Home | > | List of families | > | Ptaeroxylaceae | > | Ptaeroxylon | > | obliquum |
Synonyms: |
Ptaeroxylon utile Eckl. & Zeyh. Rhus obliqua Thunb. |
Common names: | Sneezewood (English) Umbengahonye (Ndebele) Umnembu (Ndebele) Umpahla (Ndebele) Umpandula (Ndebele) |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Shrub or small to medium-sized deciduous tree. Bark whitish-grey, smooth when young, fissured in older specimens. Leaves opposite, crowded near the ends of branches, paripinnate with 3-7 pairs of leaflets, aromatic when crushed. Leaflets usually c. 2.5 × 1.3 cm, markedly asymmetric, blue-green to dark green, hairless; translucent gland-dots present; apex rounded or notched; margin entire. Flowers in axillary branched heads, white to creamy-yellow, unisexual on different trees, sweetly scented. Fruit a 2-winged capsule, notched at the base and apex, c. 2 × 1.5 cm, yellowish to reddish-brown with conspicuous veins, dehiscent into 2 valves, which remain on the tree for some time. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | obliquum: oblique, asymmetric, referring to the leaflets. |
Habitat: | In open woodland and scrub, often in rocky terrain. |
Altitude range: (metres) | Up to 1525 m |
Flowering time: | Aug - Dec |
Worldwide distribution: | Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and South Africa as far as the Eastern Cape. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | W,S |
Growth form(s): | Tree, shrub over 2 m. |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | Papilio demodocus demodocus (Food plant) |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Saturday 14 February 2009 |
Literature: |
Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 351. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 30. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 257. 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 69. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 99. Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 28. White, F. & Styles, B.T. (1966). Ptaeroxylaceae Flora Zambesiaca 2(2) Pages 548 - 550. (Includes a picture). |
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