Myristicaceae
Pycnanthus angolensis
- Leaf, lower surface.
- Ripe fruits.
- Half fruit with red aril and single seed.
- Midrib and venation, leaf lower surface.
- Habit.
- Branching pattern.
General Information
This elegant tree with horizontal main branches and pendulous terminal branches has unusual and distinctive leaves. They are almost invariably damaged by insects when mature and have obvious red hairs. If one examines the under surface of the leaves with a hand lens one can see that some of the hairs are star shaped. The slash is pinkish with a pale pink watery exudate. The fruit are eaten by a wide range of vertebrates, many of them feeding on the fallen fruit. Hornbills are especially fond of them and can be seen in the trees eating the fruit. There is a second species in the seasonally flooded forests of the area called P. marchalianus. In West Africa there is another species that is a liana.
Ecology
Terra firma forest, especially in disturbed areas.
Distribution
Distribution: Guinea to Uganda and Angola.