Anthocleista grandiflora Gilg, Gentianaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 3 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Anthocleista zambesiaca Baker

Common name(s): [more details]

English: big-leaf, forest big-leaf, forest fever tree

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Tree, 5-35 m. high, unarmed. Leaves sessile, those of larger trees sometimes petiolate; lamina medium to dark green above, paler beneath, when dry greenish, medium to dark brown, paler beneath, brittle, often thinly papyraceous to coriaceous, narrowly or very narrowly obovate, in young plants usually narrower, 1ú75-3ú5 (in young plants up to 5) times as long as wide, 15-70 x 7-25 cm., up to 135 x 50 cm. in young plants or low-leveled branches, narrowed to the auricles or long-decurrent into the petiole; veins conspicuous; margin not recurved. Sepals green, rounded, usually spreading when dry, the outer ones circular or broadly ovate, 5-8 x 5-8 mm., when dry rugulose outside and often pointed, the inner ones usually slightly larger. Corolla in the young bud rounded or tapering, in the mature bud 5-10 as long as the calyx, 35-60 (70) mm. long, tapering at the apex, white, the limb paler than the tube which is slightly greenish outside; tube 3ú8-6ú5 x as long as the calyx, 1ú25-2ú5 x as long as the lobes; lobes 11-13, very narrowly elliptic, spreading or recurved. Berry ellipsoid, when dry irregularly shriveled, conspicuously rugulose, acuminate"  (Flora Zambesiaca online).

"Tall straight-stemmed evergreen tree. Leaves very large, clustered near the ends of branches, obovate-oblong, stiff and leathery. Flowers in terminal branched clusters, trumpet-shaped with reflexed petals, creamy-white with a greenish tube. Fruit fleshy, near-spherical, smooth"  (Flora of Zimbabwe online).

Habitat/ecology:  "In open often swampy places, in rain forests, or in gallery forests, mostly in mountains 0-2300 m"  (Flora Zambesiaca online).  In Zimbabwe (native), "in riverine forest and along forest margins, often in swampy places"  (Flora of Zimbabwe online).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "East Africa southwards to northern South Africa and the Comores"  (Flora of Zimbabwe online).

Presence:

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced	Randall, R. P. (2007) (p. 44)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Comoros Comoro Islands	Comoro Islands	native	Hyde, M. A./Wursten, B. T./Ballings, P. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Anthocleista grandiflora, please let us know.