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Alchornea tiliifolia (Benth.) Müll.Arg., Linnaea 34: 168 1865. (syn: Alchornea villosa (Benth.) Müll.Arg.; Alchornea villosa var. lanceolata Müll.Arg.; Alchornea villosa var. latisepala Hook.f.; Alchornea zollingeri Hassk.; Aparisthmium sumatranum Rchb. & Zoll.; Bleekeria zollingeri (Hassk.) Miq.; Croton chiamala Wall. [Invalid]; Stipellaria tiliifolia Benth.; Stipellaria villosa Benth.; Stipellaria zollingeri Miq.);
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India: Subtropical evergreen forests at 500 – 1500 m altitudes. West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Andaman & Nicobar Islands; Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Sumatra, Java and Borneo as per BSI Flora of India;
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Sikkim to Indo-China and W. Malesia as per WCSP;
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Assam; Bangladesh; Borneo; East Himalaya; Jawa; Laos; Malaya; Myanmar; Nicobar Is.; Sumatera; Thailand; Vietnam as per Catalogue of Life;
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Shrub or small tree, branchlets. Leaves ovate, 10-20*4-12cm, finely acuminate, base rounded or broadly cuneate, margins serrulate, pubescent on veins beneath, 3-veined at base with discoid glands between veins, petioles 5-15cm, bearing 2 subulate stipules 1.5-2mm, at apex stipules subulate 4-6mm. Dioceious ?; male spikes 2-4 cluatered in axils of fallen leaves, 3-10cm, flowes clustered mjinute subsessile, sepals 1mm, female racemes terminal, flowers borne singly, sepals 4-5mm. Capsules ellipsoid, 12-16mm, warted. May-July
Subtropical forests
(Attributions- Grierson A.J.C &Long D.G. Flora of Bhutan. Volume 1 Part 3. Published by RBGE 1987 from Bhutan Biodiversity Portal)
. Alchornea tiliifolia (Benth.) Müll.Arg. in Linnaea 34: 168. 1865. Stipellaria tiliifolia Benth. in Hooker’s J. Bot., Kew Gard. Misc. 6: 4. 1854 (as tiliaefolia).
Location: Nagaland.
Photographer: Dr. Santanu Dey
Habit: Shrubs or trees, 1 – 5 m high.
Habitat: Tropical evergreen forests between 500-1500 m altitudes.
Distribution: India (West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Sumatra, Java and Borneo.
Thank you … for the post which is new to me. Fruit looks like Globba at a first glance. .
Herewith I am attaching the photographs of a species for identification
Habitat-Small tree, Flowers- green minute
From Ganjam, Odisha, India
Euphorbiaceae member, some characters matching with Trewia, I could not find a match as per comparative images at Mallotus
this looks like Croton caudatua.
CROTON CAUDATUS
This appears to be a very interesting plant. The leaves/petioles as well as the capsules of Croton caudatus are said to be densely hairy–hispid unlike the plant in this thread.
I think it is more in line with Alchornea mollis (Benth.) Müll.Arg. Yes, I fully agree. This is Alchornea mollis. The range of distribution of the species is thus extended southwards to Odisha. I think it may be Alchornea tiliifolia (Benth.) Müll.Arg. as per images and details herein and as per keys in Flora of China, as the fruits appear to be tuberculate. I think you are right. The tuberculate capsules are indicative of Alchornea tiliifolia (Benth.) Müll.Arg.
There is an interesting post from 2016 in the archives which appears to be of Alchornea mollis (Benth.) Müll.Arg. Here is the link: efi thread
Welcome. I am aware of all the 3 species of Alchornea in India. The dividing lines between A. mollis and A. tiliifolia are narrow. So, one needs to see the undersurface of the leaves for a conclusive decision. The present images are not showing the lower surface clearly. We are unable to know about the foliar glands and the nature of pubescence. Till then, the identity will remain doubtful.
What do you think based on fruit character? Well, here the fruits are subglobose and smooth, not tuberculate, unlike Alchornea tiliifolia.  Attaching a cropped version of the second photograph in this thread. After Garg ji’s observation, I zoomed into the image and was able to discern several protuberances on the surface of some of the capsules. Would these qualify as tubercles? Flora of China says “Capsule subglobose, ca. 10 mm in diam., tomentulose” for Alchornea mollis Bentham ex Müller Argoviensis and
Capsule ellipsoid, 6-8 mm in diam., puberulent, tubercled for Alchornea tiliifolia (Bentham) Müller Argoviensis I think it is Alchornea tiliifolia (Bentham) Müller Argoviensis only.
Please go ahead with A. tiliifolia. . References: Catalogue of Life The Plant List Ver.1.1 WCSP IPNI POWO BSI Flora of India Flora of China FOC illustration India Biodiversity Portal Useful Tropical Plants asianplant Bhutan Biodiversity Portal |
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