Changes

In Côte d’Ivoire the leaf sap is taken as a purgative and emetic in the treatment of poisoning and ascites. Powdered dried leaves are sometimes taken as an aphrodisiac. In Kenya the honey from the flowers is considered to be poisonous, causing joint problems.

Monoecious, unbranched shrub or small tree up to 4(–9) m tall; young twigs densely short-hairy. Leaves alternate, crowded at twig ends, simple; stipules linear to lanceolate, 3–4 (–15) mm long, rough hairy; petiole up to 1.5 cm long, densely hairy; blade elliptical-oblanceolate to oblong-elliptical, (10–)25–40 cm × 5–12 cm, base cuneate, apex acuminate, margins toothed, leathery, sparingly short-hairy above, densely hairy beneath, later often glabrescent, pinnately veined with 20–25(–30) pairs of lateral veins. Inflorescence an axillary raceme up to 25 cm long, with flowers in interrupted clusters, usually each cluster consisting of 1 female and several male flowers; axis densely hairy; bracts triangular-ovate, c. 2 mm long, short-hairy. Flowers unisexual, sweet–scented; pedicel (3–)5–6 mm long; petals absent; male flowers with 2–4, ovate to lanceolate sepals, 4–5 mm long, hairy outside, greenish to white, disk glands numerous, bright orange, stamens 30–120, free, 5–7 mm long; female flowers with 5–9, triangular-ovate sepals 3–4 mm long, hairy outside, disk annular, ovary superior, c. 2 mm in diameter, slightly 3-lobed, 3-celled, densely hairy, styles 3, c. 3 mm long, recurved, stout, fused at base, yellow. Fruit a 3-lobed capsule c. 7 mm × 13 mm, smooth, evenly short-hairy, green, 3-seeded. Seeds nearly globose, c. 5 mm × 4 mm, smooth, brown-marbled.

''Argomuellera'' comprises 11 species, 5 of which occur in continental tropical Africa and 6 in Madagascar and the Comoros. ''Argomuellera macrophylla'' is the only species with a wide distribution area.

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