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SECAMONE Alpini Schult. [family ASCLEPIADACEAE]

Date Updated: 19 August 2007

Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical Africa, Vol 4, Part 1, page 231, (1904) Author: (By N. E. Brown.)
Names
SECAMONE Alpini Schult. [family ASCLEPIADACEAE], in Roem. & Schult. Syst. Veg. vi. 125 (excl. syn. Secamone, Alpin. Ægypt. (ed. 1640) 133, and 134 fig.). SECAMONE Thunbergii E. Mey. [family ASCLEPIADACEAE], Comm. 224; Decne. in DC. Prod. viii. 501; K. Schum. in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. iv. ii. 263. Periploca Secamone Linn. [family ASCLEPIADACEAE], Mant. Alt. 216, excl. both synonyms; Thunb. Prodr. 47, and Fl. Cap. ed. Schult. 233.
Information
A scrambling shrub. Stem woody, glabrous or with a rust-coloured deciduous pubescence on the very young parts. Leaves subcoriaceous; petiole 1–4 lin. long; blade 1/2–2 1/2 in. long, 1/4–1 in. broad, oblong, elliptic or lanceolate, obtuse, acute, or shortly acuminate, acute or cuneately rounded at the base, glabrous on both sides in the adult state, rusty-puberulous when very young. Cymes in terminal or axillary, pyramidal or corymobose panicles, 1/2–1 1/2 in. long and broad, and excluding the corolla rusty-puberulous or subglabrous in all parts; peduncles 1/4– 3/4 in. long; bracts 1/2 lin. long, ovate, acute; pedicels 1 1/2–2 1/2 lin. long. Sepals 1/2 lin. long, ovate, obtuse or subacute. Corolla 1 3/4–2 lin. in diam., glabrous outside, pubescent with white hairs inside; tube scarcely 1/2 lin. long; lobes spreading, 2/3– 3/4 lin. long, 1/2 lin. broad, oblong-ovate, subacute or minutely and obliquely emarginate at the apex. Coronal-lobes about 1/3 lin. long, subulate, incurved over the tips of the anthers. Style about equalling or slightly exceeding the anthers, apical part stout, truncate. Follicles widely divergent or slightly reflexed, 3–4 in. long, about 1 1/2 lin. thick, subterete, tapering to a rather long point. Seeds 1/2 in. long, 3/4 lin. broad, linear-lanceolate, channelled down the face, very convex on the back, blackish-brown, glabrous, crowned with a tuft of long white hairs.
Distribution
Nyasaland Mozamb. Dist. Mount Malosa, 4000–6000 ft., Whyte! Mount Zomba, 4000–5000 ft., Whyte!
Distribution (external)
South Africa
Notes
As the above quoted specimens are without fruit, the follicles and seeds are described from South African examples. The species is easily recognised by the flowers being pubescent inside.The Egyptian plant described and figured by Alpino has been misunderstood by all authors. Linnæus & Schultes wrongly refer it to this plant, which is not known to occur north of the Equator and was unknown to Alpino. Decaisne refers it to Oxystelma Alpini, Decne., a somewhat remarkable error, as Alpino's figure bears no resemblance to that plant. The figure in question is a fairly good one for that period and is undoubtedly a representation of Leptadenia heterophylla, Decne. The plant described by Schultes as Secamone Alpini is characterised in such an unmistakable manner that is is quite evident the description was made entirely from the South African, without reference to the Egyptian plant of Alpino.
SECAMONE Alpini Schult. [family ASCLEPIADACEAE]
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