Synsepalum brevipes

Stem-fruit miraculous-berry
Leaf detail - upper and underside
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Sapotaceae
Genus: Synsepalum
Species: S. brevipes
Binomial name
Synsepalum brevipes
(Baker f.) T.D.Penn.
Synonyms
  • Pachystela brevipes (Baker) Engl.
  • Pachystela cinerea (Engl.) Engl.
  • Sideroxylon brevipes Baker

The Stem-fruit miraculous-berry or Pachystela (Synsepalum brevipes) is a shrub or medium-sized to large tree in the family Sapotaceae,[1] that is native to the African tropics and subtropics.

Range and habitat

It occurs in the African tropics and in subtropical lowlands from Angola to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It occurs in dry evergreen forest or as a component of riparian vegetation.[2]

Description

Damaged wood or bark exudes a milky latex, and the bark's slash mark is red.[2] Twigs and young leaves have a downy texture. The sweet-scented flowers are produced from late summer to autumn. Edible fruit appear in late winter and contain one smooth seed.

References

  1. Coates Palgrave, Keith; Coates Palgrave, Meg (1983). Trees of Southern Africa (2nd rev. ed.). Cape Town: C. Struik. ISBN 0-86977-081-0.
  2. 1 2 Hyde, Mark; et al. "Synsepalum brevipes (Baker f.) T.D. Penn.". Flora of Zimbabwe. Retrieved 7 July 2015.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/2/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.