Ochna schweinfurthiana

Ochna schweinfurthiana F. Hoffm.

Common names

Brick red Ochna (English); choni, ichoni, munawe (Bemba); chiwombola, kanzoki, mlungamu, msimpa, napose, ngunda-ndanguluwe, mchoni, mlanga-mpete, mtanta-mpete, patwe (Nyanja).

General description and distinguishing characteristics

Ochna schweinfurthiana is a small, deciduous tree up to 5 m in height. It is untidy in habit, and is recognised by its lime green, toothed leaves. It has showy yellow flowers, which are produced while the shrub is leafless, and when in fruit it has black spherical berries with deep red, wing-like sepals attached. Bark: Grey to dark grey-brown, closely rectangularly cracked and/or vertically fissured. Branchlets light grey, flaking. Leaves: Alternate, simple, produced in clusters on dwarf side branches; obovate to lanceolate, sometimes curved (2-3 x 6.5-11 cm), with a coarsely serrate margin; leathery to shiny mid to dark green above, lighter coloured below. Petiole short (<5 mm). Flowers: Produced August to October in axillary and terminal fasicles; the flowers are showy (up to 2 cm diameter), regular, with a yellow corolla, yellow-green sepals and many stamens. The pedicel is long and slender (up to 3 cm long). Fruit: 1-4 black spherical to ovoid carpels (5-8 mm diameter), with 5 persistent, deep red elliptic sepals. Produced on a long, slender pedicel (October-December).

Ochna gambleoides N.Robson also occurs in the valley. This is a small tree or shrub but, unlike O. schweinfurthiana, it has glaucous, blue-green leaves.

Range and habitat

Ochna schweinfurthiana is primarily a miombo woodland species, but also occurs on Kalahari sand. It occurs throughout the region, but is absent from Botswana. In the valley it is usually found in hill miombo woodland, and is frequently associated with species such as Julbernardia globiflora and Brachystegia boehmii.