Landolphia kirkii


Landolphia kirkii is a species of liana from the family Apocynaceae that can be found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

Description

The leaves of Landolphia kirkii are oblong and sometimes ovate and can reach up to in length. They are glossy green coloured from above, and have a channeled midrib. They have 10-12 pairs of lateral veins, with a net-veining that is slightly raised just above the midrib, that is pubescent underneath. The inflorescence has many flowers, which are white or creamy-yellow coloured and have a diameter of. The flowers also have a tube that is long. The green fruits are spherical with a diameter of, and are edible.

Systematics

The specific epithet kirkii commemorates John Kirk, a companion of David Livingstone, who traveled to Zambezia for an expedition in 1858.
The Bungo fruit widely growing on Pemba and Zanzibar islands in the Indian Ocean highly likely belongs to this species.