Plukenetia africana Sond.

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Photo: Warren McCleland
Pande, Inhassoro District

Photo: Bart Wursten
Along road near Civetta Ranger Camp, Gorongosa National Park.

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Synonyms:	Plukenetia hastata Müll. Arg. Pseudotragia scandens Pax Pseudotragia schinzii Pax Pterococcus africanus (Sond.) Pax & K. Hoffm. Sajorium africanum (Sond.) Baill.
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb or suffrutex with prostrate, ascending or twining stems up to 80 cm long, growing from a woody rootstock. Leaves lanceolate to linear, 1.5-12 cm long, often hastate-sagittate at the base, mostly hairless, sometimes tinged purplish; margin finely toothed to subentire; petiole 1-25 mm long. Inflorescences usually leaf-opposed racemes, 1-10 cm long with narrowly elliptic-lanceolate bracts subtending each flower, 1.5-2.5 mm long. Flowers unisexual with many male flowers and a female flower at the base of the inflorescences, greenish-cream or yellowish; pedicel of female flower extending to 1-2 cm in fruit. Fruit cross-shaped, 1.5-2 cm across with horned cocci, somewhat roughly pubescent, green.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	africana: African
Habitat:	In various types of deciduous woodland or wooded grassland, on dry sandy soils.
Altitude range: (metres)	Up to 1100 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola and Mpumalanga South Africa.
Zimbabwe distribution:	N,W,E,S
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Monday 22 August 2016
Literature:	Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 94. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 42. As Pterococcus africanus Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996). Euphorbiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(4) Pages 210 - 212. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 58. As Plukenetia africana

Other sources of information about Plukenetia africana:

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Flora of Botswana: Plukenetia africana
Flora of Caprivi: Plukenetia africana
Flora of Mozambique: Plukenetia africana
Flora of Zambia: Plukenetia africana

External websites:

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