| Dysoxylum malabaricum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Meliaceae |
| Genus: | Dysoxylum |
| Species: | D. malabaricum |
| Binomial name | |
| Dysoxylum malabaricum Bedd. ex C.DC | |
Dysoxylum malabaricum, or white cedar, is a tree species endemic to the Western Ghats, India. [2] The species is considered Endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . [3]
These are tall canopy trees with a straight bole, growing to a height of about 35 m. The bark, about 5–8 mm thick, is greyish brown and covered densely with large, corky lenticels. The bark exfoliates in large rectangular scales. When the bark is cut, the blaze appears yellow and white. [4] [5] The young branchlets are angular and minutely hairy. The compound leaves are paripinnate (ending in a pair of leaflets), up to 30 cm (occasionally 40 cm) long, arranged alternate, spiral, and clustered at twig ends. The petiole is pulvinate (swollen at base). The rachis is angular, 17–20 cm long. The leaves have 4-6 pairs of leaflets with petiolules about 0.5-0.9 cm long. The leaflets are alternate or subopposite, about 9–22 cm in length by 4–7 cm wide. Leaflets are coriaceous, elliptic-lanceolate in shape and have an acuminate apex, asymmetric base, and an entire margin. The midrib is raised above the dorsal surface of the leaf. Leaflets have 12-20 pairs of prominent secondary nerves, with hairy domatia in the axils of the secondary nerves. Tertiary nerves are obscurely visible and reticulo-percurrent. Prominent inter-secondary veins are seen between secondary nerves.
The inflorescence is a panicled raceme, shorter than leaves. The bisexual flowers are greenish yellow in colour and fragrant, about 5–6 mm long. They have a deeply 4-lobed calyx, 4 petals, 8 anthers, and a superior ovary, densely hairy, 4-celled, and with 2 ovules in each cell. The fruit is a capsule, about 5–7.5 cm long, bright yellow, with 4 longitudinal furrows. Each fruit has 3-4 seeds, reddish-brown in colour and bluntly triangular in cross section. [5]
It is found in the mountains of the central and southern Western Ghats, between 200 and 1200 m elevation. [4]
Occurs in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.
A rare tree found in low and mid-elevation tropical wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats.
The etymology of Dysoxylum derives from the Greek word ‘Dys’ meaning "bad", referring to "ill-smelling", and ‘Xylon’ meaning "wood". [6] The specific epithet ‘malabaricum’ refers to the Malabar region of south-western India. The species is also known by many local names in the region of its distribution: Vellaiyagil, Purippa (Tamil), Akil, Kana mulla, Purippa, Vellakil (Malayalam), Bili agilu (Kannada).
The species has one synonym: Alliaria malabarica Kuntze.
Commiphora wightii, with common names Indian bdellium-tree, gugal, guggal, guggul, gugul, or mukul myrrh tree, is a flowering plant in the family Burseraceae, which produces a fragrant resin called gugal, guggul or gugul, that is used in incense and vedic medicine. The species is native to southern Pakistan and western India. It prefers arid and semi-arid climates and is tolerant of poor soil.
Gluta travancorica is a species of plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is endemic to the southern Western Ghats in India.
Orophea thomsonii or Thomson's Turret Flower is a species of shrub or small tree in the Annonaceae family. It is native to Kerala and Tamil Nadu in India and endemic to the Western Ghats mountain range.
Palaquium ravii is a species of tree in the family Sapotaceae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats mountains and native to Kerala and Tamil Nadu in India.
Shorea tumbuggaia is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae. It is native to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in India. The species is found widely in Seshachalam and Veligonda hills in Cuddapah and Tirupati hills of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh to North Arcot and Chingleput, districts of Tamil Nadu.
Syzygium densiflorum is a species of evergreen tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats mountains, India. The species is categorised as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
Weinmannia trichosperma, the tineo, is an evergreen tree in the family of Cunoniaceae, it is native to Chile and Argentina: 35 to 47°S. endemic to laurel forest habitat.
Garcinia indica, a plant in the mangosteen family (Clusiaceae), commonly known as kokum, is a fruit-bearing tree that has culinary, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses. It grows primarily in India's Western Ghats: in the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.
Diospyros atrata is a tree in the family Ebenaceae. It commonly grows to 25 metres tall. The plant can be seen in subcanopy trees in medium elevation wet evergreen forests between 1000 and 1400 m in Western Ghats- South Sahyadri, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu in India and from Kandy district in Sri Lanka
Mallotus tetracoccus, also known as the rusty kamala, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is a tree species found in parts of south Asia, typically occurring in the edges of tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.
Coscinium fenestratum, or yellow vine as it is sometimes referred to in English, is a flowering woody climber, native to South Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia. It is rare and critically endangered in many of its habitats.
Magnolia nilagirica is a species of plant in the family Magnoliaceae. It is a tree that is threatened by habitat loss, endemic to the Western Ghats of India, and also Sri Lanka.
Bhesa indica is a flowering plant tree species in the Centroplacaceae family. It is distributed along the tropical wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of India. It is considered synonymous with Bhesa paniculata by some authors.
Dipterocarpus indicus is a species of large tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is recognised as an endangered species under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.
Angelica glauca, the smooth angelica, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is found from eastern Afghanistan through the western Himalayas to western Tibet. Collecting in the wild for its essential oil has driven this species to Endangered status.
Myristica beddomei is a species of tree in the family Myristicaceae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats, India, where it is frequent in the mid-elevation wet evergreen forests and an important food tree of hornbills. The species has been earlier misidentified in regional floras and herbarium specimens as Myristica dactyloides Gaertn., the latter occurring only in Sri Lanka.
Cryptocarya anamalayana is a rare rainforest tree endemic to the southern Western Ghats, India. The specific epithet of the name refers to the Anamalai Hills, a major area of its distribution. The species considered endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Diospyros paniculata, or the panicle-flowered ebony, is a species of tree in the ebony family. Endemic to the Western Ghats area of India and parts of Bangladesh, the species is currently listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
Drypetes wightii is an evergreen tree species endemic to the Western Ghats, India. The species is considered Vulnerable under the IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species.
Garcinia talbotii is a large tree in the family Clusiaceae and is endemic to the Western Ghats of India. The tree has yellow latex, and can attain a height of 25 m and girth up to 2.2 m. This species was first reported from Gairsoppah Ghats in North Kanara of Karanataka district.
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