Sterculia appendiculata K.Schum.

Sterculiaceae, Martin Cheek & Laurence Dorr; Nesogordonia, Laurence Dorr, Lisa Barnett. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2007

Type

Type: Tanzania, Lushoto District: Usambaras, Holst 2529 (K!, iso.)

Morphology General Habit

Deciduous tree 12–40 m tall.

Morphology Bole

Bole straight, bark smooth, pale grey or greenish yellow or white, usually with short buttresses up to 20 m high, slash white.

Morphology Branches

Flora districts: Ultimate branchlets strongly longitudinally ridged, (3–)5–8(–18) mm thick, pale brown or grey brown, glabrous except the rusty, thickly woolly apex; bud-scales triangular, ± 3 mm long, 2 mm wide, rusty and scurfy when young

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blade ± orbicular in outline, shallowly (3–5–)7–lobed, 10–24 cm long, 7–19 cm wide, lobes widely based, acuminate, apical lobe 4–9 cm long, 5.5–11.5 cm wide, lateral lobes much smaller, 0.5–3.7 cm long, base deeply cordate, sinus 1.5–6 cm deep, edges never overlapping, glabrous above and below when adult, young leaves scurfy with dense rusty tomentum.

Morphology Leaves Petiole

Petiole terete, sometimes slightly swollen at base and tip, 5.5–15.5 cm long, (0.7–)1–2 mm wide, glabrous when mature, scurfily brown-tomentose when young; stipules caducous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence usually borne with the leaves, 1–14 per stem, each 4–11 cm long, 3–5 cm wide, thickly covered in yellow-brown stellate hairs; bearing 6–9 short branches, the lowest 2–22 mm from the base, 4–28 mm long, bearing 1–3(–5) flowers.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel

Pedicels 2(–12) mm long; 3 bracts at apex of pedicel, whorled, equal, subvalvate, calyx-like, elliptic, 7 mm long, 3 mm wide, velutinous, outer surface brown, inner purple grey.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers yellowish, perianth widely campanulate, 12–14 mm long, 18–23 mm wide, divided into 5 elliptic lobes, 6–8 mm long, 4–6.5 mm wide, indumentum as inflorescence, rusty yellow-brown, with stellate hairs, texture felty

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit with undehisced follicles ellipsoid, (5–)7–9 cm long, 3.5–6 cm wide, suture thickened, rostrum short and blunt, 3–5 mm long, stipe absent or very short and stout, 0–7 mm long, surface subscabrid with rusty brown dense stellate tomentum, pericarp woody, 2.5 mm thick increasing to 10 mm thick at the suture; follicle only opening slightly at dehiscence, inner surface glabrous, white, perhaps pulpy at maturity.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds large, pale yellow, rounded oblong, 15–21 mm long, 10–13 mm wide, hilum ± rounded, 4–5 mm wide, white, lacking an aril, dangling from the fruit on a white thread 1–2 cm long

Figures

Fig 1/2, 8, p 6

Ecology

Coastal and lowland riverine forest, often left standing on cultivated land, presumably for religious or superstitious reasons; 5–750 m

Conservation

This species is here assessed as “Least Concern” in view of its large geographic range and because of its fairly common habitat.

Note

The palmately lobed leaves of S. appendiculata are similar in shape and in their large size to those of S. quinqueloba. The latter however, grows in drier forest and has a variegated trunk, the bark flaking off in plates, unlike the smooth whitish trunk of S. appendiculata. The leaves of S. quinqueloba are tomentose beneath, in contrast to the glabrous S. appendiculata. The similarity of the two species is only superficial, they differ very greatly in flowers and fruit. Dorr has shown that Sterculia lindensis Engl., the placement of which has been much debated (e.g. Brenan 1956 loc. cit. placed it tentatively as a synonym of Cola scheffleri K. Schum.), is probably this species (Dorr in K.B. 59: 161 (2004)). The lower altitudinal record was reported by Luke (pers. comm.), his record being “Luke sr Buxton Plot, Vipingo, Kilifi Distr.”.

Distribution

Flora districts: K7 T3 T6 T7 T8; Z Range: Somalia, Malawi, Mozambique

Use

“Timber has been sawn for box staves at Mikesse, soft, perishable and requiring precautions against borers. Possible use for plywood?” Wigg 1350; “soft timber tree, wood easy to work, not very durable” Semsei 936; “leaves used as a side dish” Barker 464.