Cylicomorpha is a plant genus consisting of two species that are native to the African tropics. They are the only African representatives of the Caricaceae,[1] and are consequently related to the papaya.
| Cylicomorpha | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Caricaceae |
| Genus: | Cylicomorpha Urb., 1901 |
| Species | |
| |
They have the habit of bottle trees,[2] and their soft, dilated trunks are armed with short conical spines. The leaves are digitately lobed.[3] They are strictly dioecious,[1][2] and like all Caricaceae, produce abundant milky sap when damaged.[1] The inflorescences are axillary. The male panicles hold many flowers, while the female flowers are solitary or borne in small numbers on short racemes.[4]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| C. parviflora Urb. | eastern Kenya, Tanzania | |
| C. solmsii (Urb.) Urb. | Cameroon | |
They occur as tall-growing, pioneer plants in moist submontane habitats, where they are local but gregarious.[3] The western species, C. solmsii is locally threatened by clearance for agriculture and wood, and may be extinct at Mount Cameroon and at Barombi, Kumba.[3]
The fruit of both species are eaten by birds and primates.[1]
Extant Caricaceae species | |
|---|---|
| Carica |
|
| Cylicomorpha |
|
| Horovitzia |
|
| Jacaratia |
|
| Jarilla |
|
| Vasconcellea |
|
| Taxon identifiers |
|---|