Primulaceae
Embelia

Embelia upembensis Taton

First published in Bull. Jard. Bot. Natl. Belg. 47: 197 (1977)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. DR Congo to N. Zambia. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Myrsinaceae, F. K. Kupicha. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree 1–5 m. high.
Morphology General Indumentum
Indumentum of multicellular simple and branched eglandular crispate hairs and shorter gland–tipped hairs (scarcely visible with a hand–lens). Young stems, petioles and inflorescences sparsely to densely whitish– or pale brownish–crispate–pilose.
Morphology General Bark
Bark of older twigs pinkish–grey.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves chartaceous, not clustered at branch ends; lamina 1·8–6(8·4) x 1·3–2·2(3·7) cm., obovate, narrowly obovate or suborbicular; apex obtuse and often apiculate, or subacute, base acute or tapering; petiole 5–6(8) mm. long; upper leaf surface glabrous or sparsely glandular–hairy, with inconspicuous nervature, lower surface crispate–pilose especially on the prominent midrib and lateral nerves; margin entire or finely and unevenly dentate in the distal half.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Plants dioecious; flowers pale green, pentamerous, borne in axillary 3–1 l(13)–flowered umbels or subumbellate racemes; peduncles 5–10 mm. long, pedicels 1–5–3 mm. long. Female flower: anthers triangular, functionless; filaments 1–1·5 mm. long; gynoecium with subglobose ovary 1 mm. long and slender, shortly 2–lobed style c. 2 mm. long. Male flowers: anthers c. 0·5 mm. long, elliptic or ovate, red; filaments 2·5–3 mm. long, attached to base of corolla; gynoecium rudimentary.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx cup–shaped, sepals 1·5 mm. long, almost free, triangular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals almost free, c. 3 mm. long, narrowly oblong–acute, densely papillose on adaxial surface.
sex Male
Male flowers: anthers c. 0·5 mm. long, elliptic or ovate, red; filaments 2·5–3 mm. long, attached to base of corolla; gynoecium rudimentary.
sex Female
Female flower: anthers triangular, functionless; filaments 1–1·5 mm. long; gynoecium with subglobose ovary 1 mm. long and slender, shortly 2–lobed style c. 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit c. 4 mm. in diameter, purple, subglobose, faintly longitudinally ribbed when dry, subtended by the persistent reflexed sepals.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed globose with deep basal cavity.
[FZ]

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/36499/137513190

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

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

  • 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