Club-fruited Cola vs Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Cola clavata compared with Chiropodomys major

Key Differences

• Club-fruited Cola is Endangered while Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Club-fruited Cola	Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse
Kingdom	Plantae (plante)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Malvales (Malvales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Malvaceae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Cola	Chiropodomys
Species	Cola clavata	Chiropodomys major

Conservation Status

Club-fruited Cola

EN — Endangered

Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Club-fruited Cola	Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Club-fruited Cola

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Club-fruited Cola

Cola clavata is a tropical tree in the family Malvaceae (formerly Sterculiaceae) native to the rainforests of West and Central Africa. The genus Cola comprises approximately 125 species, mostly trees and shrubs distributed across the African continent, and is well known for the caffeine-containing cola nut (C. nitida and C. acuminata) used in traditional ceremonies and as a flavoring. C. clavata is named for its club-shaped fruits, which are follicular. Like other Cola species, it is an understory to mid-canopy tree of lowland and submontane tropical rainforest. The species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting ongoing habitat loss due to deforestation for agriculture, logging, and human settlement in its West and Central African range countries. African rainforests harbor exceptional tree diversity, and many cola species have restricted ranges within specific forest blocks. Pollinators of Cola species are poorly understood but likely include small insects attracted to the apetalous flowers that lack petals and instead have colorful sepals. Propagation and ex situ conservation of C. clavata have not been widely pursued, underscoring the importance of protecting its remaining forest habitat.