Cathormion altissimum (Hook.f.) Hutch. & Dandy
var. altissimum

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Puta, Luao River
Aug 1989
Photo: Mike Bingham

Katanga Province, DRC;
Oct 2006
Photo: Jos Stevens

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Synonyms:	Albizia altissima Hook. f. var. altissima
Common names:	Musepa (Bemba)
Frequency:	Locally common
Status:	Native
Description:	Shrub or small tree, to 35 m. high elsewhere, sometimes with blunt spines on water shoots; leaves with a gland near the base of the petiole; pinnae 5-7 pairs; leaflets 11-22 pairs, except the lowermost leaflet unpaired, stalks densely brown pubescent; inflorescence of round heads of white flowers; pod lobed along one or both margins.
Type location:	Ghana and Nigeria
Notes:	The indigenous climbing rattan palm Calamus deeratus is closely associated with this species on the Luao R. The rattan has been unsustainable harvested in the past for weaving furniture.
Derivation of specific name:	altissimum: tallest.
Habitat:	Riverine forest.
Altitude range:	800 - 950 m
Flowering time:	Aug
Worldwide distribution:	In Zambia Lakes Mweru and Tanganyika. Elsewhere from Sierra Leone and South Sudan to Uganda, D.R. Congo and Angola. Also in tropical America.
Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca):	N
Zambian distribution (Provinces):	Lp,N
Growth form(s):	Tree, shrub over 2 m.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:	Lower Risk - least concern
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Wednesday 19 October 2016
Literature:	Brenan, J.P.M. (1970). Mimosoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(1) Pages 136 - 138. as Cathormion altissimum (Includes a picture). Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 55. as Albizia altissima White, F. (1962). Forest Flora of Northern Rhodesia Oxford Univ. Press. Page 91. as Cathormion altissimum

Other sources of information about Cathormion altissimum var. altissimum:

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Flora of the DRC: Cathormion altissimum var. altissimum

External websites:

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