Kingdom Plantae Family Sapotaceae Rank Species | Order Ericales Genus Chrysophyllum | |
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Similar Englerophytum natalense, Croton sylvaticus, Canthium inerme | ||
Chrysophyllum viridifolium, commonly known as fluted milkwood, is a potentially large (up to 20 m tall) species of evergreen milkwood tree that occurs in East African coastal forests and in some inland forests of the tropics and subtropics.
Contents
Range and habitat
It is native to Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, eastern Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa (KZN and Eastern Cape provinces). Its habitat is coastal forest northwards of East London, and montane forests of the Chimanimani range and Malawi.
Description
The trunk may be fluted at the base, and the greyish bark is fairly smooth and mottled. Young branches and the undersides of leaves are covered in reddish indumentum. The blunt-tipped, oblong leaves measure some 4-9 by 1.5-5 cm. The indented midrib is connected to a sub-marginal vein by numerous, closely spaced parallel veins. The wavy margin is entire. The white flowers are borne in axillary clusters. The edible fruit are almost round and slightly ribbed, and ripen to a yellow colour.