Blachia calycina Benth. in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 17: 226. 1880; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 5: 402. 1887. Croton umbellatus sec. Wight, Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. t. 1874. 1842 (non Willd., 1805). Blachia umbellata sec. Gamble, Fl. Madras 2(7): 1338. 1925 (repr. ed. 2: 936. 1957), pro minore parte, non (Willd.) Baill., 1858.

Shrubs or trees, up to 6 m tall, entirely glabrous. Leaves elliptic-oblong to obovate or lanceolate, acute, cuneate or rounded at base, acuminate to subacute or rarely rounded at apex, 3.5 - 15 x 1 - 5 cm, membranous to thinly coriaceous; lateral nerves 5 - 16 pairs; petioles 2 - 10 mm long. Male inflorescences umbellate to racemiform, 2 - 10 cm long (peduncle 1.5 - 5 cm long, rachis 0.5 - 7 cm long); pedicels 6 - 14 x 0.3 - 0.5 mm; sepals 4, orbicular to broadly obovate, 2 - 2.5 x 2.5 - 3 mm; petals 4, flabellate-emarginate to obcordate, 0.5 - 1 x 1 - 1.3 mm; disc glands 4; stamens 12 - 23, 1.5 - 2.5 mm long; anthers orbicular, 0.5 - 0.8 mm long. Female inflorescences solitary or umbellate, 8 - 15 mm long; pedicels 5 - 25 x 0.5 – 2 mm; sepals 4 - 6 (often 4 + 2), ellipticoblong to ovate or lanceolate, 5 - 15 x 2.5 - 9 mm, accrescent; disc glands connate in a ring or often shortly cupular, entire; ovary subglobose, 2 - 3.5 mm in diam., 4 or 5-loculed; styles 4 or 5, 4 - 8 mm long, bifid or occasionally quadrifid. Fruits somewhat depressed, 8 - 12 x 12 - 16 mm, strongly 4 or 5-lobed.

Fl. & Fr. Feb. - Dec.

Distrib. India: Common in evergreen forests or along water courses, up to 600 m altitude, along Western Ghats. Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Endemic.