Capparaceae
Maerua

Maerua schliebenii Gilg-Ben.

First published in Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 13: 273 (1936)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tanzania to N. Mozambique. It is a shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Capparidaceae, J. Elffers, R. A. Graham & G. P. Dewolf. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1964

Morphology General Habit
Shrub up to 2.5 m. tall.
Morphology Stem
Young twigs, and especially the new growth, densely covered with usually spreading, soft, pale brown hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate, 3-foliolate; blade with petiolule up to 5 mm. long, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 3.3–7.3 cm. long, 2.1–3.4 cm. wide, or sometimes broader, rather evenly narrowed to each end, apically subacute or slightly acuminate, shortly mucronate, softly and densely hairy with rather long brownish somewhat shiny hairs on both surfaces, or, when older, with the hairs largely confined to the nerves; petiole (2–)2.5–3.5(–5) cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a short terminal subcorymbose raceme; pedicels 2.5–2.8 cm. long, shaggy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals oblong-elliptic, 2–2.3 cm. long, ± 0.8 cm. wide at anthesis, rather hairy outside, more shortly inside, with a white-puberulous margin; receptacle short, ± 2 mm. long; disk with a very short free rim.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals ovate-triangular to obovate, ± 1.5 mm. long, shortly clawed, whitish.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androphore
Androphore, exceeding the rim of the receptacle; stamens ± 47; filaments 3–4 cm. long, glabrous; anthers 2–2.25 mm. long with a small apical tuft of hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynophore
Gynophore up to 4.5 cm. long, glabrous; ovary ellipsoid to ellipsoid-spheroid, densely covered with greenish or yellowish hairs; stigma flatly capitate, brown, either sessile or on a style up to 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits unknown.
Habitat
Open deciduous woodland, termite-mounds; 200–250 m.
Distribution
T8
[FTEA]

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Capparidaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:1. 1960

Morphology General Habit
Small shrub 1–2 m. tall or with sarmentose branches to 8 m. long; young branches with long, dense, yellowish hairs, older branches glabrescent and pale brown.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate or rarely simple above; leaflets 1–9.5 x 0.5–5 cm., lateral leaflets smaller, elliptic or broadly elliptic, blunt or subacute at the apex, mucronulate, broadly cuneate at the base, glabrescent above, densely yellowish-hairy below or later glabrescent; petiole up to 5 cm. long, hairy; petiolules 2–4 mm. long, densely hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers greenish, solitary in the upper axils on densely pilose pedicels up to 4 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Receptacle 6–10 x 2 mm. densely pilose outside, with c. 10 longitudinal ribs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals up to 2.2 x 0.75 cm., lanceolate, acute or acuminate at the apex, pubescent on both sides, more densely so outside, margin very shortly and densely lanate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals up to 7.5 x 5 mm., obovate, ovate or broadly elliptic, apex blunt or acuminate, shortly clawed at the base, margin somewhat undulate, Androgynophore slightly longer than the receptacle.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens c. 40; filaments up to 4 cm. long, slender; anthers 2 x 1.2 mm., narrowly ovate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary on a gynophore up to 4 cm. long, ovoid, densely grey-tomentose; ovules c. 30 on 2 placentas.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit so far unknown.
[FZ]

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/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