Dalechampia capensis A. Spreng.

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Habit
Escarpment miombo woodland
Mitwaba area, Haut-Katanga Province
Apr 2025
Photo: Nick Wightman

Leaf
Escarpment miombo woodland
Mitwaba area, Haut-Katanga Province
Apr 2025
Photo: Nick Wightman

Flower
Escarpment miombo woodland
Mitwaba area, Haut-Katanga Province
Apr 2025
Photo: Nick Wightman

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:	Dalechampia kirkii Prain Dalechampia volubilis E.Mey ex Baill.
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:
Description:	A prostrate creeping or climbing perennial herb; stems up to 3.5 m long from a woody rootstock, hirsute and pubescent. Stipules 5–6 mm long, lanceolate. Petioles 3–6.5 cm long. Leaves 5-partite; the median lobe 5.5–11 × 1–2.5 cm, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, acute at the apex, serrate to subentire, constricted at the base, lateral nerves in 10 pairs; the lateral lobes slightly successively smaller; base of the leaf deeply cordate. Inflorescences axillary; peduncles 4–16 cm long, leafless or with a small tripartite leaf near the base; bract stipules the same as the foliar stipules; bracts 3.5–6 × 1.5–4 cm, ovate in outline, 3-lobed, the abaxial somewhat more deeply lobed than the adaxial, the lobes lanceolate, acute or subacute, glandular-serrate, rounded-cuneate, truncate or shallowly cordate at the base, 7–9-nerved from the base, pubescent without, glabrous within, pale lemon-yellow to greenish-yellow. Male peduncles 5 mm long, involucre 8 mm across, (7)9–11-flowered; mass of fused bracts and aborted flowers adaxial, flattened. Male flowers: pedicels 3 mm long; calyx lobes 5, 2 mm long, ovate or lanceolate, subglabrous; stamens c. 25.Female bracts 4, very unequal; the adaxial bracts 1.5 × 2 mm and bifid, the abaxial bracts 2 × 3 mm and bifid to 5 × 3 mm and ovate, the lateral bracts 1–2 × 0.5–1 mm, elliptic; bracts all ciliate. Female flowers subsessile, but developing pedicels up to 1 cm long in fruit; sepals 10–12, sepal rhachis 1 mm long and extending to 1–1.5 cm in fruit, linear, lateral lobules of the sepals 10–11-paired, gland-tipped, pubescent and with urticating hairs; ovary 1 mm in diameter, pubescent; stylar column 0.8–1 cm long, dilated and excavated at the apex. Fruit 5 × 9 mm, ± smooth, hispidulous, reddish-brown or blackish. Seeds 4 × 4 mm, ± smooth, brownish, streaked or mottled with pale grey.
Type location:	South Africa
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	capensis: of the Cape
Habitat:
Altitude range: (metres)
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Worldwide distribution:	DRC, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa
FZ divisions:
Growth form(s):	Climber.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:	Byblia ilithyia (Larval foodplant) Eurytela dryope angulata (Larval foodplant)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	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 41. Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996). Euphorbiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(4) Pages 240 - 241. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 56.

Other sources of information about Dalechampia capensis :

Our websites:

Flora of Zambia: Dalechampia capensis
Flora of Zimbabwe: Dalechampia capensis

External websites:

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