Sphenodesme involucrata var. paniculata (C.B.Clarke) Munir, Gard. Bull. Singapore 21: 338 1966. (syn: Sphenodesme paniculata C.B.Clarke);
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S. India, Myanmar as per POWO;
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Common name: Panicled Varshiki • Malayalam: Arambodal, Njarambodal • Sanskrit: Varshiki • Tamil: Mazhamulla
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A large scandent shrub or woody climber. Branches and branchlets subterete or obtusely quadrangular, young parts rusty tomentose or stellate pubescent, glabrous when mature. Leaves simple, opposite, elliptic or ovate, 7-18 × 4-8 cm, base rounded or obtuse, margin entire or very faintly serrate, apex obtuse, coriaceous, chartaceous, dark green, glabrous above and pubescent beneath, lateral veins 4-6 on either side of the midrib, ascending obscure, impressed above, slightly prominent beneath, reticulate veinlets, petiole slender, glabrous, canaliculated, about 0.8-1.5 cm long. Inflorescence terminal panicles composed of 6–12 opposite dichotomously branched cymes, about 15-30 x 5-15 cm across, peduncle, slender, obtusely quadrangular, about 3-6 cm long, involucral bracts 6, leaflike or foliaceous, spathulate, emarginate in fruit, membranous and veined. Flowers bisexual, fragrant, many, cream colored sessile in involucrate heads. Calyx cupular or subcampanulate, 5 toothed, teeth ovate, acute, densely stellate-tomentose, about 6 mm long, corolla infundibular, 5-6 lobed, white, tomentose, obovate to oblong, apex obtuse, lower lip 3 lobed, lobes subequal, obovate, apex obtuse, corolla tube narrow, about 2 x 1.3 mm across, densely pubescent at throat, glabrous outside. Stamens 5-6, included, filaments filiform, glabrous, anthers globose, imperfectly 2-celled, Ovary bicarpellary, 4 lobed, obovoid, hairy, style slender, stigma bilobed. Fruit carcerulus, obovoid, glabrous, enclosed by a persistant calyx, 12 seeded.
Evergreen forests.
Local Distribution: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu. Global Distribution: Asia: India.
(Attributions- Ganeshaiah, K. N., UAS, Bangalore, India. Kailash, B. R., UAS & ATREE, Bangalore, India. Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN), Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, India as per India Biodiversity Portal)
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(25/Apr/2021 ART 1) ID help for Sphenodesme sp.: 11 images.
Date: 2021/April24
Thanks, …, for the wonderful and detailed presentation. I agree with your id.
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References: POWO Catalogue of Life The Plant List Ver.1.1 WCSP IPNI GBIF (High resolution specimens) High resolution specimen Flora of China (Sphenodesme involucrata (Presl) Robinson) FOC illustration (Sphenodesme involucrata (Presl) Robinson) Flora of peninsular India Flowers of India India Biodiversity Portal FRLHT
