Gymnosporia puberula

Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson, Fl. Brit. India 1: 619 1875. (as per efi thread);
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Maytenus puberula (M.A.Lawson) Loes. (Unresolved), Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2 20b: 136 1942. (Syn: .; Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson) as per The Plant List
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jim-no-SPOR-ee-uh — from the Greek gymnos (naked) and spora (seed) … Origins of Plant Names by D.A. Patil
pub-ER-uh-luh — with tiny hairs … Dave’s Botanary
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Names of Plants in India :: Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson:
via Species‎ > ‎G‎ > ‎ Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson … (family: Celastraceae)

Flowers of India Discussions at efloraofindia more views in flickr more views on Google Earth
jim-no-SPOR-ee-uh — from the Greek gymnos (naked) and spora (seed) … Origins of Plant Names by D.A. Patil
pub-ER-uh-luh — with tiny hairs … Dave’s Botanary
commonly known as: unarmed spike thorn
botanical names: Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson … synonyms: no synonym known
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Photographed at Prabal Machi … 8 JUL 12
… more views at flickr.

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Maytenus puberula (M.A.Lawson) Loes. @ Prabalgad 01-07-2012: Got a chance to go to Prabalgad with a trekking group, had wanted to go there for a long time, after seeing … posts from that area. As was to be expected, it was more of a trek than a flower watching trip – and a difficult one too.
Spotted this large unarmed shrub just short of Prabal machi, about ? 1000 ft asl, the lower surface of the leaf had hairs on the veins (cannot remember whether they were hispid or puberulous); flower size was approx.1cm.
There seems to be some confusion in the taxonomic nomenclature (unresolved in the plant list and not listed at ARS-GRIN and FoC or Fl Pakistan).
The id is based on Fl. Maharashtra 1:241 & 243, but here flowering season is given as Dec-Jan, needs to be checked and FBI 1:619.
The shrub is not listed in Shrikant ji’s Flowers of Sahyadri or Further Flowers of Sahyadri and no image of it was available for comparison in the group database or on the net.
Will appreciate if this post can be validated.

Why not Maytenus senegalensis ?

That’s one of the things I considered …, but according to the keys Maytenus senegalensis is an ‘armed’ plant plus what really was decisive was the hair on the veins below, both FoM & FBI mention it, though the former calls it puberulous and the latter hispid.
I will also like to point out that certain features [in this case – hair on the leaf under-surface] are missed in the field & appreciated only on post-processing. My field id was Maytenus sp.
I am still open to correction provided a logical reason is given.
Trust that answers your query.

Nice to know about yr trek to Prabalgad. Yes, this trek is bit exhaustive but interesting. At the top of Prabalgad underneath Karvi bushes, one can find Christisonia calcarata.

I read your post and looked at your pics with great interest. You are right about the confusion regarding this and related species.
I have found WA Talbot’s Forest Flora of Bombay Presidency and Sind to be very helpful here. Vol 1, (under Gymnosporia)
I think you are most probably correct in your identification because Talbot lists G. puberula as flowering in rainy season. My own photos of G. konkanensis closely resemble your’s except that konkanensis has a spiny habit. I have checked Talbot’s specimens in Blatter herbarium, also. Both species flower at this time.
Dr Almeida has united Maytenus puberula with G. konkanensis but I do not agree at all unless there is variation in the habits of the 2 plants i.e. armed and unarmed. The leaves and flowers appear the same, at least in photographs.
Did you collect samples?
I have not seen this plant anywhere except on Tungareshwar, which is where Talbot collected G. konkanensis.

Thanks for your interest in the post. You really added substance to the thread with your comments, apart from being refreshingly honest.
No, I did not collect samples.

I confirmed this with Ms Jordaan, the authority on the genus Gymnosporia. This is definitely a good species but it should be listed as Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson. It looks very different from Gymnosporia senegalensis. According to a number of studies it is now very clear there is no species of Maytenus in India or anywhere else but South America.

Please clarify me about the Maytenus emarginata (Gymnosporia montana) occurance in india. 

My sighting of the same plant:
Place: along the trail – opening to Prabal Machi, about 1380 ft asl
Time: 8 JUL 2012 and 11 JUL 2010
8 JUL 2012
11 JUL 2010
Same plant …- no doubt.
We will take the elevation to be 1350 ft asl – as I know you were better ‘armed’.
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Celastraceae fortnight :: Gymnosporia puberula at Prabal Machi :: DV07 : 4 images. 1 post by 1 author.
Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson
at Prabal Machi on 08 JUL 12

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Names of Plants in India :: Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson:

jim-no-SPOR-ee-uh — Greek gymnos (naked); spora (seed); referring to the seeds that remain attached and exposed when the fruits dehisce
pub-ER-uh-luh — with tiny hairs … Dave’s Botanary

commonly known as: Konkan spike thorn, unarmed spike thorn • Marathi: कोंकणी हेंकळ Konkani henkal

botanical names: Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson … homotypic synonyms: Maytenus puberula (M.A.Lawson) Loes. … heterotypic synonyms: Gymnosporia gibsonii Kurz • Gymnosporia konkanensis Talbot • Maytenus gibsonii (Kurz) H.B.Naithani & S.Biswas … POWO

Bibliography / etymology

~~~~~ ENGLISH ~~~~~
Konkan spike thorn
  • Flowers of India
  • this name coined for Gymnosporia konkanensis Talbot, which is now considered as synonym of Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson
    Konkan = the region extending from the western coast to the Deccan plateau of India; spike thorn name given to most species of Gymnosporia / Maytenus; other variants: spikethorn OR spike-thorn
  • this species is endemic to Konkan region
unarmed spike thorn
  • this name coined for Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson – which is an unarmed shrub compared to most other species of Gymnosporia of Western Ghats, including Gymnosporia konkanensis Talbot, which is now treated as synonym of Gymnosporia puberula M.A.Lawson
~~~~~ MARATHI ~~~~~
कोंकणी हेंकळ Konkani henkal
  • name given for want of name; कोंकणी Konkani = of or from Konkan; हेंकळ henkal = generic name given to many species of Gymnosporia / Maytenus
~~~~~ x ~~~~~

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Comments

  1. Abhishek T Bhat

    Dear Sir,
    May I get some exact locality of this plant like towards which side of prabal machi or any important easily identifiable associated plants or its lat./long.
    It would be so helpful for me.

    Looking forward to hearing from you