Wild-maple | |
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Scientific classification
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Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Apiales |
Family: | Araliaceae |
Subfamily: | Aralioideae |
Genus: |
Seemannaralia R.Vig. |
Species: | S. gerrardii
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Binomial name | |
Seemannaralia gerrardii | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Seemannaralia gerrardii, commonly known as the wild-maple or mock carrot tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae. It is the sole member of genus Seemannaralia, and is endemic to South Africa, where it occurs in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. [2] It was originally included in genus Cussonia. Seemann- and gerrardii commemorate Berthold Seemann and William Gerrard respectively, while -aralia suggests the family or its type genus, Aralia. [3]
A short squat tree of open rocky situations, or a tall tree of forest and forest edge. [3] The rough grey bark is deeply cracked. As with genus Cussonia the leaves are clustered at the ends of branches. The leaf shape is characteristic: maple-like, palmate and 3 to 7 lobed. [3] Leaves turn yellow in autumn.
The small, yellowish green flowers are produced in autumn, [3] in axillary and terminal panicles of umbels. [4] The oval flower petals have an intricate estivation. [5] The superior ovary is 1 [6] or 2- locular, [4] and much compressed laterally. [5] The purplish drupes appear in winter. They are of a flattened, elliptic shape, with lateral veins. [3]