Diospyros capricornuta F.White

Ebenaceae, F. White & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Morphology General Habit

Tree up to 16 m. tall but sometimes flowering at only 2 m.; bark reddish, striate, ± peeling on some branches; young branchlets and leaves ferruginous tomentose.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves drying pale brown or reddish brown above, glaucous beneath and contrasting with the darker nerves and veins, lanceolate or lanceolate-elliptic, 6.5-11 cm. long, 3-4.7 cm. wide, subacuminate to acuminate at the apex, acute to obtuse at the base, the margin slightly revolute, subcoriaceous, chestnut-pubescent when young beneath, densely strigulose on the nerves, but with sparser longer hairs on surface between, becoming glabrous but with glaucous look due to dense minute scales, upper surface glabrous except for the densely hairy impressed midrib; lateral nerves in 5-7 pairs, slightly impressed above, very prominent beneath; tertiary nerves and veins impressed above (at least on young leaves), prominent beneath; petiole 0.6-1.2 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Male flowers subsessile, 1-3 together in the leaf-axils of fallen leaves, pedicels ± 1 mm. long; calyx cyathiform, 5 mm. long, ferruginous tomentose; calyx-lobes 4, triangular, 2-2.5 mm. long; corolla yellow-green, narrowly conoidal, up to 1.5 cm. long, 4 mm. wide, slightly curved in bud, at anthesis hypocrateriform, ferruginous-tomentose; corolla-lobes 3-4, lanceolate, 6-7.5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, spreading; stamens 12, in 4 pairs alternating with 4 singles which are opposite the corolla-lobes, ± 5.5 mm. long, included; filaments ± 1 mm. long, glabrous except for an occasional seta, inserted on the receptacle; anthers ± 4.5 mm. long with pronounced apiculum; rudimentary ovary represented by a tuft of hair. Female flowers and fruit unknown.

sex Male

Male flowers subsessile, 1-3 together in the leaf-axils of fallen leaves, pedicels ± 1 mm. long; calyx cyathiform, 5 mm. long, ferruginous tomentose; calyx-lobes 4, triangular, 2-2.5 mm. long; corolla yellow-green, narrowly conoidal, up to 1.5 cm. long, 4 mm. wide, slightly curved in bud, at anthesis hypocrateriform, ferruginous-tomentose; corolla-lobes 3-4, lanceolate, 6-7.5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, spreading; stamens 12, in 4 pairs alternating with 4 singles which are opposite the corolla-lobes, ± 5.5 mm. long, included; filaments ± 1 mm. long, glabrous except for an occasional seta, inserted on the receptacle; anthers ± 4.5 mm. long with pronounced apiculum; rudimentary ovary represented by a tuft of hair.

sex Female

Female flowers and fruit unknown.

Habitat

Forest; 150-600 m.

Distribution

not known elsewhere T6 T8