Sapotaceae
Malacantha

Malacantha alnifolia (Baker) Pierre

First published in Notes Bot. Sapot.: 61 (1891)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Sapotaceae, J. H. Hemsley. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Shrub to medium tree, height up to 25 m., with fluted trunk and slightly buttressed base.
Morphology General Indumentum
Hairs of young shoots and petioles brown, dense and ± erect.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petioles up to 2 cm. long.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves change colour to orange and red before falling; lamina obovate to oblong, 12–22(–36) cm. long, 7–12(–20) cm. wide, apex rounded, sometimes apiculate, base obtuse or cuneate; upper surface with scattered hairs, becoming subglabrous, midrib channelled and with dense short hispid hairs along length; lower surface with uniformly scattered erect hairs, densely arranged on midrib and nerves or sometimes glabrescent with few hairs only on midrib; lateral nerves 15–26 each side, veins prominent, raised and oblique.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts sepal-like, densely rusty hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals elliptic to ovate, up to 6 mm. long, 4.5 mm. wide, densely rusty hairy externally.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla-lobes up to 3.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments up to 5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style 3–7(–9) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Ripe fruit red and fleshy, up to 2.5 cm. long, with indumentum persisting as ± felted covering until almost mature.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed up to 1.7 cm. long, slightly flattened; testa dark brown; scar linear, up to 4 mm. wide.
Figures
Fig. 3.
Habitat
(of species as a whole). An understory tree in lowland rain-forest, groundwater forest and riverine forest and also in deciduous forest within the coastal belt in East Africa. It appears, however, to be absent from the closed rain-forests of the Congo and West Africa and in the latter region is commonly found in mixed deciduous forest. It is also a frequent colonizing tree in woodland areas in the west; 0–600 m.
[FTEA]

Sapotaceae, H. Heine. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit
A shrub or small tree
Morphology General Bark
Scaly bark
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flower-clusters dense in the axils of fallen leaves
Ecology
In deciduous and gallery forests.
[FWTA]

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]

Sapotaceae, F. K. Kupicha. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983

Morphology General Habit
Sparsely branched tree up to 25 m. or more with fluted bole slightly buttressed at the base; bark brown, flaking; slash pink; timber white and soft.
Morphology General Buds
Apical buds and young stems densely brownish–pubescent, soon glabrescent; bark of twigs dark grey, finely wrinkled.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 14–38 x 7–18 cm., obovate or elliptic, the apex rounded, minutely cuspidate and with the midrib sometimes prolonged into a deciduous hair–point, the base tapering; petiole 12–15 mm. long; lateral nerves many–paired. Upper leaf surface with channelled midrib and impressed lateral nerves, subglabrous except along the midrib. Lower surface with prominent nerves, villous with long–stalked Y–shaped brownish hairs especially on midrib and nerves.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers slightly aromatic.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx c. 4·5 mm. long, lobes broadly elliptic, strongly concave, brownish appressed–pubescent on exterior surface.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white or cream, slightly exceeding calyx at anthesis.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
Anthers c. 1·4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style equalling corolla at anthesis.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit up to 2·5 cm. in diameter, red and fleshy when ripe.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed up to 1·7 cm. long.
[FZ]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/62412/153941553

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • 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/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • 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