Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill.

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Habit

A shrub, sometimes scandent, or much-branched tree 2–18(–27) m. with spreading or often pendulous branches and a rounded crown.

Stem

Trunk and branches usually with scattered woody thorns.

Bark

Bark silver-grey, greenish grey, brown, dark grey or black, smooth or rough and reticulately fissured and flaking.

Twigs

Twigs grey, brown or purplish, prominently lenticellate.

Shoots

Young shoots and petioles evenly to sparingly pubescent or subglabrous.

Leaves

Leaves distichous; petioles (3–)5–8(–10) mm. long; leaf-blades elliptic, oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate-elliptic, (3–)6–15(–25) cm. long, (1.5–)3–8(–12) cm. wide, obtuse or shortly obtusely acuminate, occasionally also mucronulate, cuneate, rounded or truncate at base, shallowly crenate to subentire, thinly coriaceous, lateral nerves (6–)8–14(–17) pairs, craspedodromous, slightly prominent above, prominent beneath, tertiary nerves subparallel, not or scarcely prominent, evenly pubescent along the midrib and otherwise sparingly pubescent above at first, later becoming almost glabrous, evenly puberulous beneath at first, later becoming sparingly minutely puberulous, glossy dark green above, paler and sometimes brownish beneath, with the midrib and nerves pellucid and pale green or reddish, often drying greenish grey above and fulvous beneath.

Stipules

Stipules narrowly lanceolate, 5–10 mm. long, acute, pubescent.

Flowers

Flowers densely glomerulate. Female flowers:pedicels 1.5 mm. long, stout, pubescent; sepals broadly triangular, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute, sparingly pubescent to subglabrous without, glabrous within, greenish; petals elliptic, 1 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, subentire, glabrous; outer disc pentagonal, 1.5 mm. across, inner disc divided into 2 or 3 ± triangular usually pubescent laciniate lobes enclosing the ovary; ovary ovoid, 1.5–2 mm. long, 2–3-locular; styles 2–3, bifid, green. Male flowers:pedicels 1.5 mm. long, sparingly pubescent; sepals triangular, 2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute, pubescent without at the base, otherwise glabrous, pale greenish-yellow or -cream; petals obtriangular, 0.5 mm. long, apically tridentate, keeled, white; disc annular, ± flat, 2 mm. across, subentire, glabrous, dull yellow-brown; staminal column 1 mm. high; filaments greenish white; anthers 0.8 mm. long, yellow; pistillode conical, 1 mm. tall, bifid at the apex.

Bracts

Bracts triangular, minute, acute, pubescent.

Male

Male flowers:pedicels 1.5 mm. long, sparingly pubescent; sepals triangular, 2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute, pubescent without at the base, otherwise glabrous, pale greenish-yellow or -cream; petals obtriangular, 0.5 mm. long, apically tridentate, keeled, white; disc annular, ± flat, 2 mm. across, subentire, glabrous, dull yellow-brown; staminal column 1 mm. high; filaments greenish white; anthers 0.8 mm. long, yellow; pistillode conical, 1 mm. tall, bifid at the apex.

Female

Female flowers:pedicels 1.5 mm. long, stout, pubescent; sepals broadly triangular, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute, sparingly pubescent to subglabrous without, glabrous within, greenish; petals elliptic, 1 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, subentire, glabrous; outer disc pentagonal, 1.5 mm. across, inner disc divided into 2 or 3 ± triangular usually pubescent laciniate lobes enclosing the ovary; ovary ovoid, 1.5–2 mm. long, 2–3-locular; styles 2–3, bifid, green.

Fruits

Fruits obovoid-subglobose, obovoid-ellipsoid or ellipsoid, 1-locular by abortion, 0.8–1 cm. long, 0.5–0.6 cm. wide, green at first, then becoming flushed with reddish-brown or purplish, later becoming deep plum-coloured, violet, grape-purple or almost black, ± smooth.

Seeds

Seed 5 mm. long, smooth, somewhat shiny, brown.

Habitat

Locally common or often abundant in evergreen forest, generally at edges or in regrowth, associated bushland and thicket, and common along rivers, by lakes and swamps; 50–2300 m.

