''Asteranthe lutea'' is a species of plant in the genus ''

Asteranthe ''Asteranthe'' is a genus of plants in the family Annonaceae. It comprises two species distributed in Kenya and Tanzania. Description Asteranthe are shrubs or small trees with hermaphroditic flowers. Species Species include: * '' Asteranth ...

''. It is native to Tanzania. Kaj Borge Vollesen, the botanist who first formally described the species in 1980, named it after its yellow ( in Latin) petals.

Description

It is a bush reaching 4 meters in height. Its elliptical leaves are 7-18.5 by 2.7-9 centimeters. The bases of the leaves are rounded or notched at the point of attachment to the petioles. The tips of the leaves come to a short tapered tip. The leaves have 10-15 pairs of secondary veins emanating from their midribs. Its petioles are 3-5 millimeters long and covered in dense woolly hairs. Its solitary, fragrant flowers are on 2-8 millimeter long

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

that occur at extra- axillary or terminal positions. Its pedicels are covered in dense white woolly hairs and have an oval, green

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

eole that is 6-8 by 5-7 millimeters. The bracteoles have a notched base and come to point at their tip. Its green, oval sepals are 1-1.5 by 0.8-1.2 centimeters and come to a tapering point at their tips. The sepals have white silky hairs at their base. Its mature, fleshy petals are yellow with streaks of red highlights at their base. The base of the petals form a 10 millimeter long tube, with free triangular lobes that are 2-2.4 by 1.2-1.5 millimeters and come to a tapering point at their tip. The outer surface of the petals is covered in dense, silky white hairs. The inner surface of the petals is covered in woolly hairs that are more rigid at the petal’s apex. Its flowers have 250-300 yellow

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s that are 3 millimeters long with longitudinal grooves that separate the lobes of their

anthers The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

. The tissue connecting the lobes of the anthers is over-grown to form a convex cap covered in fine hairs. Its flowers have 3-10

carpels Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

that are 2.5 millimeters long and covered in dense woolly hairs. Its rectangular to cylindrical styles are 1 millimeter long with a wide tip that is folded in to form a groove. The styles are covered in silky hairs.

Reproductive biology

The pollen of ''A. lutea'' is shed as permanent tetrads.

Habitat and distribution

It has been observed growing in dense forests near rivers.

Uses

Extracts from its root and stem bark has been reported to contain bioactive molecules with larvicidal properties in tests with ''

Anopheles gambiae The ''Anopheles gambiae'' complex consists of at least seven morphologically indistinguishable species of mosquitoes in the genus ''Anopheles''. The complex was recognised in the 1960s and includes the most important vectors of malaria in sub- ...

'' larva.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15400174 lutea Flora of Tanzania Plants described in 1980 Taxa named by Kaj Borge Vollesen