Compilation
Brachystegia glaberrima

Tree (2–)5–15(–18) m. high, glabrous; bole often with conspicuous rounded bosses; bark rough, with few long deep furrows, grey; crown ± ovoid, becoming flattish only in age; main branches suberect; branchlets many, slender; foliage evenly spreading in all directions, not pendulous in tufts, maturing green above, glaucous beneath. Stipules shortly connate, linear to falcate, 1–2 cm. long, caducous; auricles 0 or small, usually lateral; intra-petiolar stipule-bases persistent, usually prominent, subtending flattened and keeled dormant buds. Leaves glabrous, with (4–)5–7(–8) widely-spaced pairs of leaflets, the middle and distal pairs subequal, spreading and conspicuously ladder-like in silhouette on the tree; petiole 1.5–3(–4) cm. long, usually subequal to the average of the intervals on the rhachis; pulvinus prominent and (though long) always forming less than one third of the petiole; rhachis 10–18(–20) cm. long (not more than 7 times as long as the petiole), channelled; stipels or local expansions usually obvious but variable; leaflets ± obliquely and narrowly triangular or subtrullate to ovate-elliptic or (rarely) oblong-elliptic, sometimes falcate, 3–10(–12) × (0.7–)1–3(–4) cm., obtuse or acute to rounded or retuse at apex, ± obliquely cuneate to subcordate at base; midrib subcentral; basal fanwise nerves (3–)4–5(–6), prominent and conspicuous above, the inner strongly ascending; main nerves and major reticulation above much more conspicuous than the final venation, both obscure beneath. Panicles terminal, up to 10 × 8 cm., glabrous; peduncle slender, terete, usually glaucous. Flowers green and cream; bracteoles 6–8 × 5–6 mm. Tepals 5–6(–7), usually 5–6 all sepaloid, imbricate, densely long-ciliate; rarely with 1–2 inner, linear or vestigial, usually glabrous. Stamens ± 10, ± free, filaments 9–12 mm. long. Ovary 2–3 × 1 mm., crispate-setose on the margins; style 8–10 mm. long; stigma rather large. Pod woody, up to 15 × 5 cm., smooth and usually shiny but often with warts (due to insect attack), never finely scurfy; sutural wings spreading, each 4–7 mm. wide. Fig. 40, p. 187.