| Orophea thomsonii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Annonaceae |
| Genus: | Orophea |
| Species: | O. thomsoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Orophea thomsoni Beddome | |
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. [1]
Woody evergreen plants, occurring as large shrubs or small trees up to 10 m tall. The tree has slender branches with the young branchlets being tomentose and holding waxy leaves to forming a canopy in the understorey of evergreen forests. Leaves are simple, alternate, and distichous, with short petioles (0.2-0.5 cm), cuneate or acute base, small lamina (5-7 x 2.5-3.5 cm), and about 6 pairs of secondary nerves. The tertiary nerves are reticulate. The leaves are hairless except for the midrib beneath. The leaf shape is ovate or ovate-elliptic with a long acuminate, rounded tip. The flowers are creamy white, found solitary or in cymes of 2–3 at the axils of leaves. The outer petals are strigose (with stiff hairs), inner pubescent inside. The peduncles are strigose and the pedicels are very short, slender, pubescent. The flower has oblong and horizontal nectaries, 10-12 stamens and 5-6 carpels. The fruit is a short-stalked, pea-sized, round berry about 8 mm in diameter, found in clusters, each with 1-2 round, brown seeds that appear wrinkled and pitted. [2] [3]
There are no synonyms of this species.
The species is found along the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, from Palakkad and Nilgiris District and further south in the Anamalai and Agasthyamalai Hills. It occurs in mid-elevation tropical wet evergreen forests between 250 and 1250 m above mean sea level.
The plant is known to have medicinal uses among the indigenous people in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. [4]
The term Malabar rainforests refers to one or more distinct ecoregions recognized by biogeographers:
The slender lorises (Loris) are a genus of loris native to India and Sri Lanka. The genus comprises two species, the red slender loris found in Sri Lanka and the gray slender loris from Sri Lanka and India. Slender lorises spend most of their life in trees, traveling along the tops of branches with slow and precise movements. They are found in tropical rainforests, scrub forests, semi-deciduous forests, and swamps. The primates have lifespans of approximately 15 years and are nocturnal. Slender lorises generally feed on insects, reptiles, plant shoots, and fruit.
Anacolosa densiflora is a species of plant in the Olacaceae family. Currently, it is an endangered species that is endemic to India.
Orophea is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. There are about 37 species native to Asia.
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.
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.
The Pothigai Hills, also known as Agasthiyar Mountain is a 1,866-metre (6,122 ft)-tall peak in the southern part of the Western Ghats of South India. The peak lies in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu near the border of Kerala.
Premna serratifolia is a small tree/shrub in the family Lamiaceae. It flowers and fruits between May and November. During flowering season, it attracts a large number of butterflies and bees. Synonyms of Premna serratifolia Linn. include P. corymbosa Merr., P. integrifolia L. and P. obtusifolia R. Br.).
Diospyros atrata is a tree in the Ebony family. 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.
Rauvolfia micrantha, the small-flowered snakeroot, is a plant that is indigenous to southwestern India, southern Thailand, and Vietnam. It has a woody, shrub-like appearance and attractive flowers.
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.
Clematis gouriana, or Indian Traveller's Joy, is a liana found in Asia which belongs to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It was described by Roxb. ex DC. and published in Regni Vegetabilis Systema Naturale 1: 138-139, in 1818.
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.
Ficus amplissima, also known as the Indian Bat tree, Indian Bat fig, Pimpri, Pipri (Piparee), Pipali or Bilibasari mara is a tree species of flowering plants that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is native to Central and southern Peninsular India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, having a significant distribution throughout Western Ghats of India. It is most commonly planted to provide shade in coffee plantations due to its dense and wide foliage. The ripened figs attract many birds, especially during the spring.
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.
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.
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