Family:
Araliaceae Juss.
Genus:
Astropanax Seem.

Astropanax abyssinicus (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) Seem.

This species is accepted, and its native range is SE. Nigeria and Ethiopia to Zambia.

[FTEA]

Araliaceae, J. R. Tennant. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
An often spreading tree to 28 m. tall or an epiphyte; bark rough and fissured or smooth, grey-brown to grey-black and ± corky.
Morphology Leaves
Petioles up to 38(–42) cm. long by 5(–6.2) mm. diameter, glabrous or sparsely hairy at tip, rarely puberulous at base; leaflets 5–7, chartaceous to coriaceous, elliptic to broadly elliptic, narrowly ovate to ovate, sometimes somewhat oblong, occasionally narrowly obovate to obovate or oblanceolate, up to 27(–40) cm. long by 15(–20) cm. wide, gradually tapering to a ± truncate short- to long-acuminate or almost caudate apex, with a cordate or rounded, obtuse to cuneate base, with crenulate (rarely subentire) margins, glabrous or puberulous; petiolules up to 12.5 cm. long by 1–3 mm. diameter.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules upto 1.7 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence an umbel or a short raceme of up to 12 racemes of pedunculate umbellules; primary branches up to 41 cm. long, often not floriferous at base, arising in axils of tomentose to puberulous bracts of up to 1.5 cm. long (this relationship obscured when primary branches umbellate); peduncles of umbellules (secondary branches) (0.6–)1.3–2.1(–4.5) cm. long, arising in the axils of glabrous to puberulous ovate to ligulate bracts of from 1.5–6(–8) mm. long racemosely borne along the primaries; pedicels up to about 36 per peduncle, often less, 2–11 mm. long; floral bracts obsolete.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits vinaceous, urceolate to subspherical, up to 5 mm. long and across, sulcate, glabrous or puberulous; stylopodium 0.5–0.7 mm. long; styles 5–8, free for 0.6–1.0 mm. terminally.
Habitat
Upland rain-forest; 1840–2770 m.
Distribution
K3 K5 T4 U1 U3

[FZ]

Araliaceae, J. F. M. Cannon. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Epiphyte or tree of up to 30 m.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves digitate, with long petioles up to 42 cm.
Morphology Leaves Leaflets
Leaflets 5–7, up to 25(40) × 15(20) cm., broadly ovate or ovate-elliptic to broadly elliptic, glabrous, coriaceous to subcoriaceous, the margin serrulate to almost entire, sometimes slightly undulate, the apex usually very long-acuminate, the base varying from cordate to subtruncate or even cuneate. Petiolules 4–7(12) cm. long, lateral veins conspicuous and rather widely spaced, with an obvious reticulum of veins between them.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules conspicuous in younger leaves, ovate-acuminate, probably not persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 15–30(40) cm. long, with rusty tomentose bracts, the umbellules normally confined to the upper 3/4 of the axis and subtended by glabrous to floccose bracteoles. Inflorescence a group of sparsely puberulous racemes of pedunculate umbellules.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncles of umbellules (0·6)1–1·5(4·5) cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicels usually 5–6 per peduncle (rarely much more numerous), 2–7(11) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Styles 5–8, short, 1–1·5 mm. long including the stylopodium, initially connate but spreading at maturity.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit urceolate to subspherical, up to 5 mm. long, usually glabrous, rarely puberulous.

[FWTA]

Araliaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
A tree, to 60 ft. high
Ecology
In montane forest
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers yellowish, sweetly scented.

Native to:

Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre

Astropanax abyssinicus (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) Seem. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Aug 1, 2001 Etuge, M. [4377], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000198216 No
Dec 1, 2000 Zapfack, L. [754], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000337992 No
Feb 1, 1999 Zapfack, L. [848], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000337989 No
Feb 1, 1999 Etuge, M. [2238], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000337990 No
Feb 1, 1999 Cable, S. [3001], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000337991 No
Jan 1, 1997 Sunderland, T.C.H. [1422], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000540389 No
Jan 1, 1997 Sunderland, T.C.H. [1422], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000339315 No
Nov 11, 1955 Mann, G. [1181], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000350377 Yes
Nov 11, 1955 Mann, G. [1181], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000350378 Yes
Nov 11, 1955 Mann, G. [1181], Cameroon Schefflera abyssinica K000350376 Yes
Andrews, F.W. [1933], Sudan Schefflera abyssinica 932.000 No
Schimper [283], Ethiopia Schefflera abyssinica K000350397 isotype Yes
Schimper [283], Ethiopia Schefflera abyssinica K000350399 isotype Yes
Schimper [283], Ethiopia Schefflera abyssinica K000350398 isotype Yes

First published in J. Bot. 2: 177 (1865)

Not accepted by

  • Frodin, D.G. & Govaerts, R. (2003 publ. 2004). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araliaceae: 1-444. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. [Cited as Schefflera abyssinica.]
  • Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 1-529. MIM, Deurne. [Cited as Schefflera abyssinica.]

  • 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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    Flora of West Tropical 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 Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0