Botanical Survey of India | Flora of India

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Dimorphocalyx balakrishnanii Chakrab. & Premanath in J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 4: 1013, f. 1. 1983. D. dilipianus N.P.Balakr. & Chakrab. in J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 4: 1017, f. 1. 1983.


Shrubs or trees, sometimes scandent or subscandent, ca 6 m tall, nearly glabrous. Leaves elliptic to ovate-elliptic or oblong to ovate-oblong, cuneate, obtuse or rounded at base, acute to acuminate at apex, entire or sometimes shallowly crenate-dentate along margins, 6 - 24 x 3 - 11 cm, chartaceous to thinly coriaceous; lateral nerves 6 - 10 pairs; petioles 4 - 13 mm long; stipules caducous. Inflorescences few-flowered, androgynous or occasionally bearing 1 or 2 females (solitary or umbellate), pedunculate (2 - 5 cm long) with inconspicuous rachis (umbellate) or epedunculate with 5 - 30 mm long rachis (racemiform); bracts deltoid to linear-subulate, 1 - 6 mm long. Male flowers: pedicels 2.5 - 3 mm long; calyx 3 - 4 mm long; lobes broadly triangular to deltoid or orbicular, 1 - 3 mm long; petals narrowly elliptic to oblong, 7 - 10 x 2 - 5 mm; disc glands transversely oblong; stamens 4 - 5 + 5 - 6; outer filaments 2.5 - 4 mm long; inner united into 4 - 6 mm long column, pilose near base; anthers ellipsoid to orbicular, 0.8 - 1.2 mm long. Female flowers: pedicels 2 - 5 mm long; sepals 5, unequal, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate; petals 5, narrowly oblong to oblanceolate, 10 - 18 x 3 - 5 mm; disc glands connate in a ring; ovary subglobose, 2 -2.8 x 2.8 - 3 mm, densely puberulous; styles 7 - 8.5 mm long, connate below into a column (0.5 - ) 2 - 3 mm long, bifid above. Fruits subglobose, ca 15 x 15 - 17 mm, appressed puberulous, black or brownish black when dry; fruiting pedicels 6 - 12 mm long; fruiting sepals 8 - 50 x 3 - 20 mm; seeds broadly oblong-ellipsoid, ca 10 mm long, ca 6 mm in diam., smooth, brown.

Fl. & Fr. (Feb.-) May - Oct.

Distrib. India: Inland evergreen forests or coastal forests on sandy soil at low altitudes. South Andaman Islands.

Endemic.




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