Home | > | List of families | > | Peraceae | > | Clutia | > | abyssinica |
Synonyms: |
Clutia glabrescens Knauf ex Pax |
Common names: | Large, or Smooth-fruited lightning-bush (English) |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Shrub or rarely a small tree, up to c. 4 m. Leaves ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, up to 16 cm long, fairly thinly textured, light green above, somewhat blue-green below, mostly hairless (in var. abyssinica), some orange-red leaves often present; margin entire. Flowers in axillary clusters, small, yellowish to greenish, unisexual on different trees. Fruit c. 5 mm in diameter, almost round, almost hairless, pale green with whitish pustules. This variety has hairless or almost hairless stems and leaves. |
Notes: | See var. pedicellaris for comparison. |
Derivation of specific name: | abyssinica: of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) |
Habitat: | In clearings and along margins of evergreen forest, riverine forest and high rainfall woodland. |
Altitude range: (metres) | 300 - 2300 m |
Flowering time: | Mar - Jul |
Worldwide distribution: | Sudan and Somalia southwards to Angola and South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal). |
Zimbabwe distribution: | E |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Saturday 30 August 2008 |
Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 144. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 434. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 14. Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1989). The flora and phytogeography of the evergreen forests of Malawi. I: Afromontane and mid-altitude forests; Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 59(1/2) Page 28. As Clutia abbyssinica Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 252. As Clutia abyssinica Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 41. Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996). Euphorbiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(4) Pages 125 - 127. (Includes a picture). Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 85. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 97. |
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