Myrianthus holstii Engl.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
By road within the Vumba Botanic Gardens

Photo: Bart Wursten
Near camp site, Chirinda Forest

Photo: Stefaan Dondeyne
Along road up to Mt Tsetsera

Photo: Les Reynolds
Mafinga Mountains, NE Zambia

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Synonyms:	Myrianthus holstii Engl. var. quinquesectus Engl. Myrianthus mildbraedii Peter
Common names:	Hand grenade fruit (English) Myrianthus (English) Pineapple-fruit tree (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Medium-sized deciduous tree. Some specimens may be growing on stilt-roots. A watery latex is present. Leaves large, digitately divided into 5-7 leaflets. Leaflets oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, up to 35 cm, dark green and hairless above, pale grey-green below with conspicuous veining; margin finely toothed. Flowers unisexual on separate trees. Male inflorescences in staghorn-like, branched heads, covered in small greenish flowers with orange-brown stamens (see photos). Female inflorescences in round yellowish heads. Fruit spherical, up to 40 cm, consisting of separate segments, resembling a custard-apple or miniature pineapple, bright yellow when ripe.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	holstii: named after C.H.E.W. Holst (1865-1894), German horticulturalist and plant collector.
Habitat:	In evergreen forest
Altitude range:
Flowering time:	Sep - Dec
Worldwide distribution:	Eastern DRC, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Malawi distribution:	N,C,S
Growth form(s):	Tree.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Berg, C.C. (1991). Cecropiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(6) Pages 77 - 78. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 125. (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 94. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 39. Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Page 153. 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 20. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 234. 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 33. Under Cecropiaceae Steedman, E.C. (1933). Some Trees, Shrubs and Lianes of Southern Rhodesia. Page 5. as Myrianthus arboreus (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 65. Timberlake, J.R., Bayliss, J., Dowsett-Lemaire, F., Congdon, C., Branch, B., Collins, S., Curran, M., Dowsett, R,J., Fishpool, L., Francisco, J., Harris, Kopp, M. & de Sousa, C. (2012). Mt Mabu, Mozambique: Biodiversity and Conservation Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London Page 72. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 90.

Other sources of information about Myrianthus holstii:

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Flora of Burundi: Myrianthus holstii
Flora of Mozambique: Myrianthus holstii
Flora of Zambia: Myrianthus holstii
Flora of Zimbabwe: Myrianthus holstii

External websites:

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