| Synonyms: |
Schmidelia abyssinica Hochst. |
| Common names: | Forest velvet false-currant (English) |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | |
| Description: |
Medium-sized to large tree. Bark greyish-green, smooth; branchlets minutely velvety, with lenticels. Leaves spirally arranged, 3-foliolate; leaflets elliptic, sometimes terminal leaflet shorter than lateral leaflets but often more or less similar in size, up to 14 × 6 cm, thinly textured, hair-tuft domatia conspicuous in the axils of the veins below; margin irregularly toothed. Flowers in 1-2-branched catkin-like inflorescences up to 8 cm long, finely velvety. Fruit c. 8 × 6 mm, obovoid-spherical. |
| Type location: |
|
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | abyssinicus: of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) |
| Habitat: | |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | Nov - Mar |
| Worldwide distribution: | From Ethiopia and the DRC to Malawi and Zimbabwe. |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 259. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 4. Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1989). The flora and phytogeography of the evergreen forests of Malawi. I: Afromontane and mid-altitude forests; Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 59(1/2) Page 20. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 256. Exell, A.W. (1966). Sapindaceae Flora Zambesiaca 2(2) Page 498. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 76. Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 231. |