Philenoptera violacea

General Info – Summary

This graceful Tree is up to 20m high.  Damaged parts may release a red sap.  Bark and roots are toxic.  The imparipinnate greyish Leaves have up to 3 pairs of opposite leaflets with a much larger single end one.  The whitish, blue or violet, scented pea-like, zygomorphic bisexual Flowers are in racemes.  9 + 1 free stamens and an incurved stigma are present.  The Fruit is a suspended, indehiscent pod with 2-4 reniform seeds.

Description

Previous Names: Capassa violacea, Derris violacea, Lonchocarpus capassa, Lonchocarpus violaceus, Millettia sutherlandii.

SA Tree No. 238.

Common names: (Afr) Appelblaar, Olifantsoor, Raasboom, Stamperhout.  (Eng) Apple-leaf, Lance tree, Panda tree, Rain tree.  (isiZulu) Umbandu, Umphanda, Umbhandu, Isihomohomu.  (Northern Sotho) Mphata.  (Setswana) Mopororo.  (siSwati) Isihomuhomu, Sihomuhomu, Umhomuhomu, Umphandvo.  (Tshivenda) Mufhanda.  (Tsonga) Mbhandzu, Mbhandu.

Family: Fabaceae, or Leguminosae (Pea, bean or legume family).  After the Orchidaceae and the Asteraceae, the Fabaceae is the third largest Angiosperm (flowering plants) family with 700+ genera and close to 20 000 species.  Local Tree genera on this website include Acacia (Vauchellia, Senegalia), Albizia, Bauhinia, Bolusanthus, Burkea, Calpurnia, Colophospermum, Cordyla, Cyclopia, Dichrostachys, Erythrina, Erythrophleum, Faidherbia, Indigofera, Mundulea, Philenoptera, Piliostigma, Schotia and Xanthocercis.  The Fabaceae are recognisable by their fruit and by their pinnately compound Leaves.  Leaves may also be simple – even bilobed and usually have stipules – some of which may be spinescent.  Leaflets are usually entire.  Flowers are bisexual and bracteate.  Regular flowers usually have 4-5 sepals and the same number of petals.  Irregular flowers have 4-5 sepals and 5 or less petals.  Stamens have anthers that have 2 pollen sacs and there are usually at least twice the number of stamens as petals – often 10.  The superior Ovary has 1 locule containing 1 or more ovules.  The Stigma and Style are simple.  The single carpel develops into the Fruit, which is usually a pod.  The mature pods dehisce or break into segments.  Seeds vary.

Name derivation: Philenoptera – tractable wing (on the pod).  violacea – violet colour of flowers.

Conservation: National Status: L C. (Least Concern).  Assessed: 2018/11/08. (L. von Staden).

Tree

This Protected Tree in South Africa is up to 20m high (usually less) and has a slender, twisted Stem or trunk.  This is the main axis of the plant, the leaf and flower bearing axis.  The tree has a relatively sparse rounded crown (photo 109).  In this photo the ends of the branches are drooping.  The whole branch may also droop.  The base of the trunk is usually unbranched and often hollow in old trees.  Young branches are hairy.  The variable Bark (photos 825 & 51) may be smooth and blotchy white, light grey-brown or grey and may flake in strips.   The smooth bark may crack (photo 825) revealing creamy yellow below.  A sticky red Sap may exude from cut bark.

Leaves

On this deciduous or evergreen tree, the widely spaced apart Leaves are a distinctive pale grey-green and velvety when young.  Leaves are pinnately compound (once divided leaf blades with leaflets (leaf-like parts of a compound leaf) that are arranged on both sides of the Rachis (the main axis of a compound structure – in this case bearing leaflets – not flowers).  The leaves are up to 28cm long and are imparipinnate (compound leaf ending in a single leaflet – photo 110).   The Leaflets are slightly glossy above (phots 110) and greyish green below (photo 111).  In this plant there are up to 3 pairs of opposite leaflets (1 pair in photo 110) and the usually much larger, often rounded single terminal leaflet (photo 110).  Here the velvety Petiole (leaf stalk) may reach 9cm long with a thickened base (photo 110).  Each of the paired leaflets is up to 13 x 6cm and ovate (egg shaped) to oblong with thick, short Petiolule (stalks of leaflets – photo 111).  The single longer terminal leaflet has a much longer petiolule (photo 110).  Stipules (basal appendage of the petiole – photo 110) are present – at least initially.  There are fine Stipels (secondary stipules) at the base of the leaflets (photo 110).   The Margin is almost entire (with a continuous margin, not in any way indented).  The Apex is broadly tapering to rounded with a hair-like tip and the Base is rounded to tapering.  The terminal leaflet usually has a rounder apex.  Venation is distinctive on both sides.  The vein details are best seen if the leaflet is held against a strong light (photo 114) and examined with a hand lens.  Here the veins linking the side veins are tiny and extend close to 90 degrees.  The leaflets are densely velvety – mainly when young.  The initially soft leaves become hard, rough and leathery on the upper side.

