Garcinia smeathmanii (Planch. & Triana) Oliv.

Guttiferae, P. Bamps, N. Robson & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1978

Habit

Tree (2.4.)4.5–21(–30) m. tall, the branches brownish grey, ridged longitudinally in the young state, glabrous; bark grey or yellowish to reddish brown, smooth with a yellow or red exudate.

Leaves

Leaves opposite; blade oblong or ovate to elliptic or obovate, 8–35 cm. long, 2.5–15 cm. wide, obtuse, acuminate or sometimes rounded at the apex, cuneate to rounded or subcordate at the base, coriaceous, glabrous; venation prominent on both surfaces, with 15–20(–25) pairs of lateral nerves; secretory canals ± parallel to the midrib, scarcely visible; petiole (0.8–)l–3 cm. long, 2–4 mm. thick, channelled and almost winged above, with a ligule at the base, transversely grooved, glabrous.

Flowers

Flowers in 5–30-fiowered axillary fascicles inserted on little cushions mostly at the nodes on the old wood; pedicels crimson (l–)l.5–4.5 cm. long, glabrous. Male flowers:sepals crimson, 4, unequal, ovate to ± round, glabrous, the 2 outer 2–6 mm. long and wide, the 2 inner 3–7 mm. long and wide; petals creamy white, often tinged pink and with radiating translucent glandular lines, 4, obovate, 5–10 mm. long, 2–6 mm. wide, fleshy, glabrous; fasciclodes forming a 4 - lobed “ disc ” alternating with the 4 bundles of stamens, which are formed of 6–10 stamens joined for 2/3 of their length and 3–4 mm. long with ovoid anthers. Female flowers similar to the male but staminal bundles reduced, of 1–4 stamens or staminodes alternating with small “ discal glands ”; ovary 2(–4)-locular, with a 2(–4)-lobed sessile stigma.

Male

Male flowers:sepals crimson, 4, unequal, ovate to ± round, glabrous, the 2 outer 2–6 mm. long and wide, the 2 inner 3–7 mm. long and wide; petals creamy white, often tinged pink and with radiating translucent glandular lines, 4, obovate, 5–10 mm. long, 2–6 mm. wide, fleshy, glabrous; fasciclodes forming a 4 - lobed “ disc ” alternating with the 4 bundles of stamens, which are formed of 6–10 stamens joined for 2/3 of their length and 3–4 mm. long with ovoid anthers.

Female

Female flowers similar to the male but staminal bundles reduced, of 1–4 stamens or staminodes alternating with small “ discal glands ”; ovary 2(–4)-locular, with a 2(–4)-lobed sessile stigma.

Fruits

Fruits purplish green turning yellow, subglobose or ± 2(–4)-lobed, (l–)2–2.5 cm. in diameter, smooth, glabrous.

Seeds

Seeds l–2(–4), subglobose or plano-convex, 1–1.7 cm. long and 1–1.5 cm. wide.

Habitat

Riverine forest and bushland; 1000–1600 m.

Distribution

Guinée to Cameroun and Fernando Po, Central African Empire, Gabon, Zaire, Malawi, Zambia and Angola T1 T4 T7

Guttiferae, N. K. B. Robson. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Habit

Much-branched glabrous evergreen tree or shrub (2·4) 4·5–13·5 m. high in our area (up to 21 m. in W. Africa), erect or ± trailing; branches yellowish-green, transversely wrinkled and longitudinally grooved, ± flattened when young, eventually cylindric.

Leaves

Leaves opposite, coriaceous, petiolate; lamina 12–23 (30) × 4–9·5 (12) cm., oblong or ovate-oblong, obtuse to rounded-apiculate at the apex, broadly cuneate to slightly cordate at the base (rarely more narrowly cuneate), bluish green above, paler below, with prominent venation on both sides, the 16–25 main laterals curving upwards towards the leaf margin, interspersed with shorter secondary laterals and tertiary reticulation, but with no visible secretory system; petiole 8 — c. 20 mm. long, channelled above, longitudinally grooved; ligule prominent.

Flowers

Flowers dioecious (? or polygamous), in fascicles of 5–30 in the axils of the older leaves and on old wood; pedicels (10) 15–45 mm. long, crimson. Male flowers with 4 spongy fasciclodes uniting in the centre of the flower, alternating with 4 fascicles each of 6–10 or more stamens (rarely less), with filaments connate for up to 2/3 their length. Female (and bisexual?) flowers with small denticulate fasciclodes alternating with fascicles of 1–4 staminodes (or stamens ?); ovary globose to ovoid, 2 (3–4)-locular, surmounted by a 2 (3–4)-lobed fleshy stigma.

Calyx

Sepals 4, decussate, unequal, ovate to orbicular, obtuse, crimson.

Corolla

Petals 4, 4–8 (10) mm. long, 1–1·5 times as long as the inner sepals, ± carnose, obovate, cream-white, sometimes pink-tinged, with longitudinal translucent glandular lines.

Male

Male flowers with 4 spongy fasciclodes uniting in the centre of the flower, alternating with 4 fascicles each of 6–10 or more stamens (rarely less), with filaments connate for up to 2/3 their length.

Female

Female (and bisexual?) flowers with small denticulate fasciclodes alternating with fascicles of 1–4 staminodes (or stamens ?); ovary globose to ovoid, 2 (3–4)-locular, surmounted by a 2 (3–4)-lobed fleshy stigma.

Fruits

Berry 1–2·5 cm. in diam., globose (or 2–4-lobed, at least when dry), purplish-green turning yellow, 1–4-seeded.

Seeds

Seeds c. 1 cm. long, plano-ovoid.

Guttiferae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Habit

Forest tree, to 70 ft. high

Flowers

Flowers cream, with pink pedicels.