Tricalysia coriacea (Benth.) Hiern
subsp. nyassae (Hiern) Bridson

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Photo: Nicholas Wightman
Mkushi Farming Block, Mkushi Distr., Central Province, Zambia

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Synonyms:	Polysphaeria brevifolia K.Krause Tricalysia davyi S.Moore Tricalysia katangensis De Wild. Tricalysia lastii K.Schum. Tricalysia nyassae Hiern
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Shrub, small tree or scandent tree up to 8 m tall; leaf blades 7-16.5 x (1.8)2.8-8.5 cm, oblong-elliptic, elliptic to broadly elliptic, occasionally rotund or narrowly obovate or obovate, apex rounded or more often obtuse to shortly acuminate, obtuse or cuneate at base; petiole 4-7 mm long; inflorescences axillary, sessile, (1-3)5-flowered; flowers (6)7-8(9)-merous, sessile, sweet scented; calyx limb-tube 2(3) mm long, truncate or with very shallow lobes, glabrous or rarely puberulous towards top; corolla in various pink shades or cream fading to white, tube 4-6 mm long, throat densely congested with hairs, lobes 8-8 x 1.5-3 mm, acuminate to subacuminate, usually with a patch or few hairs at apex or ciliate; fruit red, 6-10 mm in diameter, spherical; seeds 2-5(7) in each chambe, semi-ellipsoid or angular. Var. nyassae differs from other varieties by the leaf blades moderately wide to wide, (1.8)2.8-8.5 cm wide, obtuse or shortly acuminate at the apex ; cupules fringed or occasionally not; corollas mostly pink or cream and with lobes 6-8 mm long, filaments 2-2.5 mm long and anthers 5-7 mm long.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	coriacea: leathery, thick-leaved; nyassae: of Nyasaland (now Malawi).
Habitat:
Altitude range:
Flowering time:	(Jul)Sep - Nov
Worldwide distribution:	Angola, Zambia, southeastern DRC, Burundi and Tanzania south to Malawi and Mozambique
Malawi distribution:	N,C,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:	Bridson, D.M. & Verdcourt, B. (2003). Rubiaceae, Part 3 Flora Zambesiaca 5(3) Pages 481 - 483. Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 255. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 978. (Includes a picture). Robbrecht, E. (1987). The African genus Tricalysia A. Rich. (Rubiaceae) 4. Revision of the species of sectio Tricalysia ans sectio Rosea. Bulletin du Jardin Botanique national de Belgique 57(1/2) Pages 79 - 87. as subsp. coriacea Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 170.

Other sources of information about Tricalysia coriacea subsp. nyassae:

Our websites:

Flora of Mozambique: Tricalysia coriacea subsp. nyassae
Flora of Zambia: Tricalysia coriacea subsp. nyassae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Tricalysia coriacea
African Plant Database: Tricalysia coriacea
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Tricalysia coriacea
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Tricalysia coriacea
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Tricalysia coriacea
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Tricalysia coriacea
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Tricalysia coriacea
JSTOR Plant Science: Tricalysia coriacea
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Tricalysia coriacea
Plants of the World Online: Tricalysia coriacea
Tropicos: Tricalysia coriacea
Wikipedia: Tricalysia coriacea