Litsea quinqueflora (Dennst.) Suresh - LAURACEAE

Synonym : Litsea ligustrina (Nees) J.Hk.

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Botanical descriptions Ecology Distribution Literatures

Botanical descriptions :

Habit : Trees up to 6 m tall.
Branches and Branchlets : Branchlets terete, glabrescent.
Leaves : Leaves simple, alternate, spiral; petiole 1.5 cm long, planoconvex in cross section, glabrous; lamina 7-10 x 2.5-4 cm, obovate to oblanceolate or elliptic, subcoriaceous, glabrous, apex obtuse to acute, base acute to cuneate, margin entire, glabrous, glaucous beneath; secondary_nerves 6-9 pairs; higher order nerves reticulate on both sides at least on dry.
Inflorescence / Flower : Flowers in axillary or lateral umbels.
Fruit and Seed : Berry, 0.6 cm across, glabrous; seed 1.

Ecology :

Generally in dry evergreen forests between 700 and 2200 m.

Distribution :

Endemic to the Western_Ghats- rare in South Sahyadri, Palakkad hills and Wayanad.

Literatures :

Nicols. et al., Interpr. Hort. Malab. 158. 1998; Gamble, Fl. Madras 2: 1235. 1993 (re. ed); Sasidharan, Biodiversity documentation for Kerala- Flowering Plants, part 6: 399. 2004.

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