3956.000 Erythroxylum P. Browne

Description of the genus

Trees or shrubs. Young branches distinctive, flattened, with raised lines decurrent from the petiole bases (particularly distinctive in E. emarginatum) Stipules persistent to caducous, completely united. Petals white to cream-yellow. Nectary appendage usually exceeding the calyx. Ovary (2-)3-locular. The two species of Erythroxylum are quite unlike each other in general appearance. Apart from the characters in the key, E. emarginatum has dark green, relatively thick, coriaceous leaves which are brittle and can be heard to crackle when folded and held against the ear. E. zambesiacum has thinly-textured leaves which are not brittle.

Worldwide: 230 species in the tropics, mostly America, and Madagascar

Zimbabwe: 2 taxa.

Erythroxylum zambesiacum

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
emarginatum Thonn.N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
zambesiacum N. RobsonN,W,CDescription, Image

Key to Species

Display key

Other sources of information about Erythroxylum:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Erythroxylum
Flora of Caprivi: Erythroxylum
Flora of Malawi: Erythroxylum
Flora of Mozambique: Erythroxylum
Flora of Zambia: Erythroxylum
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Erythroxylum

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Erythroxylum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Erythroxylum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Erythroxylum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Erythroxylum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Erythroxylum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Erythroxylum
JSTOR Plant Science: Erythroxylum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Erythroxylum
Plants of the World Online: Erythroxylum
Tropicos: Erythroxylum
Wikipedia: Erythroxylum

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Genus page: Erythroxylum.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=794, retrieved 19 March 2024

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