Nothopegia racemosa

Nothopegia racemosa (Dalzell) Ramamoorthy, Fl. Hassan Distr. 377 1976. (Syn: Glycicarpus edulis Dalzell; Glycicarpus racemosa Dalzell);

Synonym : Glycycarpus racemosus Dalz.; Nothopegia dalzellii Gamble var. angustifolia Gamble as per Biotik;

Naicheru in Malyalam

Habit- Trees, up to 15 m tall.

Trunk & Bark- Bark finely fissured, blaze brown.

Branches and Branchlets- Branchlets stout, glabrous.

Exudates- Latex black and scanty.

Leaves- Leaves simple, alternate, spiral; petiole 1-2.7 cm long, stout, glabrous, usually twisted; lamina 8-23 x 3.5-6.2 cm, oblong to oblanceolate, apex acuminate, base acute, margin slightly undulate, glabrous, coriaceous, glaucous beneath; midrib slightly raised above; secondary nerves 9-25 pairs, nearly parallel; tertiary nerves weakly percurrent.

Inflorescence / Flower- Inflorescence axillary racemes, 2-4 cm long, rusty pubescent; flowers polygamous.

Fruit and Seed- Drupe, reddish, oblate, 1 x 1.5 cm, apiculate, 1-seeded

Understorey trees in low elevation evergreen to semi-evergreen or secondary moist deciduous forests.

India and Sri Lanka; in the Western Ghats South and Central Sahyadri

(Attributions- B. R. Ramesh, N. Ayyappan, Pierre Grard, Juliana Prosperi, S. Aravajy, Jean Pierre Pascal, The Biotik Team, French Institute of Pondicherry from India Biodiversity Portal)

Images by P. Santhan (Inserted by J.M.Garg)