Octolobus is a small genus of trees related to Sterculia and Heritiera. In Thonner's analytical key to the families of flowering plants Octolobus keys out with Heritiera, which suggests that it is closer to the latter. Octolobus can be distinguished by the presence of 8 calyx segments.
There are two or three species, from west and central tropical Africa. There is a recent report of the occurrence of the genus in East Africa, but I do not know whether this represents a new species.
Octolobus spectabilis Welw.
Found in tropical Africa, from Portuguese Congo (Cabinda?) to Gold Coast (Ghana), at least.
Heritiera spectabilis Baill., Octolobus angustatus Hutch., Octolobus grandis Exell, and Sterculia spectabilis (Welw.) Roberty are synonyms of Octolobus grandis.
Octolobus heteromerus K.Schum
Octolobus zenkeri Engl.
From the Cameroons.
Bibliography
© 2003 Stewart Robert Hinsley