Monodora grandidieri is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, and Tanzania.[1] Henri Ernest Baillon, the French botanist who first formally described the species, named it after the French naturalist and explorer Alfred Grandidier who collected the specimen Baillon examined.[2] It has been reported to be used as a traditional medicine by the Giriama and Digo people of Kenya.[3]
It is a tree reaching 12 meters in height. Its branches have lenticels. Its leaves are 20–24 by 1.5–8.2 centimeters and come to a point at their tips. Its petioles are 2–3 millimeters long. Its flowers are solitary and appear before young leaves. Each flower is on a thin, lightly hairy pedicel 2–5.7 centimeters long. Its flowers have 3 sepals that are 1–2 by 3–5.5 centimeters with wavy, densely hairy margins. The sepals curve backwards and are green or red with green veins. Its 6 petals are arranged in two rows of 3. The outer petals are light yellow with green or red highlights, curve backwards, and come to a point at their tips. The outer petals are 3.7–6.5 by 0.5–1.8 centimeters, have wavy margins, and are densely hairy on their outer surface. The inner petals are similarly colored, have a 0.7–0.9 centimeter long claw at their base and a 1.2–1.6 centimeter wide blade. Its stamens are 1 millimeters long. Its smooth, green and white fruit are 5–7.5 by 4-4.5 centimeters in diameter. Its light brown seeds are 1.3–2.6 by 1-1.8 by 0.9–1.1 centimeters.[4]
The pollen of M. grandidieri is shed as permanent tetrads.[5]