Gordonia obtusa Wallich [Cat. No. 1459. 1829, nom. nud.] ex Wight & Arn., Prodr. 87. 1834; Dyer in Fl. Brit. India 1: 291. 1874. G. obtusifolia Wight, Ill. Ind. Bot. 1: 99 . 1838. G. parvifolia Wight, Ill. Ind. Bot. 1: 99. 1838.

Trees, 10 - 30 m tall. Leaves 5 - 15 x 2 - 5 cm, elliptic to oblong, acute at base, obtuse or obtusely acuminate at apex, crenate, glabrous, chartaceous; petioles 2 - 5 mm long. glabrous or with few hairs. Flowers white, axillary, solitary or 2 - 3 fascicled at ends of branches, ca 3 cm in diam.; pedicels 2 - 5 mm long,pubescent. Sepals 3 - 8 x 6 - 10 mm, orbicular, pubescent outside, glabrous inside. Petals 1.5 - 2 x 0.8 - 1 cm, obovate, pubescent outside, glabrous inside. Stamens 4 - 8 mm long, unequal, connate at base. Ovary 3 - 5 mm long, ovoid, hairy; style ca 2 mm long; stigma lobed. Capsules 2 - 3 x 1.5 cm, oblong with a short acumen, 5-angled, valves deeply sulcate above. Seeds 3 - 7 x 2 mm, ellipsoid, winged; wings 6 - 10 mm long, brownish.

Fl. & Fr. Oct. - May.

Distrib. India: Western Ghats, in evergreen forests between 500 and 2000 m. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Endemic.

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