''Xylopia arenaria'' is a species of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

in the Annonaceae family. It is native to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, 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 ...

. Adolf Engler, the botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its growth in sandy places ( in Latin).

Description

It is a shrub or tree reaching 6 meters in height. The young, red-brown to grey branches are hairy, but as they mature they become hairless and their bark peels and flakes. Its egg-shaped to lance-shaped, papery to slightly leathery leaves are 3.4-7 by 1.5-2.5 centimeters. The leaves have wedge-shaped to rounded to slightly heart-shaped bases and pointed to blunt tips. The leaves are hairless on their upper surfaces, and have soft hairs that lay flat on their lower surfaces. The leaves have 7-12 pairs of secondary veins emanating from their midribs. Its petioles are 2.5-5 millimeters long, and covered in soft hairs, with an shallow groove on their upper side. Its

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 ...

s occur in the

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s of leaves or fallen leaves. Each inflorescence has 1-2 flower. Each flower is on a hairy

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

that is 1.8-3.5 by 0.7-1.3 millimeters. The pedicels have 3 oval to crescent-shaped, evenly spaced

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 ...

s that are 0.5-1.6 millimeters long. The upper two bracts can be bi-lobed. The tips of the bracts are pointed to blunt. Its flowers have 3 egg-shaped, leathery

sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

that are 2.2-2.5 by 2.1-1.7 millimeters, with pointed tips. The lower third to half of the sepals are fused at their margins. The sepals are hairy on their lower surfaces. Its 6 petals are arranged in two rows of 3. The white to pale yellow-orange, lance-shaped, leathery to slightly fleshy, outer petals are 6.6-10.2 by 2.7-3.2 millimeter with pointed tips. The upper surface of the outer petals are densely covered in soft hairs except at their base, and the lower surfaces are densely covered in soft hairs that lay flat. The lance-shaped, slightly fleshy inner petals are white to pale yellow-orange on their outer surface and purple to red at the base of the inner surface. The inner petals are 4.7-7.2 by 1.8-2.7 millimeters. The inner petals are slightly hairy on their upper and lower surfaces except at their base. The tips of the inner petals are bent sharply outward between the outer petals. The flowers have 70-200

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 1.0-1.2 millimeters long. The tissue connecting the chambers of the anthers extends to form purple-red, truncated to pin-like caps that are 0.1-0.3 millimeters long and overhang the anthers. The anthers have 12-18 chambers. The flowers also have inner and outer sterile stamens. The club-shaped to oblong outer sterile stamens are 1.0-1.2 millimeters long with pointed to blunt to flat tips. The oblong inner sterile stamens are 0.8-0.9 millimeters long with pointed to blunt to flat tips. The flowers'

receptacle Receptacle may refer to: Biology * Receptacle (botany), a plant anatomical part * Seminal receptacle, a sperm storage site in some insects Electrical engineering * Automobile auxiliary power outlet, formerly known as ''cigarette lighter recep ...

that the stamens attach are attached to form a cone that is 1.4-1.6 by 0.9-1.2 millimeters. The flowers have 6-11

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'' ...

with silky, oblong

ovaries The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. T ...

that are 1 millimeter long. The carpels have trowel-shaped stigma that are up to 2.3 millimeters long and drawn together at their tips. The tips of the stigmas have tufts of hair. The fruit occur in clusters of up to 4 on pedicles that are 4.2-5.3 by 1.2-1.6 millimeters. The oblong to slightly cylindrical, light green fruit are 1.3-2.5 by 0.5-1.2 by 0.5-0.7 centimeters. The tips of the fruit are rounded and have blunt beaks that are 1.2 millimeters long. The base of the fruit are narrowed into a 3-5 by 1.5-2.1 millimeter stipe. The surface of the fruit is smooth or slightly warty. The fruit have scarlet interior flesh. Each fruit has up to 3 pear-shaped, dark brown, smooth, shiny, seeds that are elliptical in cross-section and 9.2-9.8 by 5.3-5.8 by 4.5-6.3 millimeters. The seeds are arranged in a single row. The seeds have a bright orange fleshy coat.

Reproductive biology

The pollen of ''Xylopia arenaria'' is shed as permanent tetrads.

Distribution and habitat

It has been observed growing in sandy soil in forests and bushlands at elevations of 30-500 meters.

Uses

Based on interviews with traditional healers in Tanzania extracts from the root have been recorded as being used to treat epilepsy.

References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q17140787 Plants described in 1904 Flora of Kenya Flora of Tanzania Taxa named by Adolf Engler arenaria