Combretum mossambicense

Combretum mossambicense (Klotzsch) Engl.

Common names

Knobbly climbing bushwillow, shaving brush combretum (English); munondwe (Bemba); malowe, (Kunda?Nyanja); chitungulu, mkotamo, kombwani, manga, mkwatama, nkoko (Nyanja).

General description and distinguishing characteristics

A small, deciduous shrub or climber with long trailing branches. Bark grey to grey-brown, smooth. Branchlets usually pale but sometimes purplish-brown, hairy at first but becoming hairless, with spines up to 2 cm long. Leaves simple, opposite or sub-opposite, up to 20 x 11 cm but usually 6 x 4.5 cm, papery to almost leathery in texture, elliptic to elliptic-oblong. Petiole up to 5 mm long. Flowers white or pink, conspicuous with distinctive red anthers. Produced in axillary spikes, up to 7 cm long, and usually produced before the leaves (August-November). Fruit usually five-winged but sometimes four-winged, up to 2-3 x 2-2.5 cm, velvety with papery, straw-coloured wings (Oct-January).

Combretum mossambicense can be confused with Combretum obovatum. However, C. obovatum has white anthers, larger fruit (usually >3 cm diameter) and some of its leaves are conspicuously white.

Range and habitat

Combretum mossambicense is widespread in south tropical Africa and is associated with hotter drier areas at medium to low altitudes. In the Luangwa valley it is not common but is found in the sandy levees of the Luangwa and its tributaries.