The species is known with certainty from a single collection. To this have been added two further gatherings from the E. Usambara region, Greenway 5852 ! from Mlinga Peak and Zimmerman in Herb. Amani G7671 ! from Monga, which, although by no means good matches, show enough characters in common to suggest ecotypic variation and to imply further that the type may indeed represent a reduced form from an extreme habitat. This addition would bring the taxon close to a series of specimens from South Africa and Mozambique, known as M. obovata Sond. (M. woodii Engl., M. rudatisii Engl. & Krause). M. acutifolia Mildbr. may well prove to be a northern extension of this species. Both M. obovata and M. acutifolia are to be compared in turn with the Kenya form of M. kummel, and all may be regarded as part of a longer series of closely related taxa varying from the form previously known as M. fragrans in West Africa, with gradual transitions in leaf-size and form, pedicel-length and flower-size, and to a lesser extent fruit-shape and size, to the other end of the scale in South Africa. For the present M. acutifolia Mildbr. is maintained at specific level, but with little conviction, and differs from other East African Mimusops species by the slender twiggy branchings and comparatively small leaves with the lamina tapering into a long acuminate apex.