Ancylobothrys capensis
| Wild Apricot | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ancylobothrys capensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Genus: | Ancylobothrys |
| Species: | A. capensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ancylobothrys capensis (Oliv.) Pichon | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Ancylobothrys capensis, or Wild Apricot, is a tangled, sprawling, multi-stemmed South African creeper of the Apocynaceae family.
It is evergreen, often scrambling over rocks and other plants. New growth is covered in velvety, reddish-brown hairs. When damaged it exudes copious amounts of white latex. The leathery leaves are broadly elliptic, simple, opposite and erect, with prominent venation on both surfaces. Flowers are fragrant, about 40mm diameter, brilliant white when open and pinkish in bud.[2]
The round fruit are up to 50mm in diameter, khaki-green when immature, turning bright orange or yellow when ripe. The skin is thick, soft, brittle, and easily peeled. 3-4 seeds are embedded in a sweet and tasty acidic pulp.[2]
The species is common and occurs in rocky areas, particularly on quartzites throughout KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo Province, North West Province and Botswana.[1]
References
- 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- 1 2 "Ancylobothrys capensis". Plantz Afrika. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
External links
- Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). [http://www.africanplants.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?submitForm=true&page_id=77&searchTextMenue=Ancylobotrys+capensis&filterRegionIDs[]=6&filterRegionIDs[]=1&filterRegionIDs[]=2&filterRegionIDs[]=3&filterRegionIDs[]=5 "Ancylobotrys capensis"]. African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
Media related to Ancylobotrys capensis at Wikimedia Commons