Malvaceae
Desplatsia dewevrei
- Leaves, lower surface.
- Leaf, upper surface.
- Petiole base and stipule.
- Midrib and venation, leaf lower surface.
- Flower.
- Inflorescence.
- Fruit.
General Information
This small tree is usually less than 15 m high and the maximum trunk diameter is about 30 cm. The trunk is often leaning slightly and the bark light coloured. The coarsely toothed leaves are unequal at the base and have stellate hairs on the undersurface. The other three species in the genus all occur in the area: D. mildbraedii becomes a tree to 30 m tall with stellate hairs on the upper surface of the leaves, D. chrysochlamys has a thick covering of golden hairs on the petiole and D. subericarpa is a small shrub less than 3 m tall.
Ecology
Evergreen understory species in seasonally flooded forest and terra firma forest, often in areas that have previously been disturbed. The fruit are adored by elephants and also eaten by gorillas and chimpanzees and many other animals in the forest. Elephants will knock the trees over to get the fruit. Flowers and fruits throughout the year.
Distribution
Distribution: Ivory Coast to Uganda.