Skip to main content
This species is accepted, and its native range is SE. Kenya to N. Mozambique.

[FTEA]

Boraginaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1991

Morphology General Habit
Shrub ± 5 m. tall or tree to 18 m.; trunk 1 m. thick fide Peter; twigs grey, striate, lenticellate, glabrous, with very distinct nodular petiole-bases resembling short blunt spines.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades elliptic to obovate, 6–12 cm. long, 3–9 cm. wide, acute to ± obtuse at the apex, ± cuneate at the base, entire to crinkly or coarsely dentate towards apex (much apparent crenation is due to insect damage), 3-nerved from the base, discolorous, at first matted velvety above but soon glabrous, velvety tomentose with matted grey hairs beneath; petiole (1.5–)2–4 cm. long, pubescent, channelled above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers subsessile in terminal panicles of cymes 3–9 cm. long, 4–8 cm. wide. Female:calyx narrowly funnel- shaped, 7–9 mm. long, slightly sulcate, shortly tomentose outside, puberulous inside with 4–5 papery teeth; corolla probably white, glabrous; tube cylindrical, 6.5–8 mm. long; lobes 4, oblanceolate, 6–6.5 mm. long 2.5–3 mm. wide, obtuse; staminodes 4 with filaments 1 mm. long and antherodes 0.7 mm.; ovary ovoid, 2 mm. long; style 1–1.1 cm. long including 3–4 mm. long arms; stigmas linear, 4–6 mm. long.
sex Female
Female:calyx narrowly funnel- shaped, 7–9 mm. long, slightly sulcate, shortly tomentose outside, puberulous inside with 4–5 papery teeth; corolla probably white, glabrous; tube cylindrical, 6.5–8 mm. long; lobes 4, oblanceolate, 6–6.5 mm. long 2.5–3 mm. wide, obtuse; staminodes 4 with filaments 1 mm. long and antherodes 0.7 mm.; ovary ovoid, 2 mm. long; style 1–1.1 cm. long including 3–4 mm. long arms; stigmas linear, 4–6 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruiting inflorescences 5 cm. long; peduncle ± 4 cm.; pedicels thick, 3 mm. long. Fruit oblong-ovoid, ± 1.5 cm. long, 1 cm. wide, obtuse and excavated but mucronulate, glabrous, sitting in a calycine cup 6–8 mm. long, 1.3 cm. wide, contracted at junction with pedicel.
Figures
Fig. 5/8, 9, p. 24.
Habitat
Moist semi-deciduous forest with Scorodophloeus, Cola, Combretum schumannii etc.; also on rock-outcrop with Casearia, Cola, Nesogordonia, Rinorea, Pandanus and Euphorbia; 200–420 m.
Distribution
K7 T3

[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub c. 5 m. high, dioecious, deciduous; branches densely clothed with grey-brownish appressed 2-branched, medifixed and shortly pediculated trichomes 0.5–1.0 mm. long, soon glabrescent, mature light grey and marked with prominent leaf-scars.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate; petiole 1.5–3.3 cm. long, slender, with indumentum as on the young branches; lamina 5.5–12.0 x 3.0–7.5 cm., obovate to elliptic, on mature leaves glabrous or subglabrous above, shortly woolly below, the trichomes easily removable, green-brownish or brown above, grey-yellowish or grey-brownish below in sicco, subacute, acute or acuminate to obtuse acuminate or rounded at apex, subacute to rounded at base, margins subentire to irregularly serrate-dentate, papery, with 4–6 secondary nerves on each side of the midrib, the lower ones subopposite appearing 3–5-nerved from or near base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Cymes arranged in a panicle 3–9 cm. long and 4–8 cm. wide with indumentum like the branches, peduncle as long as half of the whole, slender.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers subsessile. Female flowers with calyx 7–9 mm. long, narrowly infundibuliform, slightly ridged, minutely tomentose-woolly outside, puberulous inside, 4–5-toothed, the teeth soon eroded, papery; corolla (? white) glabrous, tube 6.5–8.0 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, cylindrical, lobes 4, 6.0–6.5 x 2.5–3.0 mm., oblanceolate, obtuse; staminodes 4, filaments c. 1 mm. long, sterile anthers c. 0.7 mm. long; ovary c. 2 mm. long, ovoid; style 10–11 mm. long, first-forked at 3–4 mm. and with stigmatic branches 4–6 mm. long, linear but a little flattened, denticulate. Male flowers not seen.
sex Female
Female flowers with calyx 7–9 mm. long, narrowly infundibuliform, slightly ridged, minutely tomentose-woolly outside, puberulous inside, 4–5-toothed, the teeth soon eroded, papery; corolla (? white) glabrous, tube 6.5–8.0 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, cylindrical, lobes 4, 6.0–6.5 x 2.5–3.0 mm., oblanceolate, obtuse; staminodes 4, filaments c. 1 mm. long, sterile anthers c. 0.7 mm. long; ovary c. 2 mm. long, ovoid; style 10–11 mm. long, first-forked at 3–4 mm. and with stigmatic branches 4–6 mm. long, linear but a little flattened, denticulate.
sex Male
Male flowers not seen.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits not seen.

Native to:

Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania

Cordia torrei E.S.Martins appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Jan 1, 1987 Torre, A.R. [9261], Mozambique K000418644 isotype

First published in Garcia de Orta, Sér. Bot. 9: 71 (1987 publ. 1988)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.
  • Verdcourt, B. (1991). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Boraginaceae: 1-124.
  • Launert, E. & Pope, G.V. (eds.) (1990). Flora Zambesiaca 7(4): 1-114. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Verdcourt, B. (1991). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Boraginaceae: 1-124.
  • Launert, E. & Pope, G.V. (eds.) (1990). Flora Zambesiaca 7(4): 1-114. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Martins in Flora Zambesiaca 7(4): 68 (1990).
  • Martins in Garcia de Orta, sér. Bot. 9:71, t. 2 (1988)

Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0