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Stephania abyssinica

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Photo of a wild plant by David Moyer, Eastafricanplants.senckenberg.de.
Regrettably, I fail to find a photo of the caudex; please E-m@il.me, if you have


A wild plant by Robert v Bittersdorf, Malawiflora.com.


The fruits by Warren McCleland, Malawiflora.com.

Author: 

Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers, 1842

Family: 

MENISPERMACEAE

Origin: 

Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Soil: 

Mix - Rich

Water: 

Medium

Sun: 

Medium

Thickness: 

30 Centimetres?

Height: 

10 Metres

Flower: 

Greenish/Dark Brown

Propagate: 

Seeds/Cuttings?

Names: 

-

Synonyms: 

Clypea abyssinica, Dill. & Rich. 1840.
Menispermum schimperi, Hochst. 1841.
Stephania bullata, Miers, 1866.
Stephania laevigata, Miers,1866
Stephania fastosa Miers, 1866.
Stephania abyssinica var. tomentella, Oliv.

This dioecious member of the Menispermaceae family was given this name by Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers in 1842. It is found in central and southern Africa, growing in a well drained and rich soil with some water and some sun. The caudex can grow to 30 centimetres in diameter - I think, the entire plant to 10 metres in height. The flowers are greenish with a dark centre.

The genera name after Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher, 1804-1849, an Austrian botanist who formulated a major system of plant classification. The species name means 'from Abyssinia', present day Ethiopia.


The leaves by Bart Wursten, Zimbabweflora.co.zw.


Female flowers by Delia Oosthuizen, Wikimedia.org.