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MAERUA kirkii (Oliv.) F. White [family CAPPARACEAE]

Date Updated: 19 August 2007

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, (1964) Author: J. ELFFERS, R. A. GRAHAM AND G. P. DEWOLF
Names
MAERUA kirkii (Oliv.) F. White [family CAPPARACEAE], in Bol. Soc. Brot., sér. 2, 32: 33 (1958); Wild in F.Z. 1: 226 (1960); K.T.S.: 126 (1961); F.F.N.R.: 64 (1962). Types: Nyasaland, Mitonda, Kirk (K, syn.!) & Cape Maclear, Kirk (K, syn.!) Capparis kirkii Oliv. [family CAPPARACEAE], in F.T.A. 1: 98 (1868); Gilg in P.O.A. C: 185 (1895); Gilg & Bened. in E.J. 53: 199 (1915); Gilg in V.E. 3(1): 236 (1915); T.S.K.: 12 (1936); T.T.C.L.: 112 (1949); Hauman & Wilczek in F.C.B. 2: 458 (1951)
Information
Large shrub or small evergreen tree, up to 7 m. tall. Young branches coarsely and densely hairy. Leaves petiolate, simple; blade oblong-obovate to oblanceolate, 4.5–17.5 cm. long, 2–3.7 cm. wide, apically obtuse to acute or shortly acuminate, sometimes rounded and emarginate, leathery, rough and shiny on the upper surface, glabrous or puberulous above when young, hairy beneath, with the nervation reticulately prominent beneath; petiole 3–5 mm. long. Inflorescence an elegant dense corymbose terminal raceme; pedicels up to 2.5 cm. long, rough. Sepals 7–8 mm. long, pubescent outside; receptacle ±1.5 mm. long. Petals 5–6 mm. long, yellow with purple centres. Stamens 50–60; filaments ± 3 cm. long, white. Ovary obovoid or ellipsoid-spheroid, rather abruptly narrowed to the stigma, glabrous. Fruits ellipsoid-spheroid, up to 3 cm. long, 2.5 cm. across, roughly verrucose, glabrous. Fig. 6.
Range
DISTR. K1, 4, 7; T1–6, 8
Altitude range
100–1340 m.
Distribution
KENYA Northern Frontier Province Mathews Range, El Gerre, 2 June 1944, Mrs. J. Bally 73 !;KENYA Machakos District Kibwezi, Gardner in F.D. 3677 !;KENYA Kilifi District Sokoke Forest Reserve, 26 Mar. 1954, Trump 95 !TANGANYIKA Tanga District Tanga–Mombasa road, about 1.5 km. from the Kenya border, 14 Aug. 1953, Drummond & Hemsley 3735 !;TANGANYIKA Mpanda District Ngungusi, 25 Oct. 1959, Richards 11545 !;TANGANYIKA Morogoro District 23 Dec. 1932, Wallace 590 !
Distribution (external)
; Mozambique Nyasaland Northern and Southern Rhodesia Congo Republic
Notes
VARIATION. The roughness of the leaves, especially of their upper surfaces, is rather variable, depending on the density of the short hairs.
MAERUA kirkii (Oliv.) F. White [family CAPPARACEAE]
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