Strophanthus petersianus Klotzsch

Apocynaceae, E.A. Omino. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2002

Morphology General Habit

Sarmentose shrub or liana, 1–15 m long, deciduous, flowers appearing with or rarely before the leaves; trunk to 10 cm in diameter, bark pale grey; branches with corky flattened triangular protuberances to 2.5 cm high at the nodes or rarely in between; branches glabrous or rarely puberulous; latex white or reddish.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves petiolate, blade elliptic or ovate, 3–11 cm long, 1.7–5 cm wide, base cuneate or rounded, apex acuminate, glabrous or very rarely sparsely puberulous; petiole 2–13 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence 1–4-flowered, sessile or pedunculate, glabrous or occasionally puberulous in its parts; pedicels 3–11 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers fragrant, white turning yellow, near the mouth outside and tails outside red; sepals unequal, ovate or narrowly elliptic, 5–21 mm long, acute; corolla tube 13–37 mm long, corolla lobes ovate, 9–16 mm long, 6–15 mm wide, narrowing into the 8–20 cm long pendulous tails, corona lobes 6–15 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit dark brown, hard, the mericarps ± opposite-divergent, narrowly ovoid, 20–37 cm long, 2–3.5 cm in diameter, tapering to an obtuse point or small knob, lenticellate, glabrous; seeds 10–18 mm long, densely pubescent, with a stalked coma 6–16 cm long.

Habitat

Coastal forest and woodland, often in rocky sites; 0–650 m

Distribution

K7 T3 T6 T8

Apocynaceae, A. J. M. Leeuwenberg and F. K. Kupicha et al.. Flora Zambesiaca 7:2. 1985

Morphology General Habit

Sarmentose shrub or liana, 1–15 m. high, deciduous, flowers appearing with or rarely before the leaves; latex — if present — white or reddish.

Morphology Trunk

Trunk up to 10cm. in diam., pale grey; branches at the nodes (or less often in between), with 2–4 corky laterally compressed triangular protuberances up to 25 mm. high; branchlets glabrous or rarely puberulous.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves petiolate; petiole (2)3—13 mm. long; lamina dark green, paler beneath, elliptic or ovate, 1·3–3(3·4) times as long as wide, 2·8–11 x 1·7–5·2 cm., cuneate or rounded at the base or decurrent into the petiole, acuminate at the apex (acumen 2–10 mm. long, obtuse), sometimes recurved at the margin, papyraceous or less often thinly coriaceous, glabrous or exceptionally sparsely puberulous, with 4–6(8) pairs of secondary veins; tertiary venation conspicuous, especially beneath.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence 1–2(4)-flowered, sessile or pedunculate, glabrous or occasionally puberulous in all parts; pedicels 3·5–11 mm. long; bracts sepal-like or subscarious.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers fragrant.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals erect or spreading, fairly unequal, ovate or narrowly elliptic, 5–21 x 2–5·5 mm., acute, glabrous or exceptionally puberulous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla tube (13)15–37 mm. long and widening at 1/5–2/5 of its length into a cyathiform upper part, at the mouth 10–29 mm. wide, glabrous outside and puberulous inside; corona lobes narrowly triangular and often undulate, 6–15 x 1·7–4 mm., glabrous; corolla lobes ovate, 9–16 x 6–15 mm., gradually narrowing into the pendulous tails; lobes (including the tails) 90–205 mm. long, glabrous on both sides.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens included for 1·5–11 mm., rarely 0–1·5 mm. exserted; filaments straight or nearly so, 2·6–5·2 mm. long; anthers 6–10 x 1·1–2 mm., glabrous; acumen 1–4 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary 0·8–2·6 x 1·5–2·8 mm., glabrous; style 7·5–14·5 mm. long; clavuncula 1·8–2·8 x 1·3–2·3 mm.; stigma minute.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Follicles divergent at an angle of 180°, tapering towards the apex and ending in a narrow obtuse point or in a small knob, 20–37 cm. long and 2·2–3·5 cm. in diam.; exocarp dark brown, thick and hard, glabrous, sparsely or densely lenticellate, rarely not lenticellate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds with the grain 10–18 x 2·8–4 x 1 mm., densely pubescent; rostrum glabrous for (20–)35–65 mm. and bearing a coma for 10–52 mm.; coma (38)60–90 mm. long.