Scutia myrtina

Shrubs evergreen, scandent, straggling, or erect, to 5 m tall, spinescent; branches opposite to subopposite; young branches puberulent; older branches brown or red-brown, striate, glabrous. Spines mostly 2 per node, axillary, 2-7 mm, recurved. Leaves opposite or subopposite; elliptic, 3.5-6 × 1.8-3 cm, leathery, both surfaces glabrous, lateral veins 5-8 pairs, conspicuously raised abaxially, impressed adaxially, base broadly cuneate, margin inconspicuously remotely minutely serrulate, apex shortly acuminate or acute; stipules lanceolate, 2-3 mm, early deciduous; petiole 3-5 mm, glabrous or puberulent; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially shiny, deep green, brown when dry. Flowers yellow-green, few in axillary fascicles or shortly pedunculate in axillary condensed cymes, glabrous. Pedicels 1-2 mm. Sepals (4 or) 5, narrowly triangular, ca. 2 mm, midvein distinctly keeled, apex acute and thickened. Petals (4 or)5, deeply emarginate to deeply bilobed, unguiculate, ca. 1 mm, both sides slightly inflexed, base shortly clawed. Stamens (4 or) 5, surrounded by and equaling petals. Disk glabrous, rather thin and inconspicuous. Ovary globose, base filling calyx tube, but not immersed in disk, 2- loculed; style short, ca. 1 mm, stout; stigma undivided or inconspicuously 2- or 3-lobed. Drupe obovoid-globose, 4-5 mm in diameter, often with rudimentary style at apex, base with persistent calyx tube, with 2 one-seeded stones; fruiting pedicel 3-4 mm, glabrous; seeds brown, flat, obcordate, not furrowed.

Commonly known as ‘Sudali’ [சுடலி] in Tamil. Ripe fruits edible.

Please provide the details required by .., for correct id.
Until then, I just guess this as Scutia myrtina.

Scutia myrtina
A Rhamnaceae member. Also observed on Amboli plateaus in similar habitats.

Shiny Obovate Lvs, Hooked spines — Pls id GE-12-Jan-2013-B: Found this medium shrub growing wild in Chenai outskirts.
Not much info, but thanks for any pointers to the id.

I think this is Scutia myrtina

Thanks for the ref. to this plant erlier not known to me. Looks very likely. I shall look out for flrs/frt

No flowers at this time and so no pictures. A local name in Tamil told to me was sodali or sothali. The bush was about 2 metres tall with small red-tipped curved spines. The 8-10 mm diameter blue drupes had a white powdery sweet pulp. Circular leaves about 2 cm wide.

Looks like Scutia myrtina

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Good description and nice pictures!

Yes, it is Scutia myrtina.

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Thank you all. i got some seeds of this – hopefully i will be able to get some to germinate.

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ANOCT64 Scutia myrtina : 2 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (5).

Bangalore outskirts
20th October 2014

Very beautiful plant and nicely captured … thanks..