Humboldtia sanjappae Sasidh. & Sujanapal, Rheedea 17: 21 (2007);
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India (Kerala) as per POWO;
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Medium sized trees, to 20 m. in height and to 40 cm in diameter, bark greenish brown, smooth, blaze red, branchlets stout, terete, glabrous. Leaves pinnate, to 25 cm long, rachis to 10 cm long, terete glabrous; leaflets 4, rarely 2; petiolule 3-5 mm long, glabrous; lamina 5-19 x 3-7.5 cm, elliptic to elliptic-obovate, acute, obtuse or rounded at base, acute or obtusely acuminate at apex, glabrous, chartaceous, lateral nerves 3-5 pairs, slender, arching along the margins, intercostae reticulate, faint; stipule c. 1 x 0.5 cm, obliquely ovate, acute, 5 or 6 nerved, glabrous, basal appendage absent. Flowers in racemes, axillary or from leaf scars, solitary or groups of 2 or 3, to 13 cm long, grayish- white tomentose; bracteoles 2, 4 x 4 mm, lobes oblong, rounded at apex, villous, united at base for about 1 mm long; pedicels 3 mm long, villous. Calyx tube 2.5-3 mm long, lobes 4, subequal, larger one 5 x 2.5 mm, oblong, obtuse, villous, others 5 x 2 mm. Petals 5, subequal, white, larger one obovate, acute, 7 x 5 mm, glabrous, others 8 x 3 mm. Stamens 5, filaments 15-17 mm long, sparsely pilose to the middle, anthers oblong, 2 mm long, versatile. Ovary 1.5 mm long, pilose, ovules 3, style 8-10 mm long, glabrous, stigma capitate. Pod 15-17 x 4 cm, oblong, oblique, widening towards apex, beaked, compressed, smooth, glabrous, upper sutures thickened; seeds 1-2, orbicular, c. 3 cm across, brown, glabrous.
Flowering and fruiting: December-April
Evergreen forests
Southern Western Ghats (Kerala)
(Attributions: Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi as per India Biodiversity Portal)
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Above three images contributed by Dr. M. Sanjappa
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References:
POWO The Plant List Ver.1.1 Flora of Peninsular India India Biodiversity Portal Kerala plants
A new species of Humboldtia Vahl (Fabaceae Caesalpinioideae) from the Western Ghats, India (pdf)- (Abstract: A new species of Humboldtia Vahl is described and illustrated. It was collected from Neriyamangalam forests of ldukki district in Kerala. It is allied to H. vahliana Wight but differs in having smooth glabrous pods and not having basal appendages of stipules)- Nanu Sasidharan and Sujanapal P.- Rheedea 17: 21 (2007)
