Symplocos foliosa Wt. - SYMPLOCACEAE

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Botanical descriptions Ecology Distribution Literature

Botanical descriptions :

Habit : Small trees up to 8 m tall.
Branchlets : Young branchlets terete, hirsute.
Leaves : Leaves simple, alternate, spiral; petiole 0.5-1.5 cm long, planoconvex in cross section, hirsute when young; lamina 5.5-10 x 2.5-5 cm, elliptic-obovate or oblanceolate, apex rounded or shortly acuminate, base cuneate-attenuate or rounded, margin serrate and slightly undulate, coriaceous, glabrous or atleast sparsely hirsute on midrib beneath; midrib canaliculate above; secondary_nerves 8-14 pairs, looped near margin; tertiary_nerves broadly reticulate.
Flowers : Inflorescence spikes; flowers white, sessile.
Fruit& seed : Drupe, ovoid.

Ecology :

Understorey trees in medium elevation evergreen forests between 800 and 1400 m.

Distribution :

Endemic to the Western_Ghats- Frequent in Nilgiri and Palani hills; occasional in Agasthyamalai, Varushanad hills and Cardamom hills.

Literature :

Wight, Ic. t. 1234. 1848; Gamble, Fl. Madras 2: 783. 1993 (re.ed.); Sasidharan, Biodiversity documentation for Kerala- Flowering Plants, part 6: 273. 2004.

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