e-Key v3 - Ximenia
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Olacaceae - Ximenia L.

Description :

  • Trees or shrubs, glabrous or tomentose, sometimes hemiparasitic on roots; branches usually armed with spines; brachyblasts often ending in thorns
  • Leaves alternate, sometimes fascicled on brachyblasts, penninerved
  • lnflorescences axillary or at end of brachyblasts, in few- to many-flowered, peduncled, sometimes umbel-like, cymes or in fascicles, rarely solitary; bracts small
  • Calyx cupular-expanded, 4- or 5-toothed or -lobed, small, persistent, not accrescent in fruit
  • Petals 4 (rarely 5), free, hypogynous, bearded within, valvate in bud, linear-oblong, finally revolute ± halfway, with a brush of hairs on inner surface, glabrous to sparsely pubescent on outer surface
  • Stamens 8 (rarely 10), free, hypogynous, opposite petals and alternating with them; filaments filiform, flattened; anthers linear-oblong to subovate, basifixed, 2-thecous, erect, longitudinally dehiscent, connective thick; staminodes 0
  • Ovary sessile, 3- or 4-locular at least at base; ovules 3 or 4, anatropous, bitegmic; style narrowly conical, grooved, shortly divided at apex; stigma capitate
  • Fruit a large, ovoid or globose drupe; pericarp thin and pulpy, edible but kernel contains a strong purgative
  • Seed with copious endosperm, containing oily substances
  • x = 12, 13 (1 report each)

Nomenclature:

  • Ximenia L.
    • Linnaeus: 1193 (1753)
    • Linnaeus: 500 (1754)
    • Sonder: 235 (1860)
    • Bentham: 346 (1862)
    • Oliver: 346 (1868)
    • Engler: 237 (1889)
    • Sleumer: 22 (1935)
    • Schweickerdt: 179 (1937)
    • Garcia: 329 (1963)
    • Friedrich-Holzhammer: 2 (1967)
    • Lucas: 3 (1968)
    • De Filipps: 193 (1969)
    • Villiers: 106 (1973)
    • Garcia & Vidigal: 1 (1979)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species ± 8, 1 pantropical, 2 in eastern tropical and southern Africa, the rest in America
  • Southern Africa : Species 2, Namibia, Botswana, Northern Province, North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal

References:

  • BENTHAM, G. 1862. Olacineae . In G. Bentham & J.D. Hooker, Genera plantarum 1. Lovell Reeve & Co., London
  • DE FILIPPS, R. 1969. Ximenia americana ( Olacaceae ) in Angola and South West Africa. Boletim da Sociedade Broteriana , Sér. 2, 43
  • ENGLER, A. 1889. Olacaceae . Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 3,1
  • FRIEDRICH-HOLZHAMMER, M. 1967. Olacaceae . Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 19
  • GARCIA, J.G. 1963. Olacaceae . Flora zambesiaca 2
  • GARCIA, J.G. & VIDIGAL, M.P. 1979. Olacaceae . Flora de Moçambique 44
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1753. Species plantarum , edn 1. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1754. Genera plantarum , edn 5. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • LUCAS, G.L. 1968. Flora of tropical East Africa . Olacaceae
  • OLIVER, D. 1868. Olacineae . Flora of tropical Africa 1
  • SCHWEICKERDT, H.G. 1937. A note on the South African species of Ximenia Linn. and their possible economic uses. Bothalia 3
  • SLEUMER, H. 1935. Olacaceae . Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien , edn 2,16b
  • SONDER, O.W. 1860. Olacineae . Flora capensis 1
  • VILLIERS, J.-F. 1973. Olacaceae . Flore du Cameroun 15

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