Olea chimanimani Kupicha

chimanimani: of the Chimanimani mountains

Shrub or small tree up to c. 3 m tall. Bark, grey, fairly smooth; young branches rounded, hairless. Leaves opposite, oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, up to c. 7.5 cm long, thinly leathery, dark green above, paler and dull green below with a prominent midrib, both surfaces pitted but without scales; apex with a sharp tip; margin entire; petiole 4-6 mm long. Flowers small, in many-flowered terminal heads or in the upper leaf axils, whitish or cream. Fruit ellipsoid, c. 8 × 6 mm.

Locally frequent

restricted to the Chimanimani Mts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Olea chimanimani is an olive shrub or small tree, growing 2–3 meters tall, in the family Oleaceae. It is found only in the Chimanimani Mountains (whence its name), which lay on the border dividing Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Confined only to a relatively small (600 km2) area, it is locally common, growing in scrub vegetation among quartzite cliffs.