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Synonyms: |
Vitex radula Mildbr. ex W. Piep Vitex volkensii Gürke |
Common names: | Orange-fruited fingerleaf (English) |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Often a strong liane, sometimes a scrambling shrub or rarely a small tree. Bark grey-brown, fissured; young branches conspicuously 4-angled. Leaves mostly 5-foliolate. Leaflets elliptic to ovate-lanceolate narrowing to a long point, green and somewhat scabrid above, paler and sparsely to densely hairy below, yellow oil-glands present on both surfaces, aromatic when crushed; margin usually entire; petiolule up to 2.5 cm for the central leaflet. Flowers in lax terminal heads, white, sometimes slightly tinged violet. Fruit round, c. 8 mm in diameter, fleshy, black, covered in a distinct orange-yellow papery layer. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | buchananii: after John Buchanan (1855 – 1896), Scottish horticulturist, missionary, farmer and plant collector in Malawi, who became Acting British Consul to Central Africa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Buchanan_(settler). |
Habitat: | Occurring in patches of evergreen forest or evergreen bush clumps in high rain fall grassland. |
Altitude range: (metres) | Up to 1800 m |
Flowering time: | Nov - Feb |
Worldwide distribution: | DRC, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | E |
Growth form(s): | Climber, liane. |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Sunday 1 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 860. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 272. Fernandes, R. (2005). Lamiaceae (subfamilies: Viticoideae and Ajugoideae) Flora Zambesiaca 8(7) Pages 75 - 76. 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 57. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 184. Timberlake, J.R., Bayliss, J., Dowsett-Lemaire, F., Congdon, C., Branch, B., Collins, S., Curran, M., Dowsett, R,J., Fishpool, L., Francisco, J., Harris, Kopp, M. & de Sousa, C. (2012). Mt Mabu, Mozambique: Biodiversity and Conservation Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London Page 73. |
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