Fabaceae
Tetrapleura

Tetrapleura tetraptera (Schumach. & Thonn.) Taub.

First published in Bot. Centralbl. 47: 395 (1891)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Kenya and Angola. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Mimosaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
A forest tree, to 80 ft, high
Morphology Leaves
Dark green fern-like foliage
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers creamy or pink, turning orange
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits dark purple-brown.
[FWTA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/62028252/149018047

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Tree 6–30 m. high.
Morphology General Bark
Bark smooth to rather rough, grey or brown.
Morphology Branches
Young branchlets glabrous or almost so.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves:petiole 4–11 cm. long, glabrous to puberulous; rhachis 7.5–23 cm. long, puberulous; pinnae 5–7(–10) pairs, opposite to alternate; leaflets 6–11(–13) on each side of a pinna, oblong-elliptic to elliptic, (0.4–)0.65–2.1 cm. long, (0.3–)0.55–1.3 cm. wide, rounded to emarginate at apex, appressed-puberulous beneath, glabrous or almost so above, on petiolules 0.5–0.7(–1) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 4–14 cm. long, on peduncles 1.5–4 cm. long; pedicels 1–3 mm. long, puberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers yellowish to pinkish.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx ± puberulous, 0.5–1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 2–3.5 mm. long, 0.5–0.9 mm. wide, puberulous outside towards apex, or rarely glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamen-filaments 2.5–4.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 12–23(–25, fide F.C.B.) cm. long, 3.5–5.7(–6.5) cm. wide, dark brown, glossy, rounded and sometimes emarginate at apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 9–9.5 mm. long, 7–8 mm. wide and 3.5–4 mm. thick.
Figures
Fig. 8, p. 31.
Habitat
Lowland rain-forest; 80–1220 m.
Distribution
K7 T1 T6 T8 U1 U2 U4 from Portuguese Guinea and the Sudan in the north to the Gaboon, Belgian Congo and Tanganyika in the south.
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Lake Victoria regional mosaic; forest., Guineo-Congolian forest.
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Tree
[ILDIS]

Uses

Use
Food and Drink, Medicine, Wood
[ILDIS]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0