Compilation
Acokanthera rhodesica

A much-branched evergreen shrub, sometimes scrambling, or small tree, 1–6 m. high; bark brown, deeply fissured; slash cream turning olive green. Young branches with reddish tinge, glabrous, conspicuously angled and ribbed. Leaves coriaceous, glabrous, smooth or occasionally slightly scabrid; petiole 2–6(7) mm. long; lamina 4·6–10·6 x 1·8–6·7 cm., usually obovate, occasionally elliptic, the apex acute, cuspidate or obtuse, with hard mucro, the base cuneate or rounded; upper surface glossy, with midrib impressed and lateral nerves strongly raised; lower surface mat, all nerves raised, the proximal lateral nerves characteristically reaching the margin without looping to join neighbouring nerves; midrib of lower surface and petiole wrinkled. Inflorescences very plentiful, dense, contracted, many-flowered axillary cymes; flowers fragrant, with pink or reddish corolla tube and white lobes. Calyx 2–3 mm. long, lobes ovate to lanceolate, weakly imbricate, dorsally pilose and ciliate or glabrous. Corolla tube 9–13·5 mm. long, pubescent or hispid on external surface or rarely glabrous, pilose within above the middle and wrinkled below; lobes ovate-cuspidate, 2–4·6 mm. long, pubescent or glabrous on either side, usually ciliate. Anthers 1·1–1·4 mm. long, visible in the mouth of the corolla tube at anthesis. Ovary 0·6–1 mm. long, ellipsoid, smooth. Fruit an ellipsoid berry 12–20 mm. long (dry), purple when ripe; seeds 6·5–10 mm. long.