Gomphia serrata

Vernacular names : Tamil: Ramanchi Malayalam: Aneperala; Chavakampu; Chavetti; Chokatti; Valarmani

India: W. Ghats from sea level to 1500 m. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala; Sri Lanka & S.E. Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, Java, Philippines, Celebes) as per BSI flora of India;

Sumatra (incl. Bangka Isl.), peninsular Malaysia (throughout), Singapore,
Borneo, Philippines (Luzon, Mindoro, Culion, Busuanga, Balabac, Masbate,
Romblon, Panay, Guimaras, Negros, Mindanao), Palawan, Sulawesi, E-Thailand,
Laos, Karimundjawa Isl., Vietnam, Myanmar [Burma] (Taninthayi), India
(Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala), Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Java as per Catalogue of Life;

Habit- Small trees up to 5 m tall.

Branches and branchlets- Branchlets subterete, glabrous.

Leaves- Leaves simple, alternate, distichous; stipules caducous and leaving scar; petioles 0.2-0.6 cm long, planoconvex, glabrous; lamina 5-15 x 1.5-4.5 cm, narrow elliptic to elliptic-oblong, apex acute to acuminate with mucronate tip, base acute to attenuate, margin serrate, shining above, glabrous beneath; midrib raised above; secondary nerves many anastomizing with double intramarginal nerves; tertiary nerves closely reticulate.

Inflorescence / Flower- Inflorescence terminal and axillary cymes; flowers many; pedicels up to 1 cm long.

Fruit and Seed- Drupe, fleshy, 5 or fewer drupes seated on the enlarged disk, purple; seed 1 per drupe.

Trees along the margins of evergreen forests and in open formations, up to 1200 m.

Indomalayasia; in the Western Ghats- occasional in South, Central and south Maharashtra Sahyadris.

(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)