Sapotaceae
Donella

Donella pruniformis (Engl.) Pierre ex Engl.

First published in Monogr. Afrik. Pflanzen-Fam. 8: 42 (1904)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Uganda. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sapotaceae, H. Heine. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit
A tree up to about 100 ft. high
Diagnostic
Small flowers in axillary clusters, like the preceding species (Chrysophyllum pentagonocarpum), but much smaller fruits.
[FWTA]

Sapotaceae, J. H. Hemsley. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Small, medium or tall tree, height up to 30 m.
Morphology General Indumentum
Young shoots, buds and younger petioles with ferrugineous pubescence; older branches and petioles glabrescent or puberulous.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petiole 3–7 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina elliptic to oblong-elliptic and tapering at each end, 4–11 (–13) cm. long including the acuminate apex, l.8–5(–6.3) cm. wide, subcoriaceous to coriaceous, apex with long narrow acumen, base cuneate and asymmetrical; upper and lower surfaces glabrous except on midrib beneath; lateral nerves very numerous and closely parallel, ± straight or slightly arcuate, ± ascending.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers very small and greenish, clustered in current leaf axils or at older nodes, pedicellate; pedicels 2–3.5 mm. long, glabrescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals ± free to base, suborbicular, up to 2 mm. long, puberulous or glabrescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla-tube up to 1 mm. long; lobes rounded or ± truncate, up to 1.5 mm. long, ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Free part of filament up to 1.5 mm. long, flattened; staminodes absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary subconical, pilose, tapering into a short thick style, ±1.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit shortly stalked, yellowish when ripe, subglobose to ± ovoid, up to 5 cm. long and 4 cm. in diameter, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds shiny brown, broadly ellipsoid but ± straight along one margin, laterally compressed, up to 2.5 cm. long, 1.4 cm. wide; curved margin narrowly acute; scar lateral, linear and occupying ± complete length of straight margin.
Habitat
Lowland rain-forest; ± 1500 m.
Distribution
T1 U2 extending from Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Dahomey and Nigeria to Cameroun Republic, Gabon and Central African Republicno specimens have been seen from the Congo Republic where it almost certainly occurs
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • 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/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • 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

  • 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