Compilation
Combretum tetraphyllum

Small tree up to 10(–12) m. high; bark grey, reticulately fissured; branches peeling to give dark reddish brown colour; branchlets glabrous, glutinous or pubescent. Leaves opposite or 3(–4)-verticillate; lamina papyraceous to coriaceous, narrowly to broadly ovate-elliptic to ovate, up to 15(–20) cm. long and 9(–11) cm. wide, apex acute or obtuse, base usually cuneate, usually glutinous, especially so when young, rarely tomentose in East Africa to nearly glabrous (except for the scales), sparsely lepidote above, scales almost contiguous beneath but often very difficult to see due to the glutinous exudation; lateral nerves 7–10(–13) pairs, usually prominent on both surfaces, reticulation slightly raised beneath; petiole up to 1.5 cm. long, leaves sometimes subsessile, leaving a prominent circular scar when fallen, especially so on the swollen nodes of the older wood. Inflorescences axillary, either single simple spikes or clusters of such spikes borne on very much reduced axillary shoots or single axillary spikes on elongated shoots (20 cm.) that are leafless at flowering thus giving the appearance of a branched inflorescence, both short and elongated shoots densely yellow-brown pubescent. Flowers (fig. 3/11, p. 14) greenish yellow to white becoming yellow, fragrant. Lower receptacle usually tomentose; upper receptacle infundibuliform to broadly campanulate at the base and cupuliform at the apex, 2–3 mm. long, 2–3 mm. in diameter, pubescent to tomentose. Sepals broadly triangular. Petals cuneate or spathulate to obovate, 2–3 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide, glabrous. Stamen-filaments 5–6 mm. long, inserted at the margin of the disk; anthers 0.8–1 mm. long. Disk with pilose free margin. Style 3–4 mm. long. Fruit (fig. 4/11, p. 15) subcircular to elliptic in outline, 2.5–3.5 cm. long, 2.5–3 cm. wide, yellow-brown to brown, glutinous, rather inconspicuously lepidote, otherwise glabrous; apical peg up to 3 mm. long; wings up to 12 mm. broad; stipe up to 5(–7) mm. long. Cotyledons 2, arising below soil-level and borne above ground on a long stalk formed by the connate petioles. Scales (fig. 2/11, p. 13) 50–65 μ in diameter.