Kigelia africana
Content
Description
Widely branched tree, to 20 m.
Leaves decussate or in whorls of 3-4, up to 50 cm;
Flowers nocturnal, coarse, in terminal, pendent, narrow panicles up to 2 m long;
Distribution
Africa present, Asia-Tropical
Africa, widely cultivated in other tropics as an ornamental tree in parks and along roads, in Malesia not rare.
Taxonomy
HEINE l.c. concluded that the genus consists of one species only as the species distinguished by STAPF are racial and grading.
Notes
The calyx contains much watery slime in bud (cf. ). The flowers are in Malesia invariably visited by bats. Cf. . They are, however, also frequented by hawk-moths and HARRIS & BAKER ll.cc. concluded that bats are not essential pollinating visitors.
Citation
H. HEINE 1963 – In: Hutch. & Dalz., Fl. W. Trop. Afr., ed. 2, 2: 385
STEEN. 1928 – In: Bull. Jard. Bot. Btzg: 275
BACK. & BAKH.F. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 542
KOENS 1912: p. 167. – In: Trop. Natuur: 6 f.
Merr. 1912: Fl. Manila: 430
MERXM. & SCHREIB. 1967 – In: Prod. Fl. SW. Afr. fam.: 3
SPRAGUE 1906 – In: Fl. Trop. Afr.: 536
BTH. 1923 – In: En. Philip.: 444