Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Open Access

Abstract

Morphological Relationship among Three Chrysophyllum Species and their Taxonomic Implication

Inyama CN, Mbagwu FN and Duru CM

Morphological studies of Chrysophyllum albidum, C. cainito and C. subnudum were investigated to confirm their inter-specific relationship. Results show that they are trees; the barks of C. albidum and C. subnudum are pale-grayish brown while that of C. cainito is scaly and brown. Leaves are elliptic in C. albidum; elliptic to obovate in C. cainito and lanceolate in C. subnudum. Sepal colour for C. albidum is greenish-yellow, C. cainito is purplishwhite, while C. subnudum is white. Fruits are berries. Fruit colour varies per species when ripe, for C. albidum, it is yellow; for C. cainito, purple-pink and for C. subnudum dark green. Morphology of the three Chrysophyllum species investigated matched with that already described by some authors and showed intraspecific relationship among them.