Changes

*''Dodonaea angustifolia'' L.f. (1782).

*Hopbush, switch sorrel, sand olive (En). *Dodonée visqueuse (Fr). *Vassoura vermelha (Po). *Mkaa pwani, mkengata (Sw)

*Dioecious or monoecious multistemmed shrub or single-stemmed small tree up to 7(–9) m tall; bole up to 20 cm in diameter; bark blackish, of variable roughness, thin and exfoliating in long thin strips; twigs blackish or reddish-brown, glandular, developing vertical fissures, uppermost part of young branches greenish and prominently angled. *Leaves alternate, simple; stipules absent; petiole very short, up to 2.5 mm long, or absent; blade oblanceolate or broadly to narrowly elliptical, (1–)4–13 cm × (0.5–)1.5–4 cm, narrowly cuneate at base, obtuse but minutely apiculate at apex, margins entire, both surfaces glabrous but glandular and coated (especially when young) with viscid glandular exudate, with a conspicuous midrib on both sides and 15–20(–30) often indistinct pairs of lateral veins. *Inflorescence a loose thyrsoid panicle at the end of twigs. *Flowers bisexual or unisexual, whitish to greenish-yellow; pedicel 8–15 mm long; sepals 3–4, free, 2–2.5 mm long; petals absent; stamens 7(–9), filaments very short, anthers oblong, up to 3 mm long in male flowers, up to 2 mm long in bisexual flowers and reduced to staminodes or completely lacking in female flowers; ovary superior, oblong in outline, flattened, 2–3-celled, strongly rudimentary in male flowers, style 2–3-lobed. *Fruit a 2–3-winged papery capsule, 15–23 mm × 18–25 mm, white or straw-coloured to brown or purplish, dehiscent by splitting along 2–3 central septa, each cell 2-seeded. *Seeds subglobose, more or less compressed, ca. 3 mm in diameter, black. *Seedling with epigeal germination; hypocotyl 8–16 mm long; cotyledons lanceolate, acute; epicotyl 0.5–1.5 cm long.

The genus ''Dodonaea'' comprises about 60 species, which are almost all restricted to Australia, suggesting Australia is an evolutionary centre of dispersal. In Australia, ''Dodonaea viscosa''is described as having seven subspecies, which are largely geographically distinct. In tropical Africa, 2 varieties of ''DodonaeaviscosaDodonaea viscosa'' are distinguished: the coastal var. ''viscosa'', which has usually bisexual, whitish flowers, a strongly 2-lobed scar of fallen sepals beneath the fruit and not or only slightly compressed seeds, and the mainly inland var. ''angustifolia'' (L.f.) Benth., which has usually shorter and narrower leaves, usually unisexual, greenish-yellow flowers, a more or less annular scar of fallen sepals beneath the fruit and more compressed seeds. These differences are sometimes considered sufficient to distinguish 2 separate species, the latter variety given specific rank (as ''Dodonaea angustifolia'' L.f.).

* G. Pearman , PROTA Country Office UK, Centre for Economic Botany, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, United Kingdom

Pearman, G., 2002. '''Dodonaea viscosa''' Jacq. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. In: Oyen, L.P.A. & Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>. Accessed {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}.

[[Category:PROTA prov]][[Category:Medicinal plants (PROTA)]]