Home | > | List of families | > | Hernandiaceae | > | Gyrocarpus | > | americanus |
Synonyms: | |
Common names: | Propeller tree (English) |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Slender, deciduous tree. Bark smooth, grey, often bleaching to a silvery-white on the sunny side. Leaves spirally arranged, crowded near the ends of branches, up to c. 15 × 12 cm, more or less deeply 3-lobed, dark green above, paler greyish below, finely velvety on both surfaces, markedly 3-veined from the base; veins yellowish; petiole up to 9 cm long. Flowers in compact heads, yellowish-green, with an unpleasant smell. Fruit a woody nut with 2 long thin wings, aiding wind dispersal. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | americanus: American; the species was originally collected and described from Colombia; africanus: African. |
Habitat: | In hot, dry areas, often on rocky ridges and hillsides. |
Altitude range: | Up to 1175 m |
Flowering time: | Mar - May |
Worldwide distribution: | (this subsp.) Angola, Eritrea, Namibia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Limpopo, South Africa. |
Malawi distribution: | S |
Growth form(s): | Tree, shrub over 2 m. |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Literature: |
Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 142. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 29. Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Page 219. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, K. et al. (1956). Trees of Central Africa National Publications Trust, Salisbury. Pages 193 - 195. as Gyrocarpus americanus (Includes a picture). Curtis, B.A. & Mannheimer, C.A. (2005). Tree Atlas of Namibia National Botanic Research Institute, Windhoek Page 90. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 237. As Gyrocarpus americanus Mannheimer, C. & Curtis B. (2009). Le Roux and Müller's Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Namibia Macmillan Education, Windhoek, Namibia. Pages 52 - 53. (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 54. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 76. Stannard, B.L. (1997). Hernandiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(2) Pages 60 - 62. (Includes a picture). White, F. (1962). Forest Flora of Northern Rhodesia Oxford Univ. Press. |
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