Myrsine melanophloeos (L.) R.Br. ex Sweet

Myrsinaceae, F. N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit

A tree or tall shrub 15-50 ft. high

Morphology Leaves

Pinkish petioles and leaf-veins inconspicuous when fresh

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers white

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits bright bluish-purple

Ecology

In moist upland forest.

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

Morphology General Habit

An evergreen tree 3–18 m. tall, with longitudinally furrowed, brownish–grey to blackish bark.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves coriaceous, glabrous, clustered at branch ends; lamina 4–9(15) x 1–3·5(5) cm., elliptic to oblanceolate, entire, acute or rounded at apex, tapering or acute at base; surfaces usually dotted with minute circular scales, often also marked with resin–canals in the form of dots or short to long lines radiating from the midrib; nervature prominent or inconspicuous; lamina dark green above, paler beneath; petiole 5–10 mm. long, often reddish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers fasciculate on short shoots in axils of current and recently fallen leaves, whitish or greenish yellow, pentamerous, hermaphrodite or sometimes with functionless stamens or ovary, each subtended by a rust–coloured triangular bract c. 1 mm. long; pedicels 1–1·5 mm. long, stout.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx cup–shaped; sepals c. 1 mm. long, almost free, minutely papillose–ciliate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla ellipsoid in bud, petals almost free, c. 2·5 mm. long, oblong–acute, dotted with conspicuous resin–ducts, densely and minutely papillose–ciliate at margins (in bud neighbouring petals adhering by papillae).

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers sessile, dorsifixed to corolla lobes, c. 1·5 mm. long, introrse.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Gynoecium c. 1·5 mm. long; ovary globose, tapering at apex to a short style; stigma thick, conical.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a globose purple 1–seeded drupe 3–5 mm. in diameter, borne on previous year’s wood.

Myrsinaceae, P. Halliday. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1984

Morphology General Habit

Evergreen tree, or occasionally a shrub 1.8-4.5 m. tall, with very small buttresses and a fluted trunk; bark rough, fissured, reddish brown to grey-white, with prominent lenticels; slash light brown to crimson; sapwood pink, heartwood deeper pink; branches smooth, glabrous to ferruginous hairy; branchlets purplish.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves sometimes in pseudo-whorls at ends of branches or alternate, with or without visible resinous streaks; young foliage with minute scattered hairs above and on midrib, later glabrous; leaf-blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic, oblong, lanceolate to oblanceolate or obovate, 2.4-20 cm. long, 1-6.8 cm. wide, obtuse, mucronate to shortly acuminate, rarely emarginate, base tapered into petiole, entire, coriaceous, glossy above, glabrous; midrib distinct, red when young, other nerves prominent or not, 8-22 on either side of midrib; petiole 2-35 mm. long, often winged, red when young, glabrous or with ferruginous hairs.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence axillary, on old wood or at nodes on younger twigs below leaves, in clusters of 3-12 flowers on short shoots densely covered with scale-like bracts; bracts short, broadly rounded,±2.75 mm. long, minutely ciliate at apex; pedicels 1-7 mm. long, stout, expanded upwards, glabrous or ferruginous-hairy.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flower hermaphrodite or functionally female, (4-)5(-6)-merous, with or without dark markings.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx cup-shaped; lobes ovate,±1.5 mm. long, with± prominent midrib, margins minutely ciliate, rarely whole surface puberulent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla white, yellow, green or pink, buds yellow-red or purplish, 1.8-5 mm. long; tube±1 mm. long; lobes revolute, ovate to oblong, inner surface fuscous scurfy, margins minutely ciliate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens pale yellow, subsessile to sessile, filaments adnate to corolla at mouth of tube; anthers ovate, triangular or sagittate, mucronate to emarginate, 1-3 mm. long, occasionally with tuft of minute hairs at apex, dehiscing by longitudinal slits and curving back over petal lobes in fully open flower.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary ovoid, conical or almost globose, glabrous; placenta ovoid; ovules few, scattered or uniseriate; style short, stout, merging with ovary or wanting; stigma conical, sometimes 2-4-lobed or split.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit pink, mauve, blue, whitish-blue or purple, globose, up to 7 mm. in diameter, nerves±prominent, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed small, globose, with indentation at base, surface pattern of sinuous cell-walls giving the appearance of uneven pitting.

Figures

Fig. 3.

Habitat

Upland forest, riverine and swamp forest, open woodland, thickets, scrub near streams and in upland grassland on white sandy or peaty or volcanic soil; (5-)900-3750 m.

Distribution

K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 tropical Africa from Nigeria, Fernando Po, and Cameroun to Ethiopia, south to Angola, and in South Africa