Symphonia globulifera L.f.

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Photo: Jos Stevens
Ferme Randu, southwest Katanga Province, DRC

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Description:	Tree 15–30 m. (rarely to 36 m.) high, with straight bole and a crown of short horizontal branches; bark smooth, dark or reddish-brown. Branches longitudinally grooved and slightly flattened when young, eventually cylindric. Leaves coriaceous, petiolate; lamina 5–12 × 1·3–4 cm., oblong or elliptic to oblanceolate, acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, dark glossy green above, paler below, with numerous closely parallel lateral veins prominent below forming a wide angle with the midrib and branching and anastomosing towards the margin, and with dark glandular streaks or lines sometimes visible on the lower surface; petiole 5–15 (20) mm. long, channelled above. Inflorescences corymbose or subumbellate many-flowered cymes, terminating short lateral branches. Flower-buds 6–12 mm. in diam., globose. Flowers pedicellate; pedicels 12–25 mm. long, quadrangular above. Sepals unequal or subequal, ovate to orbicular, rounded at the apex, with margin entire or ciliolate. Petals 7–15 mm. long, 5–6 times as long as the sepals, carnose, ± orbicular, scarlet or bright- or yellowish-red, deciduous. Androecium of 2 whorls, the outer sterile, forming a ± pentagonal cupule 1·5–4 mm. high, with entire or undulate margins; the inner comprising 5 stamen-fascicles each with 3–4 completely united stamens, the fascicles united to form a membranous tube round the ovary, free above, spreading at anthesis; anthers 2–5 mm. long, linear, parallel, with connectives prolonged to form a short acute or bifid appendage. Ovary ovoid; loculi (1) 2–4-ovulate; styles 1–2 times as long as the ovary, thick, fused together for c. 2/3 of their length, then spreading or recurved; stigmas minute. Berry ovoid or globose, 15–35 mm. in diam., verrucose, red turning brown, 1–2 (rarely 3)-seeded. Seeds c. 15–20 mm. long, ± flattened. (from JSTOR)
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Worldwide distribution:	Widespread in tropical E. and W. Africa
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Literature:	Fischer, E. & Killmann, D. (2008). Illustrated Field guide to the Plants of Nyungwe National Park Rwanda. University of Koblenz-Landau. Pages 216 - 217. (Includes a picture). Robson, N.K.B. (1961). Guttiferae Flora Zambesiaca 1(2) Pages 394 - 396. (Includes a picture). Troupin, G. (1978). Clusiaceae Flore du Rwanda Spermatophytes Volume I Page 304. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Symphonia globulifera:

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Flora of the DRC: Symphonia globulifera
Flora of Rwanda: Symphonia globulifera
Flora of Zambia: Symphonia globulifera

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Symphonia globulifera
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Symphonia globulifera
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Symphonia globulifera
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Symphonia globulifera
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Symphonia globulifera
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Symphonia globulifera
JSTOR Plant Science: Symphonia globulifera
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Symphonia globulifera
Plants of the World Online: Symphonia globulifera
Tropicos: Symphonia globulifera
Wikipedia: Symphonia globulifera