Kingdom Plantae Genus Zanha Order Sapindales | Family Sapindaceae Rank Species | |
Similar Cassia abbreviata, Ximenia caffra, Terminalia sericea, Combretum molle, Securidaca | ||
Zanha africana, Velvet-fruited zanha is a species of fruit plant from the Sapindaceae family which can be found in Angola, Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it is used in door frames and tool handles. It is also used for flooring and for creating toys, railway sleepers, turnery, furniture and ship designs.
Description
The species is a 12–17 metres (39–56 ft) tall shrub which has 3 to 6, and sometimes up to 8, pairs of leaflets which are ovate, elliptical and are 8–15 centimetres (3.1–5.9 in) by 4–8 centimetres (1.6–3.1 in). The petioles are 1–3 millimetres (0.039–0.118 in) long while the pedicels are around 2.5 millimetres (0.098 in) long. It has 4 to 6 stamens which are 10 millimetres (0.39 in) long with a cup-shaped disk that is hairy with a diameter of 2 millimetres (0.079 in). The ovary is absent in the male of the species while females bear flowers which turn into 3 centimetres (1.2 in) by 2 centimetres (0.79 in) fruit that is hairy and ellipsoid. The seed is also ellipsoid, but is 1.5 centimetres (0.59 in) by 1 centimetre (0.39 in) and is normally yellow but sometimes bright orange, in colour.