled to terete, light to dark brown, densely leafy in the upper part, pubescent, later glabrescent, gradually with prominent leaf scars.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves whorled or opposite, at first imbricate, later ± spreading; blade linear-lanceolate to ovate, (4–)6–15(–20) mm. long, 1.5–3(–6) mm. wide, acute to subacute, margins sometimes inrolled, coriaceous or subcoriaceous, glabrous, ciliate when young.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white, yellow or red.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracteoles
Bracteoles linear to ovate-lanceolate, 2–5 mm. long, 0.5–1 mm. wide, ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube slender, glabrous, (5–)6–8(–14) mm. long; lobes lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–4 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide at the base, acute to obtuse, the 2 exterior with a small tuft of hairs at the tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 8, terete, 0.5–1 mm. long, fleshy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
Anthers 0.5–1.2 mm. long, acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary oblong, 1–1.5 mm. long, glabrous; disc minute; style up to 6 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed ± 2 mm. long, ± 1 mm. wide.
Figures
Fig. 8.
Habitat
Upland grassland and moorland, often in the ericaceous zone; 1800–4000 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 T2 T3 T4 T6
[FTEA]

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 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/

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images