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ONCOCALYX fischeri (Engl.) M.G. Gilbert [family LORANTHACEAE]

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, (1999) Author: POLHILL & D. WIENS
Names
ONCOCALYX fischeri (Engl.) M.G. Gilbert [family LORANTHACEAE], in Nordic Journ. Bot. 5: 222 (1985); Blundell, Wild Fl. E. Afr.: 129, t. 343 (1987); M.G. Gilbert in Fl. Ethiopia 3: 369, fig. 114.9 (1990); Polh. & Wiens in U.K.W.F., ed. 2: 155, t. 56 (1994) & Mistletoes Afr.: 106, photo. 32, fig. 5D (1998). Lectotype, chosen by Polh. & Wiens (1998): Kenya/Tanzania, Masailand, Fischer 130 (HBG, lecto., B!, isolecto.) Loranthus fischeri Engl. [family LORANTHACEAE], in E.J. 20: 85, t. 1A (1894) & P.O.A. C: 165 (1895); Sprague in F.T.A. 6(1): 331 (1910); Engl. in V.E. 3(1): 93, fig. 56 (1915); K. Krause in N.B.G.B. 8: 496 (1923); F.D.O.-A. 2: 169 (1932), pro majore parte; Engl. & Krause in E. & P. Pf., ed. 2, 16B: 162, fig. 80 (1935); Chiov., Racc. Bot. Miss. Consol. Kenya: 109 (1935); T.T.C.L.: 286 (1949); U.K.W.F.: 330, fig. on 327 (1974) Loranthus stuhlmannii Engl. [family LORANTHACEAE], in E.J. 20: 85 (1894) & P.O.A. C: 165, t. 12A–C (1895); Sprague in F.T.A. 6(1): 331 (1910); F.D.O.-A. 2: 169 (1932); T.T.C.L.: 286 (1949); U.K.W.F.: 332 (1974). Type: Tanzania, Mwanza, Stuhlmann 4572 (B!, holo., K, P, fragments!) Loranthus stuhlmannii Sprague var. somalensis [family LORANTHACEAE], in F.T.A. 6(1): 331 (1910) & in K.B. 1911: 145 (1911). Type: Ethiopia, Webi R. to Abdallah, Keller 218 (Z, holo., K!, iso., B!, fragment) Loranthus acacietorum Bullock [family LORANTHACEAE], in K.B. 1931: 271 (1931); T.T.C.L.: 285 (1949); U.K.W.F.: 332 (1974). Type: Tanzania, Pare District, SW. Pare Mts., Mwembe, Greenway 2065 (K!, holo., EA!, iso.) Loranthus dichrostachydis Chiov. [family LORANTHACEAE], Fl. Somala 2: 386, fig. 220 (1932). Type: Somalia, Licchitore, Senni 482 (FT, holo.) Tapinanthus acacietorum (Bullock) Danser [family LORANTHACEAE], in Verh. K. Akad. Wet., sect. 2, 29(6): 107 (1933) Tapinanthus fischeri (Engl.) Danser [family LORANTHACEAE], in Verh. K. Akad. Wet., sect. 2, 29(6): 112 (1933) Tapinanthus stuhlmannii (Engl.) Danser [family LORANTHACEAE], in Verh. K. Akad. Wet., sect. 2, 29(6): 120 (1933)
Information
Twigs almost glabrous to densely covered with short stiff spreading hairs. Leaves alternate; petiole 2–6 mm. long; lamina thinly coriaceous, grey-green to slightly glaucous, linear-lanceolate to elliptic, obovate or oblanceolate, 1–5.5 cm. long, 0.4–4 cm. wide, bluntly pointed to rounded at the apex, subglabrous to densely velvety-hairy on both surfaces, with 1–2 pairs of strongly ascending nerves from a little above the base or venation obscure. Flowers clustered in the axils or at nodes below; pedicel 0.5–2 mm. long; bract cupular, 2–3 mm. long, subglabrous to densely hairy with longer cilia. Receptacle 1–1.2 mm. long; calyx tubular, 4–6 mm. long, ciliolate. Corolla 2–2.7 cm. long, usually yellow fading orange, but sometimes red, opening by a unilateral split; tube narrow, 6–8 mm. long; lobes narrow, recurving and twisted to coiled after anthesis, expanded at the base to form pouches around vents of maturing buds. Filaments attached at the base of the lobes, involute and shedding anthers at anthesis. Berry red, obovoid-ellipsoid, 6–7 mm. long, 4–5 mm. in diameter, verrucose. Fig. 4/4–8.
Range
DISTR. U 1; K 1–7; T 1–5
Altitude range
30–2100 m.
Distribution
UGANDA Acholi District Agoro, Mar. 1936, Eggeling 1745!;KENYA Northern Frontier Province Malka Mari, 21 Jan. 1972, Bally & Smith 14920!;TANZANIA Musoma District Seronera R. at Seronera, 19 Apr. 1961, Greenway & Myles Turner 10073!;UGANDA Karamoja District Toror Hills, 8 Oct. 1952, Verdcourt 793! & base of Mt. Kadam [Debasien], May 1954, Philip 586!KENYA Masai District Magadi road, E. of Kampi ya Bibi, 19 Feb. 1969, Greenway & Napper 13563!;KENYA Teita District 8 km. W. of Bura Railway Station, 17 Jan. 1972, Gillett 19581!TANZANIA Arusha District Ngare Nanyuki road, 15 Sept. 1969, Richards 24695!;TANZANIA Pare District 3 km. N. of Same, 29 Dec. 1985, Wiens 6518!
Distribution (external)
; Ethiopia Somalia
Notes
The synonyms listed above indicate significant deviations from the typical facies of O. fischeri, but to give them formal rank is likely to be more confusing than helpful. The type of Loranthus stuhlmannii is from Mwanza on the S. side of Lake Victoria; like other specimens from around Lake Victoria the plants have sparse and evanescent hairs on the twigs and other parts and the leaves are quite exceptionally long and narrow. The rest of the material from Tanzania shows gradations to the typical form of O. fischeri, which has densely hairy branches, leaves and bracts and mostly elliptic to obovate leaves. There is a tendency for the southern outlying populations to have red or partly red flowers, as distinct from the yellow flowers of O. fischeri which turn to no more than orange as they fade. Specimens attributed to Loranthus acacietorum from the SE. limit of the range in the Chyulu and Pare Mts. also have subglabrous branchlets and bracts, but the leaves are broad and the old flowers are orange. Glabrous plants with reddish, sometimes rather large flowers ( L. dichrostachydis ) occur either side of the Somalia/Kenya border between the Juba and Tana rivers down to the coast.
ONCOCALYX fischeri (Engl.) M.G. Gilbert [family LORANTHACEAE]
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