Cullenia exarillata
| Cullenia exarillata | |
|---|---|
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| Cullenia exarillata fruiting branch | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Cullenia |
| Species: | C. exarillata |
| Binomial name | |
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Cullenia exarillata A.Robyns |
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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.
The species is characteristically found and dominant in the mid-elevation (700 m to 1400 m) tropical wet evergreen rainforests, which has been called the Cullenia exarillata - Mesua ferrea - Palaquium ellipticum type. It occurs from the southern tip of the Western Ghats in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve and Agasthyamalai hills to Wayanad and Kodagu in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Tall evergreen trees with smooth greyish white bark, flaking in mature trees, with straight boles, frequently buttressed. The branches are horizontal often with series of knob-like tubercles (for cauliflorous attachment of flowers and fruits). The young branchlets and the underside of leaves are covered by golden brown peltate scales. Leaves are simple, alternate, glabrous, shiny green above and covered beneath with silvery or orangish peltate scales. The tubular, hermaphroditic flowers (also covered by golden brown scales) are about 4–5 cm long and cream or pinkish brown in colour. The flowers lack petals and are formed of tubular bracteoles and tube-like calyx, obscurely 5-lobed. The round fruits, about 10–13 cm in diameter and covered with spines, are clustered along the branches. The fruit is a capsule, 5-valved, containing many reddish brown seeds about 4–5 cm long and 2–3 cm wide. In the fruit, the seeds are covered by a fleshy, whitish aril. The fruit dehisces open when mature and dry to release seeds.
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Wikipedia