| Euonymus indicus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Celastrales |
| Family: | Celastraceae |
| Genus: | Euonymus |
| Species: | E. indicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Euonymus indicus B.Heyne ex Wall. | |
Euonymus indicus, the Indian spindle tree, is a small evergreen understorey tree endemic to the Western Ghats of the Indian peninsula and belongs to the family Celestraceae. It can grow up to a height of 13 m and girth up to 1 m. [1]
The leaves are simple and show opposite phyllotaxy. The petiole length is about 0.5-0.8 cm and lamina size: 5-10 × 2-4.5 cm. Leaf shape is elliptic and leaf apex is acuminate. Four to six pairs of secondary nerves can be seen. Flowers are seen in three flowered axillary cymes. Fruit is pear shaped, 2.5 cm long, three valved, and scarlet when mature. [2]
The bark of the tree is corky and blaze is reddish in colour. The branchlets are subterate and glabrous. [3]
The tree is seen in the evergreen forests of Western Ghats from Amboli to Southern Kerala. Elevation range is from 150 m to 1100 m. [1]
The Western Ghats or the Western Mountain range is a mountain range that covers an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) in a stretch of 1,600 km (990 mi) parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight biodiversity hotspots in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India. It contains a very large proportion of the country's flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to this region. According to UNESCO, the Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain called Konkan along the Arabian Sea. A total of 39 areas in the Western Ghats, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests, were designated as world heritage sites in 2012 – twenty in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, six in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.
The Indian giant squirrel or Malabar giant squirrel is a large multi-coloured tree squirrel species endemic to forests and woodlands in India. It is a diurnal, arboreal, and mainly herbivorous squirrel.
Bentinckia condapanna, the hill areca nut, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found only in India. It is threatened by habitat loss. This palm is mainly found in the evergreen forests of Western Ghats of 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.
Vateria indica, the white dammar, is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats mountains in India. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is a large canopy or emergent tree frequent in tropical wet evergreen forests of the low and mid-elevations.
Artocarpus hirsutus, commonly known as wild jack, is a tropical evergreen tree species that is native to India, primarily in Kerala, but also in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, where it prefers moist, deciduous to partially evergreen woodlands.
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.
Dipterocarpus bourdillonii is a species of large tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae endemic to the Western Ghats principally in the state of Kerala in India. It is a Critically Endangered species according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is a characteristic tree of the low-elevation tropical wet evergreen rainforests in the Western Ghats.
Cullenia exarillata is a flowering plant evergreen tree species in the family Malvaceae endemic to the rainforests of the southern Western Ghats in India. It is one of the characteristic trees of the mid-elevation tropical wet evergreen rainforests and an important food plant for the endemic primate, the lion-tailed macaque.
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.
Flacourtia montana is a plant in the family Salicaceae. It is native to southern Asia. The species presents as a tree up to 20 m in height.
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.
Baccaurea courtallensis is a flowering plant evergreen tree species belonging to the family Phyllanthaceae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats mountains in India. It is a medium size understory tree frequent in tropical wet evergreen forests of the low and mid-elevations (40-1000m). It is a Near Threatened species according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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.
Dysoxylum malabaricum, or white cedar, is a tree species endemic to the Western Ghats, India. The species is considered Endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Drypetes venusta is an evergreen tree species endemic to the Western Ghats, India. They are large trees with smooth, straight, and white trunk and horizontal branches. It can reach a height up to 35 m, and a girth up to 3 m.
Garcinia talbotii is a large tree in the family Clusiaceae and is endemic to 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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