Sideroxylon lanuginosum Michx. subsp. oblongifolium (Nutt.) T. D. Penningt., chittamwood, gum bumelia, coma. Scrub to small tree, semi–evergreen or deciduous, somewhat spinescent with certain stems terminating in sharp, glabrescent spine, in range to 7 m tall; shoots having vigorous new shoots often 2–dimensional (plagiotropic), old buds sometimes with leaf clusters (fascicles) on unexpanded shoots, immature foliage velveteen on lower surface.
Stems ridged, 3–ridged from leaf, tomentose having most hairs appressed and oriented along axis.
Leaves helically alternate, simple, petiolate, without stipules; petiole channeled above midpoint, 2—11 mm long, densely tomentose, having blade attached on sides; blade obovate to broadly oblanceolate or elliptic, (15—)30—75 × (9—)18—30 mm, tapered at base, entire, acute to obtuse or rounded at tip (notched), pinnately veined with veins slightly sunken on upper surface and principal veins raised on lower surface, upper surface initially short–tomentose and soft–hairy aging glossy green and less pubescent to glabrescent with some hairs along midrib and conspicuously veiny, lower surface tomentose to woolly–tomentose (lanuginose) with tawny hairs.
Inflorescence dense cluster appearing axillary on unexpanded lateral shoots with 1—several leaves, several—15+–flowered, bracteate, densely woolly–tomentose; pedicel at anthesis 4.5—8 mm long increasing somewhat in fruit, densely woolly–tomentose; bractlet subtending pedicel ovate, < 1 mm long; dried at anthesis.
Flower bisexual, radial, 2—2.5 mm across (not spreading), mildly and sweetly fragrant like honeysuckle (Lonicera); sepals 5, somewhat dimorphic, outer 2 sepals opposite, acute broadly ovate and overlapping inner sepals, in range 2.2—2.4 × 2.2—2.4 mm, green and densely short–hairy with tawny hairs; inner 3 sepals ± truncate; corolla 5–lobed with each lobe having (1—)2 lateral, lobelike appendages, ca. 3 mm long, pale yellow to pale light yellow aging white and greenish white to pale yellow; tube ± cylindric, to midpoint; central lobe rhombic–ovate, ca. 1 mm wide, appendages ± ovate, < central lobe, margins somewhat jagged and inrolled; stamens 5, opposite and fused to base of corolla lobes, alternating with 5 staminodes; filaments of stamens 1—1.3 mm long, white to pale yellow; anthers dorsifixed, dithecal, arrow–shaped, ca. 0.7 mm long, colorless aging pinkish, longitudinally and outwardly dehiscent; pollen white; staminode triangular and petal–like, ± 2 mm long and as long as corolla lobes, often with basal lobes (auriculate); pistil 1, 1.8—2 mm long; ovary superior, ovoid, pale green densely covered with appressed, stiff hairs, minutely 5–chambered, each chamber with 1 ovule; style somewhat flat–sided, ± 0.7 mm long, pale green, truncate at tip.
Fruit berry, 1–seeded, spheric, 9.5—10 mm, black with tiny lighter spots, glabrescent with some hairs around slender beak (style), the beak 1 mm long; mesocarp juicy, green; calyx lobes appressed to base of berry, rounded, 2—2.5 mm long, hairy; pedicel ca. 10 mm long.
Seed broadly ellipsoid, 7.2—8.8 × 5.4—6.1 mm, glossy black with yellowish and orangish cap at basal attachment, with several lengthwise lines of veins in pulp.
A. C. Gibson