Scattered young, non-flowering individuals of this shrub (?) grow by a roadside near Maspalomas in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands). At this stage, plants are ca. 100-150 cm tall, leaves are trifoliate and the entire plant (especially the youngest parts) is slightly viscid (while drying, plants +/- stick to the paper in the herbarium).
This must be an escaped ornamental shrub or tree but it defeats me...
This plant slightly resembles Brachychiton rupestris, but its leaves usually have more leaflets.
Brachychiton (esp. rupestris) is an interesting suggestion, indeed. It is the best guess so far!
Dear Filip, try with Searsia lancea (L.f.) F.A.Barkley (Rhus lancea). Best wishes
Searsia lancea and (to some extent) leptodictya indeed look quite similar. I will check these possibilities in the herbarium. Thank you all!
I just checked Schonland's monographic study (Bothalia 3) and compared my specimens with authentic African plant material in our herbarium. I confirm S. lancea! It is a locally invasive species outside of its native range, for instance in parts of the southern USA.
Thank you all for your assistance!
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