Lychnodiscus
| Lychnodiscus | ||||||||||||
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Lychnodiscus reticulatus , leaves and fruits, Bioko |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lychnodiscus | ||||||||||||
| Radlk. |
Lychnodiscus is a plant kind from the family of the soap tree plants (Sapindaceae). It includes seven types of trees and shrubs, most of which are found in West and Central Africa.
features
The species of the genus Lychnodiscus are small or medium-sized trees with rust-red tomentose hairs in all young parts. The leaves are pinnate, the individual leaflets , the middle of which are a little larger than the outer ones, have entire margins or often at least in the upper section toothed.
The inflorescence is an axillary or terminal panicle thyrsus and blooms consecutively male, female and male again at the end. The unisexual flowers are in groups that are surrounded by bracts . The five flappable sepals are fused at the base and densely hairy on the outer side. The five nailed petals widen towards the outer end, are bent back and hairy at the tip.
The hairless disc is circular, the outer part flat and lobed, the inner part a raised rim, reminiscent of a cup and saucer set. The 10 to 13 stamens are folded in the bud, glabrous or hairy, the elongated anthers are fixed dorsally. The ovary is triple, the stylus is undivided, the fruit is an obovate to elliptical capsule that opens into three lobes, hairy on the outside and hairless on the inside. The three seeds are triangular in cross section and almost completely covered by a waxy aril .
Distribution area
The genus extends from Guinea over southern West Africa to Cameroon , then southwards over Equatorial Guinea to the DR Congo . In the east the area ends in Uganda and Tanzania .
Systematics
Lychnodiscus was first described in 1878 by the Munich botanist Ludwig Radlkofer , the type species is Lychnodiscus reticulatus . The genus includes seven species:
- Lychnodiscus brevibracteatus Fouilloy
- Lychnodiscus cerospermus Radlk.
- Lychnodiscus dananensis Aubrév. & Pellegr.
- Lychnodiscus grandifolius Radlk.
- Lychnodiscus multinervis Radlk.
- Lychnodiscus papillosus Radlk. ex Engl.
- Lychnodiscus reticulatus Radlk.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c F. G. Davies, Bernard Verdcourt: Flora of Tropical East Africa - Sapindaceae , 1998, ISBN 9061913802 , p. 22
- ↑ a b ville-ge.ch: CJB - African plants database - Lychnodiscus , accessed on January 27, 2014
