Malvaceae
Melhania

Melhania forbesii Planch. ex Mast.

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 1: 231 (1868)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tropical & S. Africa. It is a subshrub or shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Sterculiaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit
Branching shrublet c. 0·6 m. tall, densely covered in all the herbaceous parts with a greyish-tomentellous indumentum intermingled, particularly on the stems, petioles and nerves on the under surface of the leaves, with longer stellate-ferruginous hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina up to 11 × 5 cm., oblong, narrowly ovate-oblong or ovate, somewhat discolorous, apex obtuse or rarely acute, margin serrate or crenate, base rounded; petiole up to 2·5 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers yellow, 1–3 together on axillary peduncles up to 9 cm. long; pedicels 0·5–1·5 cm. long, fasciculate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Epicalyx
Epicalyx-bracts 1–1·5 × 0·8–1 cm., very broadly ovate, acute or slightly acuminate at the apex, subcordate at the base, densely greyish-white-tomentose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals of 2/3 or equalling the length of the epicalyx, lanceolate-acuminate, tomentose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals about the same length as the sepals, very broadly obovate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Stamens connate for 1–2 mm. below; filaments flattened, 1–2 mm. long; anthers lanceolate, 2–5 mm. long; staminodes c. 7 mm. long, linear or lorate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary ovoid, tomentose; style 1–3 mm. long; stigmas linear, recurved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit slightly shorter than the sepals, ovoid, tomentose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 6 per loculus, c. 2 mm. in diam., dark brown, irregularly compressed; testa smooth or occasionally slightly rugose.
[FZ]

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]

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/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

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/