Ritchiea capparoides (Andrews) Britten

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Photo: Nicholas Wightman
Lunzua River, Mpulungu, Mpulungu Distr., Northern Prov.

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Synonyms:
Common names:
Description:	Shrub or small tree 2–4 m. tall with somewhat pendulous, brown, densely lenticelled branches; leaves 3–5-foliolate; terminal leaflet 7–18 x 3–8 cm., lateral leaflets 5–15 x 3–6 cm., oblong-elliptic, oblong or obovate-oblong, rounded or shortly acuminate, often recurved at the apex, rounded or shortly cuneate at the base, glabrous on both sides; petiole up to 7 cm. long; petiolules 5–7 mm. long, channelled above and articulated at the base; inflorescence of terminal racemes with about 12–30 flowers, moderately dense at first; pedicels up to 4 cm. long; sepals 2–3 x 1–1.6 cm., ovate-acuminate, glabrous except for a minute, crisped pubescence on the margins; petals 4, white, up to 4.5 x 0.5 cm., narrowly oblanceolate with a narrower claw almost as long as the lamina, or linear; stamens numerous on a short androgynophore c. 1 mm. long, with slender filaments somewhat shorter than the petals; anthers linear, somewhat sagittate and with the anther-thecae subacute at the base; gynophore c. 4 cm. long, glabrous; fruit 5–7 x 2.5–3 cm., cylindric, rounded at both ends, on a stout pedicel 2.5–4.5 cm. long and a gynophore 2.5–3 cm. long; seeds 0.6 x 1.0 cm., rugose with a brown testa, somewhat compressed and 3-sided.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	capparoides: Capparis-like
Flowering time:	Aug - Oct
Worldwide distribution:	From West Africa through Central Africa to Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique
Growth form(s):
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Wild, H. (1960). Capparaceae Flora Zambesiaca 1(1) Pages 242 - 244. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Ritchiea capparoides:

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Flora of Zambia: Ritchiea capparoides

External websites:

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