GREWIA kakothamnos K. Schum. [family TILIACEAE]

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, (2001) Author: C. WHITEHOUSE, M. CHEEK, S. ANDREWS & B. VERDCOURT
Names
GREWIA kakothamnos K. Schum. [family TILIACEAE], in E.J. 34: 321 (1904); Sebsebe in Fl. Eth. 2(2): 152 (1995). Type: Tanzania, Pare District, Pare Mts, between Kwa Sengiwa [Sengina] and Campi ya Simba [Simba], Engler 1622 & 1639 (B†, syn.)
GREWIA corallocarpa K. Schum. [family TILIACEAE], in E.J. 34: 320 (1904). Type: Tanzania, Pare District, Pare Mts, between Kihurio and Gonja, Engler 1529 & 1532 (B†, syn.)
GREWIA tembensis (K. Schum.) Burret var. kakothamnos [family TILIACEAE], in E.J. 45: 194 (1910); T.T.C.L.: 615 (1949); K.T.S.: 569, fig. 103/c, 103/c1 (1961); Blundell, Wild Flow. E. Afr.: 68, fig. 49 (1987)
GREWIA tembensis [family TILIACEAE], [sensu K.T.S.L.: 158, fig. c, c1 on 152, map (1994), non Fresen.]
Information
Shrub to 4.5 m tall; young stems pubescent, older branches greyish brown. Leaves obovate, up to 5.5 cm long, 4.2 cm wide, acute to rounded at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, margin serrate to dentate, sparsely to densely stellate-pubescent, rarely glabrescent, beneath, less dense to glabrous above; petiole up to 5 mm long, sparsely to densely pubescent; stipules 3–4 mm long. Inflorescence a solitary flower, sometimes flowering before the leaves appear and then often in fascicles; peduncle and pedicel together appearing like a jointed pedicel, subsessile or to 14 mm long, stellate-pubescent, often with persistent bracts; bracts 3, triangular, 2–3 mm long. Flowers white to pink, fading yellowish; sepals 7–11 mm long, white inside, reddish to white outside; petals oblong to slightly obovate-oblong, 4–8 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide, rounded to truncate at the apex, sometimes notched, white, sometimes tinged with pink or lilac. Androgynophore glabrous for ± 1 mm at the base, pubescent and produced for ± 0.5 mm above the node; stamens 3–6 mm long; filaments usually pink to crimson, occasionally white; anthers yellow to orange; ovary 1–1.5 mm long, densely hairy; style 4.5–6 mm long, white; stigma green. Fruit (1–)4-lobed, 8–12 mm wide, the lobes 4–7 mm long, 3–6 mm wide, orange, sparsely hairy to glabrescent. Fig. 5.
Range
DISTR. U 1; K 1–4, 6, 7; T 1–3, 5, 6
Altitude range
0–1950 m
Distribution
KENYA Northern Frontier Province Moyale, 16 Apr. 1952, Gillett 12805!KENYA Kiambu District along Thika road opposite Lions Inn, 1 km NE of Ruiru, 7 Dec. 1966, Perdue & Kibuwa 8189!KENYA Nairobi District Mbagathi District, Kikemni Estate, 11 Dec. 1932, C.G. Rogers 204!TANZANIA Musoma District Ikoma, 22 Sept. 1959, Tanner 4430!TANZANIA Masai District Ngare Nanyuki, Ngaserai Plains, 29 Dec. 1970, Richards & Arasululu 26584!TANZANIA Kilosa District between Berega and Mlali on Mpwapwa road, 10 Dec. 1935, B.D. Burtt 5378!UGANDA Karamoja District Lokitau, 1 Jan. 1937, A.S. Thomas 2126! & Kamion rest camp, without date, Brasnett 161! & Pian County, Lodoketemit [Lodoketeminit], 20 Feb. 1963, Kerfoot 4770!
Distribution (external)
; Ethiopia
Somalia
Notes
G. kakothamnos is a very variable and widespread species of drier habitats. The typical form with its white flowers and bright pink filaments is very distinctive and especially eye-catching when flowering leafless.The flowers often appear before the leaves, and when they do they are often numerous, clustered and subsessile. Once the leaves have developed the flowers are often scattered, solitary and on relatively long pedicels, thereby looking more like G. nematopus. The flowers though are still small and the pedicels usually thicker and pubescent.Forms of this species with ± glabrous or glabrescent leaves can appear similar to both G. nematopus and G. erythraea, and are possibly the result of hybridisation or introgression with those species. They can usually be distinguished easily from G. nematopus by the shorter pedicels and smaller flowers. The difference between them and G. erythraea is less distinct but the latter species usually has more coriaceous and distinctly glaucous leaves, its flowers are always white and appear with the leaves. Hybridisation with G. tenax is also a possibility, see under that species.This and G. nematopus have often been included as varieties of G. tembensis Fresen. but apart from differing in leaf and indumentum characters, the flowers of G. tembensis are never solitary, with ± 3 flowers per peduncle. A few collections have been made in K 7 and T 3, 450–750 m, with 2–4 flowers per peduncle (Teita District: Taveta, Kitobo, Mar. 1937, Dale in F.D. 3635 & Mt Kasigau, 4 Apr. 1969, Faden, Evans & Rathbun 69/421; Lushoto District: Bombo–Daluni, 24 Oct. 1935, Greenway 4098 & Umba Steppe, below Mlalo, Dec. 1966, Procter 3395 & Makuyuni District, 23 Mar. 1936, Koritschoner 1566). In all other respects they match G. kakothamnos and I believe that they are nothing more than forms that have reverted to a multi-flowered state. More information is needed on whether these forms are present in entirely multi-flowered populations and if so whether they are linked to any particular ecology or habitat.
GREWIA kakothamnos K. Schum. [family TILIACEAE]
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