Cordia mukuensis Taton

Boraginaceae, E. S. Martins (Trichodesma by R. K. Brummit). Flora Zambesiaca 7:4. 1990

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or small tree up to 5 m. high, dioecious, deciduous; trunk and branches fluted, sometimes square in transverse section and ridged at the comers; bark smooth, ± shining, grey-green to grey-blue, peeling away into small thin plate-like flakes and becoming blotched, as in guava-tree; branches ± drooping, glabrous; buds tawny-tomentose.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate and often ± crowded at the ends; petiole 0.5–1.5 cm. long, much depressed above, pubescent when young, glabrescent; lamina 5–11(15) x 2.0–4.5 cm., lanceolate, oblanceolate or obovate to elliptic-olong or elliptic, all glabrous at maturity or sometimes with a few small hairs on the midrib, acute to subacuminate at apex, cuneate and usually symmetrical but a few times slightly asymmetrical at base, with entire margins, papery to almost leathery, with 5–7 secondary nerves on each side of the midrib, usually not raised on the lower surface.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Cymes arranged in usually shortly peduncled terminal panicles 1.5–4.5(7) cm. long and 1.5–5.0 cm. wide; rhachis and branches puberulous or pubescent, usually somewhat laterally compressed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers male or female, on pedicels 0.5–2.0 mm. long. Female flowers with buds 4–5 mm. long, ellipsoid; calyx 5.0–5.5 mm. long and c. 3 mm. in diam., cylindrical, leathery and thickened at base with 3–5 reflexed and soon eroded teeth, pubescent to subglabrous outside, strigose inside; corolla with tube 3.0–4.5 mm. long, cylindrical, lobes 4–5,3.5–5.5 x 1.5–2.5 mm., acute to retuse at apex, besides as in male flowers; staminodes with 1.0–1.5 mm. long filaments and sterile anthers 0.5–1.0 mm. long; ovary 1.5–2.5 mm. long, ellipsoid, glabrous; style exsert, 4–6(7) mm. long, first forked at 0.5–1.0 mm. from the base and with stigmatic branches 2.5–3.5 mm. long, linear. Male flowers with buds 4–5 mm. long, obovoid; calyx 4.0–5.5 mm. long, campanulate-infundibuliform, irregularly 3–5-toothed at apex, membranous, puberulous to subglabrous outside, minutely strigose inside; corolla white or yellowish, with tube 3–5 mm. long, narrowly infundibuliform, glabrous outside and inside save by a few hairs inside, lobes 4–5, 4.5–6.0 x 1.5 mm., oblong-lanceolate, acute, ± reflexed at anthesis; stamens 4–5, inserted on the corolla-throat, filaments 3–7 mm. long, slightly widened at base, glabrous, anthers 1.0–1.6 mm. long, with broad connective and usually emarginate at apex and cleft at base up to 1/3 or even 1/2; ovary vestigial.

sex Male

Male flowers with buds 4–5 mm. long, obovoid; calyx 4.0–5.5 mm. long, campanulate-infundibuliform, irregularly 3–5-toothed at apex, membranous, puberulous to subglabrous outside, minutely strigose inside; corolla white or yellowish, with tube 3–5 mm. long, narrowly infundibuliform, glabrous outside and inside save by a few hairs inside, lobes 4–5, 4.5–6.0 x 1.5 mm., oblong-lanceolate, acute, ± reflexed at anthesis; stamens 4–5, inserted on the corolla-throat, filaments 3–7 mm. long, slightly widened at base, glabrous, anthers 1.0–1.6 mm. long, with broad connective and usually emarginate at apex and cleft at base up to 1/3 or even 1/2; ovary vestigial.

sex Female

Female flowers with buds 4–5 mm. long, ellipsoid; calyx 5.0–5.5 mm. long and c. 3 mm. in diam., cylindrical, leathery and thickened at base with 3–5 reflexed and soon eroded teeth, pubescent to subglabrous outside, strigose inside; corolla with tube 3.0–4.5 mm. long, cylindrical, lobes 4–5,3.5–5.5 x 1.5–2.5 mm., acute to retuse at apex, besides as in male flowers; staminodes with 1.0–1.5 mm. long filaments and sterile anthers 0.5–1.0 mm. long; ovary 1.5–2.5 mm. long, ellipsoid, glabrous; style exsert, 4–6(7) mm. long, first forked at 0.5–1.0 mm. from the base and with stigmatic branches 2.5–3.5 mm. long, linear.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit up to 15 x 10 mm., ovoid-conical, apiculate, glabrous, surrounded at base by the enlarged widely campanulate many-toothed calyx up to 5 mm. long and 8 mm. wide at the mouth; pyrene ovoid-angulous, c. 10 x 7 mm., with 1 or rarely 2 seeds.