Faurea delevoyi De Wild.

Flora Zambesiaca. Vol. 9, Part 3. Polygonaceae-Myriaceae. Pope GV, Polhill RM, Martins ES. 2006.

Morphology General Habit

Medium to large tree, up to 30 m in height Medium to large tree, up to 30 m in height.

Morphology Branches

Branchlets green and glabrous, older branches dark brown Branchlets green and glabrous, older branches dark brown.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves glossy-green above, paler green beneath, not glaucous, elliptic.lanceolate to broadly elliptic, up to 20 cm long and 5 cm broad, but more usually in the region of 13 × 3–4 cm, apex acute and mucronate, decurrent at base or sometimes with a very short petiole; midrib prominent beneath, ± flat with lamina above, base of midrib may be reddish, otherwise yellowish along its length; leaves almost glabrous on both surfaces, nearly always a few long weak hairs present towards base on lower surface on the midrib and sometimes near the base of the margin Leaves glossy-green above, paler green beneath, not glaucous, elliptic-lanceolate to broadly elliptic, up to 20 cm long and 5 cm broad, but more usually in the region of 13 × 3–4 cm, apex acute and mucronate, decurrent at base or sometimes with a very short petiole; midrib prominent beneath, ± flat with lamina above, base of midrib may be reddish, otherwise yellowish along its length; leaves almost glabrous on both surfaces, nearly always a few long weak hairs present towards base on lower surface on the midrib and sometimes near the base of the margin.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Spikes dense, up to 14 cm long, terminal; peduncle puberulous to pubescent with whitish appressed hairs; bracts deltoid and cupuliform Spikes dense, up to 14 cm long, terminal; peduncle puberulous to pubescent with whitish appressed hairs; bracts deltoid and cupuliform.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth

Perianth pale yellow-green, 1 cm long, conspicuously upwardly curved, becoming rather bulbous towards the apex, puberulous to pubescent outside with whitish appressed hairs Perianth pale yellow-green, 1 cm long, conspicuously upwardly curved, becoming rather bulbous towards the apex, puberulous to pubescent outside with whitish appressed hairs.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers 2.5 mm long Anthers 2.5 mm long.

Morphology General Scales

Hypogynous scales triangular, c. 1 mm long. Hypogynous scales triangular, c. 1 mm long.

Ecology

Frequent in evergreen forest along the edges of streams and river gorges up to 2000 m.

Note

The flowers of F. delevoyi smell of creamy milk. In the field the species is recognisable by its sessile or subsessile, glossy, non-glaucous, bright green leaves which almost always bear a few long weak hairs towards the base on the lower surface. F. delevoyi differs in its ecology from F. saligna, with which it has been confused in the past.

Distribution

Zambia Mozambique Malawi Zimbabwe Also in Angola, Dem. Rep. Congo (Upper Katanga (Shaba) Province) and Tanzania. ZAM N, ZAM W, ZAM C, ZIM N, ZIM C, ZIM E, MAL N, MAL C, MAL S, MOZ N, MOZ MS