Home | > | List of families | > | Malvaceae: Byttnerioideae, Helicteroideae & Sterculioideae | > | Sterculia | > | africana |
Synonyms: |
Sterculia guerichii K. Schum. |
Common names: | African star-chestnut (English) False baobab (English) Munera (Shona) Mungosa (Shona) Murere (Shona) Mutedza (Shona) Mutsvedza (Shona) Tick tree (English) Umkukubuyu (Ndebele) |
Frequency: | Common at lower altitudes |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Medium sized tree with a stout trunk. Bark smooth silvery-grey, often mottled with purple-brown, peeling. Leaves crowded near the ends of branches, broadly ovate-cordate in outline, variously 3-5- lobed. Flowers in compact terminal panicles, greenish-yellow with reddish guide lines, appearing before the leaves; sexes separate on the same tree. Fruit consisting of 1-5 beaked carpels, each splitting down one side, golden velvety on the outside; mouth fringed with highly irritant hairs, which protect the blue-black, tick-like seeds. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | africana: African |
Habitat: | In hot, dry areas along the fringes of mopane woodland and rocky kopjes. |
Altitude range: (metres) | Up to 1100 m |
Flowering time: | Sep - Nov |
Worldwide distribution: | East Africa from Sudan to Mozambique; Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | N,W,C |
Growth form(s): | Tree, shrub over 2 m. |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Thursday 9 November 2006 |
Literature: |
Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 594. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Pages 458 - 459. Curtis, B.A. & Mannheimer, C.A. (2005). Tree Atlas of Namibia National Botanic Research Institute, Windhoek Pages 454 - 455. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 260. Fowler, D.G. (2007). Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses, Kew Publishing 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 68. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 84. Schmidt, E., Lötter, M. & McCleland, W. (2002). Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park Jacana, Johannesburg, South Africa Pages 262 - 263. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 108. Storrs, A.E.G. (1995). Know Your Trees Regional Soil Conservation Unit. Pages 97 - 98. (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 179. Van Wyk, B. & Van Wyk, P. (1997). Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Struik, South Africa Pages 210 - 211. White, F. (1962). Forest Flora of Northern Rhodesia Oxford Univ. Press. Page 246. Wild, H. (1960-1). Sterculiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 1(2) Pages 553 - 554. (Includes a picture). |
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