Anthocleista

Anthocleista grandiflora

Anthocleista is a genus within the family of Gentian Family ( Gentianaceae ). The approximately 15 species in tropical Africa, spread to Madagascar and the Comoros. Some Anthocleista species ( especially the four West African tree species) carry the English common name " Cabbage Tree " or " Tree Candelabrum " or French common name " Arbre chou " or " Papae to eve".

• 4.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaves

Anthocleista species grow as small to large trees that reach heights of growth from 1 to 35 meters or as shrubs or lianas ( Anthocleista laxiflora, Anthocleista obanensis, Anthocleista scandens ). All plant parts are bare. Small Colle Teren (glands ) stand in a row in the axils of leaves, supporting and sepals. At the branches can be, for example Anthocleista djalonensis, thorns are, but in many species they are missing.

In the opposite constantly arranged leaves that of a pair may be identical or different. The leaves have a petiole or sessile. In the seated foliage leaves the Spreitenbasis or the petioles are auriculate. The often relatively large ( up to 2.5 meters), but are among the lianas smaller, simple, soft and perishable or leathery leaf blades when they are dry and often membranous, papery and brittle or leathery. The smooth or tiny notched leaf edges can be bent back. The lateral nerves can be clearly seen. There are intrapetiolare Stipules present.

Inflorescences and flowers

In terminal, erect, almost always dichasialen, one-to five -branched, zymösen inflorescences many flowers are borne; breaking when they are dry, easy on the branches and sometimes hang when they bear fruit. Of the bracts are the lower foliage leaf-like and the others are usually very small, triangular or ovate. For species of the African mainland are usually open only one bloom of an inflorescence.

The sweet scented flowers are hermaphrodite radial symmetry. The four most free or sometimes fused ( Anthocleista laxiflora ) sepals are arranged in decussate. The two inner sepals are usually emarginate and pressed to the corolla tube, and later on the fruit; They are spread when they are dry and enlarged under the fruit. The usually green or cream-colored, rarely partly orange sepals are more or less circular, concave, usually with a rounded top. Depending on the type, different numbers, 8 to 16 petals present. The petals are fused to an approximately cylindrical, thick, fleshy corolla tube, which is not narrowed, when the flower is fully developed and more or less in the direction of expanding throat. The Corolla lobe are usually filmed in the flower bud to the right. The flowers open in the spread or recurved 8-16 Kronlappen are elliptic to lanceolate with a blunt end and smooth edge. The white, cream-colored, violet, blue-violet, lilac or sometimes pale yellow petals are in the area of ​​Corolla lobe often brighter than the corolla tube, sometimes green. It is only the outer circle of 8 to 16 same stamens present; these protrude from the corolla tube. The short or very short stamens are usually shorter than the anthers and usually completely or fused to two-thirds of its length to a short tube and spring near the top of the corolla tube. The white to off-white, often partially green, sometimes brownish anthers are erect, lanceolate with obtuse or sometimes acute upper end and usually arrow-shaped base. The two parallel counters open completely through a longitudinal slit. This large number of Kron and stamens is a specialty within the family Gentianaceae. In a meaty discussion is the ovary. The Upper constant, usually four-chambered (only for Anthocleista potalioides two-chamber ) ovary is ovoid - cylindrical, cylindrical to obovate - cylindrical. In each ovary chamber, a large, bilobed placenta is with many ovules on both sides. The thick pen is about as long as the corolla tube and still retaining a short time after the corolla has fallen. The relatively large, obovate - cylindrical scar depending on the type at the top of a little nicked up bilobed and often slightly flattened laterally.

Fruit and seeds

The many-seeded, hard berries are spherical to ellipsoid with a rounded and sometimes inked top end. The usually thick pericarp is dark to light green or yellow when ripe. The vagina walls ( septa ) are thin.

The medium to dark brown, relatively small ovoid - globose seeds are crooked or irregular polyhedral and flattened. The embryo is straight.

Systematics and distribution

The genus Anthocleista in 1818 with a Aufsammlung from Sierra Leone by Adam Afzelius in Narrative of an Expedition to Explore the River Zaire, App. 5, p 449 placed; Afzelius mentioned the name, but did not publish any description. A valid first description was only by Robert Brown in the same year in Observations systematical and geographical on the herbarium collected by Professor Christian Smith, in the vicinity of the Congo: During the expedition ... command of Captain Tuckey in the year 1816, App. 449, there was a distinction to the closely related genus Potalia. Type species is Anthocleista nobilis G.Don since George Don in 1838 published the first description of a species of this genus. The only monograph of the genus Anthocleista created Anthonius Josephus Maria Leeuwenberg: The Loganiaceae of Africa, 1 Anthocleista, In: Acta Botanica Neerlandica, Volume 10, 1961, pp. 1-53 in the 14 species are listed. The genus name Anthocleista is composed of the Greek words anthos for flower and cleistos for sealed together.

The genus belongs to the subtribe Anthocleista Potaliinae in Potalieae tribe within the family Gentianaceae. It was formerly made ​​to the family or Loganiaceae Potaliaceae. The paläotropische Anthocleista genus is closely related to the Neotropical genus Potalia; they differ, for example, by four - and two-chamber ovary ( except zweikammerig at Anthocleista potalioides ).

The distribution area includes tropical Africa (about twelve species ) and Madagascar ( four species, of which three only there) and the Comoros ( sort of).

There are about 15 species Anthocleista:

• Anthocleista amplexicaulis Baker: It comes in swamp forests ago at altitudes 0-1200 meters in the eastern and central Madagascar.
• Anthocleista djalonensis A.Chev. It occurs on dry sites in savannas and thickets of Guinea Bissau to Cameroon.
• Anthocleista grandiflora Gilg: It comes in damp locations from East Africa to northern South Africa and the Comoros.
• Anthocleista laxiflora Baker: It occurs in Gabon.
• Anthocleista liebrechtsiana De Wild. & T.Durand: It comes in damp locations before at altitudes 0-400 meters from Ghana to Zambia and Angola and Namibia.
• Anthocleista longifolia ( Lam.) Boiteau: It is native to Madagascar.
• Anthocleista madagascariensis Baker: It comes in damp locations and in rain forests at altitudes 450-1700 meters before widespread in Madagascar.
• Anthocleista microphylla Wernham: It comes in submontane forests at altitudes between 800 and 1200 meters in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria and São Tomé and Príncipe ago.
• Anthocleista nobilis G.Don: Can be found in the Central African Republic in the rainforest and semi- evergreen forest from Senegal.
• Anthocleista obanensis Wernham: It occurs in Cameroon and Congo.
• Anthocleista potalioides De Wild. This type first described in 2011, is endemic only in the Chaillu Mountains in Gabon.
• Anthocleista procera Lepr. ex Bureau: It occurs in damp locations lower altitudes from Senegal to Nigeria.
• Anthocleista scandens Hook.f.: It is found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and humid montane forests found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
• Anthocleista schweinfurthii Gilg: It occurs in different ecosystems, but mostly in humid locations from west to east from Nigeria to Ethiopia and south to Tanzania, Zambia and Angola.
• Anthocleista vogelii Planch. Before you comes from Sierra Leone to Kenya and to Zambia and Angola.

Use

Anthocleista species are used in many ways in their area of ​​distribution. Parts of the plants used in traditional medicine.

Swell

• AJM Leeuwenberg: Loganiaceae, In: Flora Zambesiaca, Volume 7, Part 1, 1983, starting on page 327
• Anthocleista Afzel: JG Baker: Flora of Tropical Africa, Volume 4, 1904, Part 1, p 503