Home | > | List of families | > | Euphorbiaceae | > | Croton | > | megalocarpus |
Synonyms: | |
Common names: | Kenya croton (English) |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Cultivated and occasionally becoming naturalised |
Description: |
Monoecious or dioecious large tree up to 30 m tall. Leaves alternate: petiole 1.5 - 11 cm long; lamina entire, elliptic-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, green and minutely stellate-pubescent above, silvery scales flecked with brown beneath, usually with 2(-4) glands on the undersurface near the base or on the upper part of the petiole. Inflorescence a terminal pendulous raceme, up to 16 cm long. Male flowers: buds 4-5 mm in diameter; pedicels 3-10 mm long; petals 5, pale yellow; stamens c. 30. Female flowers: pedicels 4-10 mm, extending to 2 cm in fruit; petals 5; styles 3. Fruits 3-4.5 × 2.5-4 cm, ovoid-ellipsoid to subspherical, loculicidal. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | megalocarpus: refers to the relatively large fruit. |
Habitat: | In disturbed places and open woodland |
Altitude range: (metres) | |
Flowering time: | Sep-Nov |
Worldwide distribution: | DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia |
Zimbabwe distribution: | 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: | Saturday 8 December 2018 |
Literature: |
Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 441. (Includes a picture). 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 18. Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & White, F. (1990). New and noteworthy plants from the evergreen forests of Malawi Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 60(1/2) Page 77. Maroyi, A. (2006). Preliminary checklist of introduced and naturalized plants in Zimbabwe. Kirkia 18(2) Page 211. Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996). Euphorbiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(4) Page 282. |
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