3612.000 Baphia Afzel. ex G. Lodd.

Brummitt, R.K. (2007) Tribe 2. SOPHOREAE Flora Zambesiaca 3(3)

Fowler, D.G. (2007) Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses, Kew Publishing

Description of the genus

Shrubs, small trees or lianes. Leaves 1-foliolate, with a pulvinus at apex of petiole. Flowers in lax axillary or terminal racemes. Calyx splitting into 2 reflexed lobes or down one line. Petals white with a yellow or orange basal spot. Stamens 10, free. Pod linear-oblong to oblanceolate, sometimes falcate.

Derivation of name: from the Greek: baphe, a dye, referring to a red dye that can be obtained from B. nitida.

Comment: Shrubs, sometimes scrambling or climbing, or trees up to 10 m high. Leaves unifoliolate; leaflet with entire margin, rarely cordate at base; petiole with upper and lower pulvini, these occasionally contiguous and so appearing as one.
Species of this genus are generally thicket-forming, associated with sedimentary sandy soils, sometimes proliferating in woodland or thicket clearings.

Worldwide: 45 species, occurring in tropical and South Africa and Madagascar.

Zambia: 6 taxa.

Baphia massaiensis subsp. obovata var. obovata

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsProvincesContent
bequaertii De Wild. N,W,C,SNw,N,C,SDescription, Image
massaiensis Taub. subsp. floribunda Brummitt NLp,NDescription, Image
massaiensis Taub. subsp. obovata (Schinz) Brummitt var. obovata B,N,W,C,E,SNw,Cb,N,Mc,E,C,Lk,S,WDescription, Image
multiflora Harms subsp. bangweolensis (R.E. Fr.) M. Yu.Gontsch. & PovydyshN,W,CLp,N,CDescription, Image
speciosa J.B.Gillett & Brummitt [End][VU]NNDescription
whitei Brummitt B,WNw

Other sources of information about Baphia:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Baphia
Flora of Caprivi: Baphia
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Baphia
Flora of Mozambique: Baphia
Flora of Zimbabwe: Baphia

External websites:

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

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-24

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2024). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Baphia.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=709, retrieved 29 March 2024

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