The flowering plants of Africa / An analytical key to the genera of African phanerograms

by Franz Thonner

Shrubs or undershrubs, with branched hairs, usually climbing. Leaves undivided, usually stipulate. Flowers in racemose inflorescences, bracteolate. Sepals 3-5, free or united at the base, mostly furnished with glands on the outside. Petals 5, free, imbricate in bud, usually clawed and toothed. Stamens usually 10, hypogynous. Filaments free or united at the base. Anthers opening inwards by two longitudinal slits. Ovary 2-3-celled, with 1 pendulous and inverted ovule in each cell. Styles 1-3. Fruit usually separating into 3 mericarps. Seeds exalbuminous.—Genera 16, species 80. Tropical and South Africa. (Plate 77.)

1. Fruiting receptacle flat. Mericarps not winged. Calyx without glands.
Petals clawed, almost entire. Stamens 10. Leaves stipulate. Flowers in terminal racemes. 2
Fruiting receptacle pyramidal. Mericarps winged. 3
2. Fruit covered with short hairs, dehiscent. Petals equal. Anthers glabrous.
Ovary covered with short hairs. Styles free, long and thin, with small stigmas. Leaves opposite.—Species 1. Madagascar. [Tribe GALPHIMIEAE.] Galphimia Cav.
Fruit covered with long, soft, hairy, spine-shaped processes. Petals unequal. Anthers hairy. Ovary clothed with long hairs. Styles converging, rather short and thick, with oval reflexed stigmas. Leaves alternate or subopposite.—Species 1. Madagascar. [Tribe TRICOMARIEAE.] Echinopteris Juss.
3. Mericarps with a large dorsal wing, without a lateral wing. Petals more or less distinctly clawed. [Tribe BANISTERIEAE.] 4
Mericarps with a large, sometimes divided, lateral wing and a small dorsal wing, or without a dorsal wing. Stamens 10. [Tribe HIRAEEAE.] 10
4. Style 1. Ovary 3-celled, 3-lobed. Stamens 5, two only fertile. Sepals with two large glands each. Flowers solitary, terminal. Leaves mucronate.—Species 1. Madagascar. Cottsia Dubard & Dop
Styles 2-3. Stamens 10-15. 5
5. Styles 2, long. Ovary with 2 perfect and 1 rudimentary cell. Stamens
10. Petals with a long claw. Leaves usually alternate. 6
Styles 3. Ovary with 3 perfect cells. Corolla regular. Leaves usually opposite. 7
6. Corolla distinctly irregular. Mericarps with an almost semi-circular, cockscomb-shaped, palmately nerved dorsal wing. Bracteoles awl-shaped.—Species
1. West Africa. Rhinopteryx Nied.

MALPIGHIACEAE.

FLOW PL. AFR.

Pl. 77.

J. Fleischmann del.

Acridocarpus macrocalyx Engl.

A Part of branch with fruits. B Leaf. C Flower cut lengthwise. D Mericarp. E Mericarp cut lengthwise.