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Diospyros ferrea
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Family:
EBENACEAE
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Citation: Diospyros ferrea (Willd.) Bakh., Gard. Bull. Straits Settlem. 7: 162. 1933; Mohanan, Fl. Quilon Dist. 243. 1984; M. Mohanan & Henry, Fl. Thiruvanthapuram 279. 1994; Sasidh., Fl. Periyar Tiger Reserve 230. 1998; V. Singh, Monogr. Indian Diospyros 102. 2005; Sunil & Sivadasan, Fl. Alappuzha Dist. 409. 2009.
Ehretia ferrea Willd., Phytogr. 1: 4. t.2. f.2. 1794.
Maba buxifolia (Rottb.) Juss., Ann. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. Paris 5: 418. 1804.
Pisonia buxifolia Rottb., Nye San. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Skr. 2: 536. t.4. f2. 1782, non Diospyros buxifolia (Blume) Hiern 1873.
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Malayalam Name(s):
Irumpalei
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Tamil name(s):
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English name(s):
Philippine Ebony, Persimmon
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Description:
Small trees to 4 m tall; bark dark grey, fissured, rough. Leaves alternate, 1-2.5 x 1-1.8 cm, obovate-oblong or spathulate, base cuneate to attenuate, apex obtuse to emarginate, coriaceous; petiole to 2 mm long. Flowers 1-3, in axillary fascicles, white. Male flower: calyx pale yellowish, c. 2 mm long, cup-shaped, lobes 3, 1-1.5 mm long, triangular-ovate, acute; corolla tube 5 -6 mm long, tubular, lobes 3, 1 -1.5 mm long, oblong-ovate, acute ; stamens 6, c. 2 mm long. Female flower: similar to male one; ovary c. 2 mm long, globose, silky-pubescent, stigmas 3. Berry 5-7 mm long, subglobose, yellow to brownish red. Seeds 1-3, c. 4 mm long, wedge-shaped.
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Habit:
Tree
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Flowering & Fruiting:
February-May
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District(s):
Alappuzha, Kollam, Idukki, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad
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Medicinal:
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Habitat:
Dry deciduous forests
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Distribution:
India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, North Australia and Africa
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Aquatic:
No
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Epiphyte(s):
No
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Saprophyte:
No
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Stem parasite:
No
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Root parasite:
No
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Flower colour(s):
Yellow
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Weed:
No
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Monocot/Dicot:
Dicotyledonous Plants
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Exotic:
No
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Garden:
No
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Edible:
No
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Vegetable:
No
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Endemic to:
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IUCN status:
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Altitude:
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Localities:
Ambari, Vandanam
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