Distribution

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 P T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 from Senegal eastwards to C. Ethiopia and south to Angola and South Africa (Transkei)

Euphorbiaceae, A. Radcliffe-Smith. Flora Zambesiaca 9:4. 1996

Habit

An evergreen or deciduous, often much-branched, small tree up to 20 m high with a dense spreading crown and ± flattened or pendent branches arising from c. 2 m above ground.

Trunk

Trunk and branches with scattered blunt thorns.

Bark

Bark smooth and pale grey or pinkish-brown on branches, rough and dark grey or brown at base of trunk.

Wood

Wood hard, white.

Twigs

Twigs dark grey or brown, lenticellate.

Shoots

Young shoots and petioles evenly to sparingly pubescent or subglabrous.

Petiole

Petioles 5–13 mm long.

Stipules

Stipules 4–7 mm long, linear-lanceolate, acute, puberulous or pubescent.

Leaf lamina

Leaf blades 3–28 × 1.5–12 cm, elliptic to elliptic-oblong, shortly obtusely acuminate, rounded to cuneate at the base, subentire or very shallowly crenate, thinly coriaceous, sparingly pubescent to subglabrous along the midrib and main nerves above and beneath and otherwise ± glabrous above and minutely sparingly appressed-puberulous beneath, carmine-orange in young flush, dark or bright green and shiny above and paler below, with the nerves often pale yellow when mature, often drying greenish-grey above and light brown beneath; lateral nerves in 5–20 pairs, craspedodromous, slightly prominent above and beneath or somewhat more so beneath, tertiary nerves parallel or subparallel, not prominent.

Male

Male flowers: pedicels 1 mm long, sparingly appressed-puberulous; sepals 2 × 1 mm, triangular-ovate, acute, appressed-puberulous without, glabrous within, greenish; petals 0.5 × 0.5 mm, obtriangular, apically tridentate, greenish-white; disk 2 mm in diameter, shallowly 5-lobed, ± flat, fleshy, glabrous; staminal column 1 mm high; filaments 0.5 mm long, narrowing apically; anthers 0.75 mm long, yellow; pistillode 0.5 mm tall, ± conical, shallowly lobed at the apex.

Flowers

Female flowers faintly scented, subsessile or shortly stoutly pedicellate; sepals triangular, pale grey-green, otherwise ± as in the male; petals 1 × 0.5 mm, elliptic, subentire; outer disk 1.5 mm in diameter, pentagonal; inner disk 3-lobed, the lobes erose at the apex, closely enfolding the ovary, reddish-brown; ovary c. 0.75 × 0.75 mm, ovoid-subglobose, 2–3-celled; styles 2–3, c. 0.75 mm long, ± free, bifid, stigmas smooth. Male flowers: pedicels 1 mm long, sparingly appressed-puberulous; sepals 2 × 1 mm, triangular-ovate, acute, appressed-puberulous without, glabrous within, greenish; petals 0.5 × 0.5 mm, obtriangular, apically tridentate, greenish-white; disk 2 mm in diameter, shallowly 5-lobed, ± flat, fleshy, glabrous; staminal column 1 mm high; filaments 0.5 mm long, narrowing apically; anthers 0.75 mm long, yellow; pistillode 0.5 mm tall, ± conical, shallowly lobed at the apex.

Female

Female flowers faintly scented, subsessile or shortly stoutly pedicellate; sepals triangular, pale grey-green, otherwise ± as in the male; petals 1 × 0.5 mm, elliptic, subentire; outer disk 1.5 mm in diameter, pentagonal; inner disk 3-lobed, the lobes erose at the apex, closely enfolding the ovary, reddish-brown; ovary c. 0.75 × 0.75 mm, ovoid-subglobose, 2–3-celled; styles 2–3, c. 0.75 mm long, ± free, bifid, stigmas smooth.

Fruits

Fruit 6–8 × 4–5 mm when dried, slightly larger when fresh, ellipsoid or occasionally subglobose, 1-locular by abortion, green at first, black when ripe.

Seeds

Seeds 5 × 3 mm, smooth, slightly shiny, brown.