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
TRIUMFETTA pentandra A. Rich., Guill. & Perr. [family TILIACEAE], Fl. Seneg. Tent.: 93, t. 19 (1831); Sprague and Hutch. in J.L.S. 39: 267, t. 17/9 (1909); V.E. 3(2): 367 (1921); W.F.K.: 33 (1948); F.P.S. 1: 227 (1950); E.P.A.: 528 (1958); F.W.T.A., ed. 2, 1: 309 (1958); Wild in F.Z. 2: 74 (1963); R. Wilczek in F.C.B. 10: 52, fig. 1b, 3b (1963); Wild & Gonç. in Fl. Moçamb. 28: 48 (1969); Hanid in U.K.W.F.: 190 (1974); Vollesen in Opera Bot. 59: 34 (1980); Wild in F.S.A. 21(1): 25 (1984); U.K.W.F., ed. 2: 96 (1994); Vollesen in Fl. Eth. 2(2): 162, fig. 79.7/5 (1995); T.V. Jacobs in Phyton 61: 91, fig. 2/l (1997). Type: Senegal, Richard Toll, (P, holo.)
TRIUMFETTA neglecta Wight & Arnott [family TILIACEAE], Prod. Fl. Ind. Orient. 1: 175 (1834); Mast. in F.T.A. 1: 255 (1868). Type: India, Wight Cat. No. 283 (K!, holo.)
TRIUMFETTA cuneata Hochst. [family TILIACEAE], in A. Rich., Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 84 (1847), nomen
Information
Annual herb, sometimes woody at the base, 0.05–1.5 m; stems reddish or green, stellate-scabrid to glabrous, succulent, often woody at base. Leaves shortly elliptic or rhombic-orbicular, sometimes wider than long, shallowly 3-lobed to 1/5 way to the base, lateral lobes sometimes slightly diverging, (2.7–)3.5–8.6 cm long, (1.6–)1.8–6.7 cm wide, base rounded to cuneate, tip shortly acuminate, margin 1(–2)-serrate(-dentate), membranous, softly hairy to subscabrid to glabrous above, stellate-softly hairy to subscabrid beneath; glands crater-like, elliptic, ± 0.75 mm long, replacing the lower 1–2 pairs of teeth on lower surface; petiole (5–)8–38 mm long, hairy; stipules narrowly triangular, 1–4 mm long, ± 1 mm wide, dark brown, hairy. Inflorescence terminal, many-branched, up to 45 cm long; basal nodes with slightly reduced leaves, becoming more linear and further reduced towards the top, internodes 1.5–4 cm long, nodes with 1–5 leaf subopposed cymes, each 1(–3)-flowered; peduncles 1–3 mm long, sometimes in lowest nodes several inserted on a short stem 1–5 mm long; bracts as stipules, 1.5–2 mm long; pedicels ± 1 mm long. Sepals elliptic-linear, 2.5–4 mm long, sparsely stellate-hairy outside, apical spine 0.5 mm long, pink in bud. Petals spathulate, the blade oblong, 3–3.5 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, the basal 0.5 mm of the claw sparingly hairy at the margin. Stamens 5(–6); ovary sparsely hairy. Fruits 3–6 per node, indehiscent, ovoid, 5–7.5 mm long, 4–5 mm wide, fruit body ± 4 mm long, 3 mm wide, covered in densely long brownish-white hairs, with ± 65–90 forward pointing dark brown spines, each glabrous apart from a line of glistening white hairs along their forward length and each with a translucent, forward directed recurved hair at the tip. Fig. 13/6–7.
Range
DISTR. U 1; K 1, 2, 4, 5; T 1, 3–6, 8 pantropical
Distribution
KENYA Northern Frontier Province Ndoto Mts, Ngurunit [Ngoronet], 3 Dec. 1978, Hepper & Jaeger 7225!KENYA Turkana District 3 km from Kacheliba, 9 Oct. 1964, Leippert 5070!KENYA Machakos District Tana R., slopes W of Kindaruma Dam, 30 Apr. 1967, Gillett & Faden 18121!TANZANIA Shinyanga District Old Shinyanga, 2 May 1951, Welch 78!TANZANIA Pare District Kiruru, May 1928, Haarer 1302!TANZANIA Lindi District Nachingwea, 14 Apr. 1952, Anderson 752!UGANDA Karamoja District Lodoketemit [Lodoketeminit], 18 July 1959, Kerfoot 1300! & Lolet, Sept. 1958, J. Wilson 582! & near Moruanguberru [Emonugaberru], 18 July 1958, Dyson-Hudson 435!
Notes
Closely related to T. rhomboidea Jacq., which is often distinguished by more deeply trilobed leaves with a more thickly tomentose lower surface, but sometimes indistinguishablevegetatively. Flowers unusual in having only 5 stamens. The fruits are completely characteristic. T. annua L. is very similar vegetatively and is also sometimes confused, but lacks the leaf-glands.