Cola greenwayi
Cola greenwayi at Nibela Peninsula
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Cola
Species:
C. greenwayi
Binomial name
Cola greenwayi
Synonyms

Cola microcarpa

Cola greenwayi, commonly known as hairy cola[1] or Zulu coshwood,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It was first described in 1956 by the British botanist John Patrick Micklethwait Brenan.[3] It is native to southeastern Africa.

Description

Cola greenwayi is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree growing to around 20 m (66 ft), either monoecious or dioecious. The smaller branches and twigs are brown and densely hairy at first. The leaves are alternate, purplish-brown when young and dark green and leathery when older, up to 15 by 5 cm (6 by 2 in). They are stalked, simple, elliptical or oblanceolate, and have prominent veins. There is a hairy swelling known as a pulvinus at the base of each leaf-blade, which acts as a hinge. The flowers are in clusters growing in the axils of the leaves. They have small, rusty-brown, hairy bracts. The calyx has four to six lobes and there are no petals. The four to five carpels turn yellowish-orange when ripe, making a sub-globose fruit, hairy at first, and later with a thin, brittle rind. It usually contains one or two seeds.[1][4]

Distribution and habitat

This tree is native to southeastern Africa, its range extending from Kenya and Tanzania southwards to Zimbabwe and Mozambique,[1] Transvaal and eastern KwaZulu-Natal. Its habitat is dense forest, often on steep slopes, from sea level up to about 1,100 m (3,600 ft).[4] It is also part of the typical flora of the Southern African Sand Forest which grows on ancient sand dunes on the border of northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique.[5]

Varieties

Two varieties are accepted:[6]

  • Cola greenwayi var. greenwayi
  • Cola greenwayi var. keniensis Brenan

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Cola greenwayi Brenan". Flora of Zimbabwe. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  2. ↑ Quattrocchi, Umberto (1999). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. CRC Press. p. 579. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2.
  3. ↑ "Cola greenwayi Brenan". Tropicos. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  4. 1 2 Verdoorn, I.C. (1981). "The genus Cola in southern Africa". Bothalia. 13 (3/4): 277–279. doi:10.4102/abc.v13i3/4.1317. S2CID 82546895.
  5. ↑ Matthews, Wayne. "Maputaland's Tembe Elephant National Park – a little known reserve with many natural secrets". Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  6. ↑ Cola greenwayi Brenan. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
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