Alphonsea ventricosa

Alphonsea ventricosa (Roxb.) Hook. f. & Thomson (Syn: Bocagea ventricosa (Roxb.) Baill.; Uvaria badajamba Roxb.; Uvaria ventricosa Roxb.);

Tree with a short conical crown, about 20-30 m tall and girth of about 1.5-2 m. Bark dark brown, corky, fibrous, branchlets minutely softly tomentose when young, brackish and glabrous when mature. Leaves simple, alternate, oblong to oblong-elliptic, 20-25 x 5-8 cm across, base obtuse or rounded, margin entire, apex acuminate or attentuate, coriaceous, dark green, glabrous above and beneath except on the midrib beneath where it is sparsely minutely pubescent when young, lateral veins 12-18 on either side of the midrib, almost parallel, impressed above and beneath, reticulate veinlets fine and open, petiole stout, puberulous, about 4-6 mm long. Inflorescence short leaf opposed extra axillary racemes. Flowers bisexual, in few flowered fascicles, leaf opposed, greenish white, about 0.6-0.8 cm across, pedicels slender, gradually becoming thicker towards the flower, densely brown tomentose, about 10-15 mm long, bracteoles ovate the base and another about the middle. Sepals 3, broadly ovate, below connate, margins densely ciliate, tomentose outside and glabrous inside. Petals 6, subequal, ovate-oblong, apex acute, thick, brown tomentose outside, glabrous inside, about 10 x 7 mm across, inner petals smaller. Stamens many, oblong, broad, pointed, about 1.5 mm long, connectives broad and slightly apiculate. Carpels about 10, oblong, tapering to the apex, about 3 mm long, stigma subsessile, capitate. Ripe carpels, broadly subglobose or ovoid, about 2.5-3.5 cm long, puberulous, stalk stout, about about 0.4-0.8 cm long, Seeds many, compressed in 2 rows, ovoid or subglobose, immersed in an aromatic yellowish pulp, testa horny, brown.
Mixed forests.
Local Distribution: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal.
Global Distribution: Asia: Bangladesh, India.
(Attributions- Ganeshaiah, K. N., UAS, Bangalore, India. Kailash, B. R., UAS & ATREE, Bangalore, India from India Biodiversity Portal)

Re: Annonacea? : 12 posts by 5 authors. 7 images.

Location Rajnagar Kumarghat Tripura

Kindly identify it

Goniothalamus sp.

I tried to go through comparative images at Annonaceae

I could only feel that it may be some Monoon or Polyalthia species

It could be a species of Alphonsea

Alphonsea elliptica ??

Thanks, …, for the genus id.

Two species may be reported from the area as per Alphonsea

Alphonsea lutea (Roxb.) Hook.f. & Thomson looks different as per images, details and references herein.

It appears close to the other species, Alphonsea ventricosa as per

Plant illustrations, POWO, GBIF (high resolution specimens)

Annona glabra?

No !

Annona glabra is much different.

Thanks, …, for the genus id.

There are only two species reported from India as per Alphonsea

It looks different from Alphonsea lutea

To me it appears close to the other species Alphonsea ventricosa as per

POWO GBIF Plant illustration Flora of Peninsular India

Thank you very much. I agree with your identification. Alphonsea ventricosa

Edible fruit tree ID : 16 posts by 5 authors. 3 images- 1 & 6 mb and 189 kb.

I would appreciate your help in identifying this tree species.

Its a medium-sized tree. Fruits edible.

Photo taken: June 2020, 100 m elevation.

I do not think its Diospyros.

Kindly check Myristicaceae, genus Knema.

Knema tenuinervia subsp. tenuinervia W. J. de Wilde ??

Thank you … One more photo hope it helps.

Attachments (1)- 1 mb.

Please try to post such clear images. This is some Miliusa species of Annonaceae.

Can it be Miliusa roxburghiana (Wall.) Hook. f. & Thomson as per GBIF – Specimen ?

This is the species which I found to be close as per Checklist of Nepal.

I could not find a match as per comparative images at Annonaceae‎

Thank you for your concern.

I got a fresh photo from the field. Please have a look.

According to recent Nepal flora, Milliusa roxburgiana is single seeded.

http://www.floraofnepal.org/sys/scripts/accountlibrary/getaccount.php

But it has 12-17 seeds in a fruit.

Maybe this photo helps.
Attachments (1)- 6 mb.

This is a species of Alphonsea

Uvaria hamiltonii Hook. f. & Thomson or Alphonsea ventricosa (Roxb.) Hook.f. & Thomson ??

Thanks, …

It looks different from Uvaria hamiltonii Hook. f. & Thomson as per GBIF– specimen 1 and specimen 2

It is Alphonsea ventricosa only as per images and details herein and as per GBIF– Specimen, which is found in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Meghalya; Bangladesh as per BSI Flora of India (though not recorded in Annonaceae in Flora of Nepal, published online in 2012 and also in Checklist of Nepal).

Thank you very much. Based on fruit, Bark and leaf characteristics you rightly pointed that it is Alphonsea ventricosa.

Yes its not been reported in Nepal flora which is not a surprise to me. Nepali botanists need to work a lot on tropical plants.