Compilation
Marantochloa purpurea

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Name

Identification
Marantochloa purpurea (Ridl.) Milne-Redh. [family MARANTACEAE ]
Related name
  • Marantochloa purpurea
Common name
  • anworom (J) (GHANA, AKAN-ASANTE), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4
  • Yoruba soft cane (Okigbo)., Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4
  • blissi ye (B&D) gblissi vé (B&D) (IVORY COAST, KRU-GUERE (Chiehn)), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4
  • bimbru (B&D) (IVORY COAST, MANDING-MANINKA), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4
  • sibiri-nua (Foggie; E&A) sugugw (GHANA, TWI), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4
  • uèsènja = leaf of the kola: because of its use as anut wrapping (Visser) (IVORY COAST, ‘ANDO’), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4

Flora

Entry for MARANTOCHLOA purpurea (Ridl.) Milne-Redh. [family MARANTACEAE]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (1952) Author: E. MILNE-REDHEAD
Names
MARANTOCHLOA purpurea (Ridl.) Milne-Redh. [family MARANTACEAE], in B.S.B.B. 83: 21 (1950). Type: Angola, Golungo Alto, Welwitsch 6440 (BM, holo.!)
Clinogyne purpurea Ridl. [family MARANTACEAE], in J.B. 25: 132 (1887)
Donax purpurea (Ridl.) K. Schum. [family ], in E.J. 15: 440 (1892); Baker in F.T.A. 7: 318 (1898); Rendle in Cat. Welw. Afr. Pl. 2: 23 (1900)
Clinogyne baumannii K. Schum. [family MARANTACEAE], in E.P. IV. 48: 63 (1902). Type: Sierra Leone, Nienia, Scott Elliot 4902 (B, lecto., K, iso.-lecto.!)
Marantochloa flexuosa [family MARANTACEAE], sensu Hutch. in F.W.T.A. 2: 338 (1936), pro parte, non Phrynium flexuosum Benth.
Information
Stems up to 3.0 m. high but often much less, branched. Leaves homo-tropic; sheathing part of petiole up to 42 cm. long; terete part below the calloused part up to 38 cm. long; calloused part up to 4.0 cm. long; leaf-blade strongly asymmetric, the acumen normally being to the right of the midrib as seen from above, ± ovate, up to 43 x 18 cm., often much smaller, sometimes pruinose or purplish below. Inflorescence lax, up to 45 cm. long, branched; rhachis and bracts pink; primary bract 2.5–4 cm. long, spreading, together with 2 two-flowered pedunculate cymules which it envelopes. Flowers pale pink or deep purple with two inner lobes of staminode bright yellow, about 1.8 cm. long; ovary shortly pilose. Capsule subglobose, about 8 mm. in diameter, pilose, bright red, the withered perianth persisting; seed as in Fig. 1/5A, brown, smooth with whitish aril. Fig. 1/5 and 5A, p. 3, and Fig. 2.
Range
DISTR. U2, 4, T1 Sierra Leone to Angola, Belgian Congo and A.-E. Sudan
Altitude range
1110–1500 m.
Distribution
TANGANYIKA Bukoba District Kikuru Forest, 16 Sept. 1934 (fl.), Gillman 158! & Munene Forest, 9 Febr. 1924 (fl.), Grant 124!UGANDA Masaka District Sese Islands, Bufumira, July 1945 (fl. & fr.), Purseglove 1717!;UGANDA Mengo District Entebbe, Sept. 1947 (fl. & fr.), Eggeling 5716! & Kyewaga Forest, 1 Sept. 1949 (fl. & fr.), Dawkins 346!
Notes
VARIATION. The flower-colour of all specimens seen from Uganda and Tanganyika is pale pink, whilst specimens from West Africa and Angola have deep purple flowers. It seems that flower-colour in M. purpurea is correlated with geographical distribution, as is fruit-colour in M. leucantha.

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