Apiaceae
Cryptotaenia

Cryptotaenia africana (Hook.f.) Drude

First published in H.G.A.Engler & K.A.E.Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(8): 189 (1898)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Nigeria to SW. Ethiopia and Tanzania. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the montane tropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

Umbelliferae, C.C. Townsend. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb, 0.5–2 m., with an underground creeping rootstock, sparingly branched above.
Morphology Stem
Stem ± terete, hollow, striate, generally ± multicellular-pilose above the base and increasingly glabrous upwards, sometimes glabrous almost throughout.
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves long-petiolate (petiole ± 8–16 cm.), pinnate with 1–3 pairs of pinnae or usually subbipinnate with the lower pinnae again divided; pinnae and lower pairs of leaflets distinctly petiolulate; leaflets broadly ovate to elliptic, the terminal often but not invariably the largest, ± 3–9 × 2.2–5 cm., regular or more irregularly and jaggedly toothed, frequently (especially in the north and west of the range), bi- or tridentate, acute or acuminate, cuneate to subcordate at the base, ± multicellular-pilose; sheaths short and broad, striate; lower stem leaves usually similar but less divided, more shortly petiolate; median leaves deeply dissected, ± regularly dentate, the terminal leaflet frequently long, ± 3–8 × 0.4–1.4 mm., often but not invariably recalling a Cannabis leaflet, sheaths longer and narrower; uppermost leaves rapidly diminishing and often entire, trisect or linear and bract-like.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Umbels numerous, on divergent glabrous peduncles 2.2–7 cm. long; rays 3–5, glabrous (extremely rarely with a few minute papillate hairs), 1.5–4 cm.; involucre absent; flowers (2–)3–5(–7) in each partial umbel, all hermaphrodite and producing fruit or occasionally a few abortive and ?, on glabrous 6–20 mm. pedicels; involucel absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx obsolete.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals ± 1 mm., white to greenish white.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit ovate, 3–5.5 × 1.5–3 mm., laterally compressed, glabrous even when young, blackish when ripe with greenish ribs, calyx totally obsolete; stylopodia long-conical to narrowly elliptic, equalling or slightly longer or shorter than the recurved styles.
Habitat
Always in montane forest, or in rank vegetation where forest has been cleared, commonly in dense shade or along streams, also damp tracksides and forest margins; both Podocarpus-Hagenia and bamboo forests have been noted; 1360–3000 m.
Distribution
widespread from N. Nigeria and Cameroon to Ethiopia, Zaire, Rwanda and Burundi K3 K4 K5 T2 T7 U2 U3
[FTEA]

Umbelliferae, J. F. M. Cannon. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
Herb 2–4 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Pedicels very slender and thread like.
[FWTA]

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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 2025. 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 2025. 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