Flowers

This graceful tree is most attractive when flowering.  The scented, pea shaped Flowers are whitish, blue or violet and arranged in unbranched inflorescences (inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem) that may reach 30cm long.  They occur at the ends of stems – before or with the new leaves and develop in hanging Racemes (simple elongated inflorescence with stalked flowers that open in succession towards the apex).  The racemes may reach 30cm long.  Individual flowers are up to 1,5cm long and are bisexual and zygomorphic (floral parts unequal in size or form so that the flower is capable of division into essentially symmetrical halves by only one longitudinal plane passing through the axis).  The outer surface of the Calyx is hairy and consists of 5 velvety-grey Sepals with lobes that are shorter than the tube.  The upper two lobes are joined almost to their tips.  The Corolla is made up of 5 Petals arranged as follows: the uppermost and largest is the Vexillum (standard petal).  This has a white portion in its centre – contrasting with its blue to violet colour.  Below and on both sides are the 2 Wing petals.  Finally, the remaining 2 joined Keel petals are innermost at the base.  Petals surround the 10 Stamens.  Nine stamens are Monadelphous (the stamens fused by their filaments to form a single, compound structure).  The tenth “vexillary” stamen is free to its base.  Anthers are uniform and dehisce through longitudinal slits.  The Stamens surround the single Pistil (a unit of the Gynoecium, the female element of the flower, composed of the Ovary, Style and Stigma) with its superior Ovary.  The Style is incurved and the small Stigma is capitate (formed like a head).  Bees are involved in Pollination.  (Sep-Nov).

 Fruit

The large, creamy grey, down hanging (photo 06), Fruit is an indehiscent flattish Pod (a dry fruit) that is up to 15cm x 3,5cm (usually less).  The suspended pods are distinctive.  These pods taper at both ends (photo 06) and may have an extension that is wing-like on 1 side.  This is the only species with this structure.  The remains of terminal Styles are still present (photo 06).  The 2-4 Seeds are compressed and reniform (kidney shaped – photo 34).  (Dec-Aug).

Distribution & Ecology

These Trees occur in wooded grassland and savanna (a rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees, which can be found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome) and Bushveld (is a sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of southern Africa).  Large trees are often close to water, at medium to low altitudes and may occur on termite mounds.  They occur from Maputaland northwards into tropical Africa.  This tree is sensitive to fire.  Ptyelus grossus is a spittlebug, which cover itself with a protective foam while sucking the plant sap.  This occurs to such an extent that it causes the tree to “rain” for a week or more – hence the common name “rain tree”.  As a result, puddles may develop below the tree.   This spittlebug is found in southern and West Africa and may affect other trees.  Some Butterflies benefit from this plant.  Provincially these plants occur in the Eastern Cape, Northern KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga lowveld – common in the North West and the Kruger National Park – especially near Pafuri where elephants consume the leaves and branches.  Beyond South Africa, they are widespread in Mozambique, Eswatini (Swaziland), Northern and Eastern Namibia (Caprivi Strip), Botswana, Angola, Zambia and Tanzania – into tropical Africa.  Plant wounds result in leaking of a sticky red exudate.  Animals consume the Leaves, and elephants also eat the Stems.  Giraffes consume leaves and Pods.  Under certain conditions the roots fix atmospheric nitrogen.  This benefits both the plant and the surrounding vegetation.

Ethnobotany

This tree in can withstand several degrees of frost.  The Wood is yellowish, streaked with blue.  It is close grained, reasonably hard and dense but is susceptible to borer attack.  It is used for building poles, canoes e.g. for use in the Okavango Swamps, pots and axe-handles.  It is also used for making maize stamping blocks.  Both wild and domestic animals consume the Leaves.  It would make a good, slow-growing garden tree and will grow from seeds.  However, the tree is severe frost (and fire) sensitive.  Bark and Roots are highly toxic and extracts are used as a fish poison.  Parts are used in traditional medicine.

References

Boon, R. 2010. Pooley’s Trees of eastern South Africa. Flora and Fauna Publications Trust, Durban.

Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lotter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. 2018. Trees and Shrubs Mozambique.  Publishing Print Matters (Pty) Ltd.  Noordhoek, Cape Town.

Coates Palgrave, M. 2002. Keith Coates Palgrave Trees of Southern Africa. edn 3. Struik, Cape Town.

Lawrence, G. H. M, 1951. Taxonomy of Vascular Plants. The Macmillan Company, New York. Tenth Printing 1965.

Palmer, E. & Pitman, N. 1972. Trees of southern Africa. Balkema, Amsterdam, Cape Town.

Schmidt, S. Lotter, M. & McCleland, W. 2002. Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and the Kruger National Park. Jacana, Johannesburg.

von Staden, L. 2018. Philenoptera violacea (Klotzsch) Schrire. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2024.1. Accessed on 2026/01/08.

http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/philenviol.htm

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222028225_Nitrogen_fixation_by_the_savanna_tree_Philenoptera_violacea_Klotzsch_Schrire_Apple_leaf_of_different_ages_in_a_semi-arid_riparian_landscape

http://posa.sanbi.org/flora/browse.php?src=SP