| Synonyms: | 
Clutia glabrescens Knauf ex Pax  | 
| Common names: | Large, or Smooth-fruited lightning-bush (English) | 
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native | 
| Description: | 
Shrub or rarely a small tree, up to c. 4 m. Leaves ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, up to 16 cm long, fairly thinly textured, light green above, somewhat blue-green below, mostly hairless (in var. abyssinica), some orange-red leaves often present; margin entire. Flowers in axillary clusters, small, yellowish to greenish, unisexual on different trees. Fruit c. 5 mm in diameter, almost round, almost hairless, pale green with whitish pustules. This variety has hairless or almost hairless stems and leaves. | 
| Type location: | 
Ethiopia | 
| Notes: | See var. pedicellaris for comparison. | 
| Derivation of specific name: | abyssinica: of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) | 
| Habitat: | In clearings and along margins of evergreen forest, riverine forest and high rainfall woodland. | 
| Altitude range: (metres) | 300 - 2300 m | 
| Flowering time: | Mar - Jul | 
| Worldwide distribution: | Sudan and Somalia southwards to Angola and South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal). | 
| FZ divisions: | N,Z,T,MS | 
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species | 
| Images last updated: | Wednesday 11 July 2012 | 
| Literature: | 
 Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 144. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 434. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 14. Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1989). The flora and phytogeography of the evergreen forests of Malawi. I: Afromontane and mid-altitude forests; Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 59(1/2) Page 28. As Clutia abbyssinica Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 252. As Clutia abyssinica Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 41. Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 185. Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996). Euphorbiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(4) Pages 125 - 127. (Includes a picture). Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 85. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 97.  |