Maschalocephalus is a genus of plants in the family Rapateaceae first described in 1900.[1] [2]
As a disjunct, it is the only genus of the family outside of South America, as the genus's only known species is Maschalocephalus dinklagei, native to West Africa (Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone).[3]
The genus name Maschalocephalus combines the Greek μασχάλη, maschalē ("axil") with κεφαλή, kephalē ("head").[4] The specific epithet dinklagei commemorates (1864-1935), a German consul in Monrovia and avid botanical specimens collector.[5]