Botanical Survey of India | Flora of India

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Trees or shurbs, base of lateral twigs often with small distichous bracts, sometimes occuring between leaves. Leaves simple, alternate, involute in buds, entire, distichous, margin leaving more or less permanent trace as two longitudinal lines on the upper Surface. Stipules intrapetiolar entirely connate, rarely bifid, often bicarinate. Flowers small, solitary or fasciculate in leaf axils or on short branches, often dimorphous or even 3 - 4-morphous, pentamerous, actinomorphic, bisexual; pedicels bracteolate, more or less thickened, often only under the calyx. Calyx 5 - 6-lobed, free or connate at base, imbricate. Petals 5 - 6, free, deciduous, appendaged, alternating with calyx lobes. Stamens 10 or rarely 12 - 14 in 2 whorls persistent, filaments connate at base into a staminal tube, often with toothed margin; anthers ellipsoid, basifixed, cordate at base, 2-loculed, dehiscence longitudinal. Ovary 1 - 3-loculed, ovules pendulous, anatropous, 1 - 2 in each locule; styles 3, erect, free or sometimes connate at base; stigmas flattened or clavate. Fruit a drupe. Seeds 1 with thin testa, with or without endosperm.

Throughout tropical and subtropical regions, chiefly in America and Madagascar ca 200 species; 7 in India.

Literature. PLOMAN, T. (1976). Orthography of Erythroxylum (Erythroxylaceae). Taxon 25: 141 - 144 .



KEY TO THE SPECIES


1a. Stipules persistent 2
b. Stipules caducous 3
2a. Leaves cuneate-obovate to obovate; petals with 3-lobed appendages; drupes ovoid and straight 4. Erythroxylum monogynum
b. Leaves oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate; petals with 2-lobed appendages; drupes oblong-falcate 2. Erythroxylum kunthianum
3a. Leaf apex obtuse or rounded 4
b. Leaf apex acute or acuminate 5
4a. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate; stipules finely serrate; drupes elliptic-oblong and slightly curved 5. Erythroxylum moonii
b. Leaves oblong-lanceolate to obovate or oblong ovate; stipules entire; drupes linear-oblong, straight 6. Erythroxylum obtusifolium
5a. Branches lenticellate giving warty appearance; leaves oblong to oblong-obovate, glaucous, lateral nerves horizontal; drupes falcate 1. Erythroxylum cuneatum
b. Branches striate and more or less smooth; leaves linear-elliptic to lanceolate, not glaucous, lateral nerves oblique; drupes straight 3. Erythroxylum lanceolatum


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