''Uvariopsis guineensis'' is a species of plant in the custard apple family

Annonaceae The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...

. It is native to

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

, and

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

Ronald William John Keay Ronald William John Keay (20 May 1920 – 7 April 1998) was a British botanist, who did much of his work in tropical Africa. Keay was educated at the University of Oxford. He was an expert in West African forest flora working at the Royal Botanic ...

, the botanist who first formally described the species, named it after

, then called French Guinea, where the specimens he examined were collected near a locality he identifies as Fassakoidou.

Description

It is tree reaching 10.7 meters in height. Its flowers occur clusters on the lower trunk. The very fragrant flowers are on hairless

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 are 20 by 4 millimeters. Its flowers have bi-lobed sepals that are 11-12 millimeters in diameter. Its flowers have 4 fleshy, oval to triangular petals that are 5-6 millimeters thick and 18-20 by 14-17 millimeters. The petals are united at their base for 5-7 millimeters. The petals are hairless inside, green on their outer surface and yellow inside. Male flowers have a mass of densely packed, brownish

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s that are collectively 5 millimeters in diameter. The fruit are positioned low on the trunk, near ground level. The fruit are on pedicels that are 6.5 centimeters long. The red fruit are irregular in shape and up to 4.5 centimeters long.

Reproductive biology

The pollen of ''Uvariopsis guineensis'' is shed as permanent tetrads.

Distribution and habitat

It has been observed growing in subtropical and tropical, moist lowland forests under dense canopy.

Uses

Based on interviews with traditional healers in Guinea it has been recorded as being used to treat skin ailments.

References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q17140187 guineensis Plants described in 1952 Flora of Guinea Flora of Ivory Coast Flora of Liberia Flora of Sierra Leone Taxa named by Ronald William John Keay