Diospyros saldanhae

Diospyros saldanhae Kosterm., J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 74: 326 1977. ;

Images by Dinesh Valke, Indentified by (Inserted by J.M.Garg)

Habit- Trees up to 10 m tall.

Trunk & Bark- Bark black, smooth; blaze pale red.

Branches and Branchlets- Branchlets densely long (to 0.25 cm) hairy.

Leaves- Leaves simple, alternate, distichous; petiole 0.2-0.4 cm long, stout, densely hirsute; lamina 5-14 x 2.2-6 cm oblong or oblanceolate, apex bluntly acute to acuminate, base rounded to subcordate, subcoriaceous, densely soft hairy on both surface when young, later become glabrous above except on midrib; secondary nerves 6-11 pairs; tertiary nerves broadly reticulate.

Inflorescence / Flower- Flowers unisexual; female flowers clusters of 1-3, axillary.

Fruit and Seed- Berry, conical or ellipsoid-ovate with dense rufous bristles; fruiting calyx lobes oblong; seeds 3-4.

Understorey tree in evergreen forests, up to 900 m.

Endemic to the Western Ghats- mostly in 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)