Malvaceae
Melhania

Melhania burchellii DC.

First published in Prodr. 1: 499 (1824)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Zimbabwe to S. Africa. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Sterculiaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit
Very like the two preceding species and resembling M. randii in having its leaves tomentellous on both sides.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers almost twice the size of those of M. randii, the sepals being c. 1·6 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Epicalyx
Epicalyx bracts lanceolate-acuminate, differing from those of both M. randii and M. prostrata in being about half the length of the sepals.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncles not elongated, as in both the other species, at maturity but shorter than, or only slightly exceeding, the petioles in length.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina Leaf margin
Leaf-margins usually dentate, especially towards the apex, those of M. randii and M. prostrata being usually quite entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds slightly roughened or tuberculate but scarcely reticulate.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0