5538.000 Combretum Loefl.

Description of the genus

Trees, shrubs, or woody climbers. Leaves opposite, whorled, subopposite or rarely alternate, usually entire; petiole sometimes persisting and forming a ± hooked spine. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, 4-5-merous. Calyx 4-5 (rarely more). Petals usually 4-5, variously coloured. Stamens twice as many as petals, in 1 or 2 series. Ovary inferior. Fruit 4-5-winged. A generally recognisable genus but Schrebera trichoclada in leaf looks very similar. The flowers of many species resemble those of willows (Salix species), hence their common name of Bushwillow.

Worldwide: 250 species in the tropics, excluding Australia

Zambia: 33 taxa.

Insects associated with this genus:
Coeliades forestan (Striped policeman) Food plant
Coeliades pisistratus (Two-pip policeman) Larval foodplant
Hemerophanes Hemerophanes libyra (Variegated Vapourer) Larval food plant
Pseudaphelia apollinaris (Apollo moth) Food plant
Trabala charon Larval foodplant
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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
acutifolium Exell N,W
adenogonium Steud. ex A. Rich.B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
albopunctatum Suess.B,S
apiculatum Sond. subsp. apiculatum B,N,C,E,SDescription, Image
apiculatum Sond. subsp. leutweinii (Schinz) ExellE
aureonitens Engl. & Gilg N
celastroides Welw. ex M.A. Lawson subsp. celastroides [LR-lc]B,N,W,C,SDescription, Image
celastroides Welw. ex M.A. Lawson subsp. laxiflorum (Welw. ex M.A. Lawson) Exell [LR-lc]B,WDescription, Image
collinum Fresen.[Agg]B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
elaeagnoides KlotzschB,C,E,SDescription, Image
engleri Schinz
gillettianum Liben [NrEnd]NDescription, Image
gossweileri Exell B,N,W
hereroense Schinz subsp. hereroense B,C,SDescription, Image
imberbe WawraB,N,SDescription, Image
kirkii M.A. LawsonSDescription
microphyllum KlotzschN,C,E,SDescription, Image
molle R.Br ex G. DonB,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
mossambicense (Klotzsch) Engl.B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
mweroense Baker [End][VU]NDescription, Image
obovatum F. Hoffm.N,C,E,SDescription, Image
padoides Engl. & Diels[DD]CDescription, Image
paniculatum Vent.NDescription, Image
pentagonum M.A. LawsonN
platypetalum M.A.Lawson subsp. baumii (Engl. & Gilg) Exell N,W
platypetalum Welw. ex M.A. Lawson subsp. oatesii (Rolfe) ExellNDescription, Image
platypetalum Welw. ex M.A. Lawson subsp. platypetalum B,N,W,C,S
platypetalum M.A.Lawson subsp. virgatum (Welw. ex M.A. Lawson) Exell N
psidioides Welw.[Agg]B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
psidioides Welw. subsp. psidioides B,N,W,C,E,SDescription
psidioides Welw. subsp. psilophyllum WickensNDescription
schumannii Engl.B,N,S
zeyheri Sond.B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Combretum:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Combretum
Flora of Burundi: Combretum
Flora of Caprivi: Combretum
Flora of the DRC: Combretum
Flora of Malawi: Combretum
Flora of Mozambique: Combretum
Flora of Rwanda: Combretum
Flora of Zimbabwe: Combretum
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Combretum

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Combretum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Combretum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Combretum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Combretum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Combretum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Combretum
JSTOR Plant Science: Combretum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Combretum
Plants of the World Online: Combretum
Tropicos: Combretum
Wikipedia: Combretum

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Nicholas Wightman, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-25

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wightman, N., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2025). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Combretum.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1007, retrieved 13 February 2025

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