Apocynaceae
Acokanthera

Acokanthera laevigata Kupicha

First published in Kew Bull. 37: 58 (1982)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to N. Malawi. It is a tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Apocynaceae, E.A. Omino. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2002

Morphology General Habit
Tree 5–12 m high with white sticky latex; bark pale brown, fissured; slash pale yellow, fibrous, wood white; branches glabrous; branchlets glabrous or puberulous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate; petiole 5–6 mm long, glabrous or puberulous; blade elliptic, 4–13 cm long, 3.5–7.3 cm wide, cuneate or rounded at the base, obtuse to rounded or acute at the apex with a hard mucro, rarely emarginate, glabrous to puberulous especially on midrib beneath.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of contracted axillary cymes; sepals ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm long, apiculate, ciliate otherwise glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Corolla tube pink, 9.5–11 mm long, sparsely pubescent outside, pubescent in the upper half inside; lobes white, ovate-cuspidate, 3–4 mm long, glabrous, densely hairy at the base and mouth of the tube, ciliate; stamens just visible at anthesis; anthers 1 mm long, apiculate at the apex, apiculus 0.6–0.7 mm long; pistil 9–10 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit ovoid, 2.5–3 cm long, up to 2.5 cm in diameter.
Habitat
Wooded grassland, clumped tree grassland; 1–2000 m
Distribution
T6 T7
[FTEA]

Apocynaceae, A. J. M. Leeuwenberg and F. K. Kupicha et al.. Flora Zambesiaca 7:2. 1985

Morphology General Habit
Shrub (in Malawi) or tree up to 12 m. high, with white wood.
Morphology Branches
Young branches glabrous, compressed with finely striate surface or sometimes strongly ribbed.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves coriaceous, glabrous, smooth, drying ± concolorous brown or green; petiole 3-10 mm, long; lamina 5·5–12·25 x 3·25–6·7 cm., ovate or ovate-elliptic, with apex obtuse or acute and base rounded or cuneate; upper surface glossy, with midrib impressed and lateral veins level or faintly raised or impressed, inconspicuous; lower surface mat, with midrib raised and lateral veins level or faintly raised; lateral veins looped to join their neighbours.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences contracted axillary cymes; flowers white, fragrant.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 2·5–3·5 mm. long, lobes ovate-acuminate, sparsely pilose, ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla tube c. 10 mm. long, the outer surface very sparsely and minutely pubescent, the inner surface pilose in the upper half, wrinkled below; corolla lobes c. 3 mm. long, broadly ovate-cuspidate, glabrous on both surfaces, ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens inserted at the top of the corolla tube so that the anther tips are just visible at anthesis; anthers c. 1·3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary c. 1 mm. long, ellipsoid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 2·5–3·2 x 2–2·5 cm. (dried), 2-seeded, ovoid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 8·5 x 7·5 mm.
[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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/141549155/169378128

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

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

    • '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/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. 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 2026. 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