Sclerocroton cf. armatus

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Photo: Mark Hyde
National Botanic Garden, Harare

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Synonyms:	Sapium armatum Pax & K. Hoffm. Sapium integerrimum (Hochst.) J.Léonard
Common names:	Tallow tree (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Very similar to S. integerrimus. Small tree, 4.5 - 7.5 m tall. Branches pendulous. Leaves ovate or oblong-ovate, larger than S. integerrimus, up to 14 × 6 cm; apex acuminate; margin crenate-serrate; glands on the lamina sparingly and irregularly arranged towards the margin and mot necessarily at the base. Petiole 4-8 mm long. Inflorescences of spikes borne on lateral branches, consisting entirely of male flowers or with 1-2 female flowers at the base. Fruit a 3-lobed capsule, somewhat larger than S. integerrimus, up to 2.5 × 2 cm.
Notes:	This taxon is what was called Sapium armatum Pax & K. Hoffm. in FZ 9(4), p. 232. It may have been sunk under Sclerocroton integerrimus, but for the time being is kept separate.
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat:	In submontane woodland and wooded grassland.
Altitude range:	Up to 910 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe
Mozambique distribution:	N
Growth form:
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects (whose larvae eat this species):	Sevenia boisduvali boisduvali (Boisduval's tree nymph)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Sunday 24 June 2012
Literature:	Coates Palgrave K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Page 521. (Includes a picture). Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996). Euphorbiaceae FZ 9(4) Pages 323 - 324.

Other sources of information about Sclerocroton cf. armatus:

Biodiversity Explorer (Biodiversity of southern Africa): Sclerocroton cf. armatus
ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Sclerocroton cf. armatus
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Sclerocroton cf. armatus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Sclerocroton cf. armatus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Sclerocroton cf. armatus
JSTOR Plant Science: Sclerocroton cf. armatus
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Sclerocroton cf. armatus
Tropicos: Sclerocroton cf. armatus
West African Plants database: Sclerocroton cf. armatus