Canthium glaucum Hiern
subsp. frangula (S. Moore) Bridson[Agg]

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Mana Pools, by main road to camp

Photo: Bart Wursten
Near the Hide, Hippo Pools

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Synonyms:	Canthium frangula S. Moore
Common names:	Pink-fruit canthium (English) Pink-fruit turkey-berry (English)
Frequency:
Status:
Description:	Multi-stemmed shrub or small tree up to c. 5 m tall. Branches lenticilate, armed with opposite spines up to 2 cm long. Leaves clustered on dwarf spur-branchlets just below the spines, more or less narrowly elliptic, 2.4-6 cm long, usually hairless and green above, much paler and sometimes sparsely pubescent on the veins beneath (see note); hairtuft domatia present; petiole 1-1.6 mm long. Stipules triangular, 1-4 mm long, pubescent on the inside. Flowers in 2-8-flowered clusters, small, whitish or creamy-green. Fruit square in outline, 9-12 mm long, pale red, edible.
Notes:	within subsp. frangula 2 varieties are recognized. Var. frangula is more widespread is mostly hairless while var. pubescens Bridson is very much restricted to jesse bush and mopane woodland of the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe and Zambia. It is distinguished by the leaves being densely pubescent on both surfaces and also pubescent calyx and corolla.
Derivation of specific name:	glaucum: bluish-green, glaucous
Habitat:	In mopane or Brachystegia woodland riverine thickets, jesse bush, both on Kalahari sand and clay soils, often on termite mounds and sometimes on rocky outcrops.
Altitude range: (metres)	370 - 1380 m
Flowering time:	Nov - Jan
Worldwide distribution:	Botswana, Caprivi-Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe (see note).
Zimbabwe distribution:	N,W,C,E,S
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:	Sunday 15 November 2015
Literature:	Bridson, D.M. (1998). Rubiaceae, Part 2 Flora Zambesiaca 5(2) Pages 317 - 319. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Pages 1088 - 1089. 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 71. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 87. Van Wyk, B. & Van Wyk, P. (1997). Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Struik, South Africa Pages 260 - 261. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Canthium glaucum subsp. frangula:

Our websites:

Flora of Zambia: Canthium glaucum subsp. frangula

External websites:

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