Anthonotha fragrans (Baker f.) Exell & Hillc.

Medium-sized to large tree, (20–)30–45 m tall, dbh 30–100(–130)cm; sapwood often with a whitish exudate. Branchlets rusty velutinous, the same indumentum present on stipules outside, petioles, rachis, and petiolules, glabrescent with age. Stipules very early caducous, ± completely united, oblong, 6–7 × 2 mm, glabrous inside. Leaves (1–)3–4(–5)-jugate; petiole ± terete, 0.5–1.5(–4) cm long; rachis ± terete, (1.5–)5–15(–28) cm long; leafl ets: petiolules (2–)3–5 mm thick, terete or grooved above, (2–)3–5(–7) mm long; lamina elliptic to oblong, sometimes obovate, rarely ovate, (1–)1.5– 3 times as long as wide, (4.5–)10–18(–47) × (2.5–)5–7(–15) cm, rounded to obtuse or even cordate at base, rounded to obtuse to truncate-emarginate to shortly acuminate or apiculate at apex, the acumen 1–2(–10) mm long; glabrous above with impressed midrib, ± appressed, brown to silverish shorthairy beneath, midrib and the (11–)13–18(–26) pairs of main lateral nerves prominent beneath, the reticulate, tertiary venation obscured by indumentum. Infl orescence a slender, brown-velutinous, (7–)10–30(–40) cm long compound raceme, the racemes distantly placed along the main axis, 1–2 cm long; bracts very early caducous, triangular-ovate in outline, ± boat-shaped, 1–2 mm long, glabrous inside. Flowers with a strong sweet smell. Pedicel 3–5(–6) mm long, hairy as infl orescence. Bracteoles elliptic, concave, 5–6 × 3–4 mm, subappressed brown short-hairy outside, glabrous to sparsely tomentellous (more densely so towards margin) inside, the edge with a small glabrous zone. Hypanthium 1–1.5 mm long, glabrous. Sepals oblong-triangular, 2–3.5 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, acute at apex, the adaxial one 2.5–3.5 × 3 mm, entire or shortly bilobed in bud, usually distinctly bilobed in open fl ower. Large petal glabrous: claw 2.5–4 mm long; lamina 5–6 × 4 mm in outline, deeply bilobed; small petals 4, triangular-ovate, 1–1.5 mm long, glabrous. Large stamens 3, 9–10 mm long, anthers 1 mm long, fi laments pubescent in basal 2–3 mm; staminodes usually all present, 1–1.5 mm long, fi laments hairy at base, small, dehiscing anthers of 0.2– 0.5 mm long usually present; pistil 10 mm long, ovary 3 mm long, velutinous, 2–3-ovuled, style glabrous. Pods very variable in shape, ± ovoid-ellipsoid to subglobose, 5.5–11 × 4–6 × 2.5–3.5 cm, short-dark-brown velutinous, prominently and ± transversely to somewhat reticulately veined, 1–3-seeded; ventral suture ± fl at, 1.5–3 cm wide, dorsal suture rounded, c. 1 cm broad. Seeds very variable in shape, shortly (semi-) ellipsoid to subquadrangular or pyramidal to lenticular, c. 4 × 3–3.5 × 2–2.5 cm; seed coat fi rm, c. 1 mm thick, smooth, ± dull, brown; cotyledons irregular plano-convex, up to c. 1 cm thick.

Source: Breteler F.J. 2010. Revision of the African genus Anthonotha (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae). Plant Ecology and Evolution 143: 70–99