''Newtonia paucijuga'' is a species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the family
. It is found in
Kenya
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and
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
.
Description
''Newtonia hildebrandtii'' is a fairly large tree growing to a height of about . The trunk is usually smooth and some shade of grey or greyish brown, and the small twigs are densely covered with reddish-brown hairs when young. The leaves are alternate and bi-pinnate, up to long, each leaf having one or two pairs of
pinnae
The auricle or auricula is the visible part of the ear that is outside the head. It is also called the pinna (Latin for "wing" or " fin", plural pinnae), a term that is used more in zoology.
Structure
The diagram shows the shape and location ...
, and each pinna having two to three pairs of leaflets. There is a short gland between each pair of pinnae and further short glands between each pair of leaflets. The leaflets are linear or oblong and up to , with stalked and wedge-shaped bases and rounded apexes. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is a dense hairy spike up to long at the tip of the twig or in a leaf axil. The white flowers are bisexual and have parts in fives. They are followed by reddish-brown, flattened pods up to . The seeds are flat and oblong, with a papery wing.
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Distribution and habitat
''Newtonia paucijuga'' is native to East Africa, where its range extends from southeastern Kenya to southern Tanzania. It is found in forests at elevations of up to ; this can be moist evergreen forest or drier evergreen forest, as well as riverine forest and secondary forest. These types of habitat are under threat from human development.
Status
This tree is fairly common in suitable habitat in East Africa, for example in the Shimba Hills
The Shimba Hills National Reserve is a small National Reserve in the former Coast Province of Kenya, 33 km from Mombasa and 15 km from the coast. The reserve is an area of coastal rainforest, woodland and grassland. It is an important a ...
in Kenya, but it has a limited range, being only found in fragments of coastal and gallery forest, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
has assessed its conservation status as " vulnerable".
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5224107
paucijuga
Flora of Kenya
Flora of Tanzania
Vulnerable plants
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot