Garcinia rubro-echinata Kosterm., 1977

N., Mohanan, P. S., Shameer, Abstract, T. Sabu & L., Garcinia, 2023, Taxonomic revision of Garcinia (Clusiaceae) in India, Rheedea 33 (3), pp. 101-158 : 141-142

Garcinia rubro-echinata Kosterm. , Ceylon J. Sci. (Biol. Sci.) 12(2): 128. 1977; N.P. Singh in B. D.Sharma & Sanjappa (eds.), Fl. Ind. 3: 123. 1993; Sasidh., Biodiv. doc. Kerala Fl. Pl. 6: 41. 2004; Arisdason & P. Daniel in P. Daniel, Fl. Kerala 341. 2005; T.S. Nayar et al., Fl. Pl. Western Ghats 1: 276. 2014. Lectotype (designated by Kostermans, 1977): INDIA, Kerala, Strathomore, 17.04.1895, T.F.Bourdillon 611 (K [ K000677641 digital image!]).

Garcinia echinocarpa sensu Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1: 264. 1874; Gamble, Man. Indian Timb. 53. 1902; Brandis, Indian Trees 50. 1907; Bourd., For. Trees. Travancore 23. 1908; Rama Rao, Fl. Pl. Travancore 29. 1914; Dunn in Gamble, Fl. Madras 1: 73. 1915; N.C.Nair & A.N.Henry, Fl. Tamil Nadu 1: 27. 1983; M.Mohanan & A.N.Henry, Fl. Thiruvananthapuram 71. 1994; N.Mohanan & Sivad., Fl. Agasthyamala 83. 2002, non Thwaites, 1854.

Garcinia echinocarpa var. monticola sensu Maheshw., Bull. Bot. Surv. India 6: 126. 1964. FiG. 14G–i

Dioecious evergreen trees, up to 20 m tall; exudate brownish-white; branchlets terete, apically quadrangular. Petioles 1–2.5 cm long, stout, adaxially ligulate at base; lamina sub-obovate to broadly elliptic, 8–15 × 3–8 cm, shortly acute at base, slightly revolute at margins, obtuse or subretuse at apex, coriaceous; midrib prominent above, flattened below, lateral veins 30–40 pairs, obliquely parallel, prominent; exudate canals conspicuous on both surfaces. Staminate flowers tetramerous, 5–8 in axillary or terminal fascicles, pale green, 1.6–2 × 1.2–1.5 cm; sepal orbicularobtuse, convex, 0.5–0.7 cm wide, shortly clawed at base, margins membranous; petals pale green, sub-orbicular to oblong, c. 1.3 × 0.7 cm; stamens 30–70 on tetragonous torus; rudimentary pistil present. Pistillate flowers tetramerous, solitary, terminal, pale green, 1.8–2.5 × 1.5–1.8 cm; sepals obtuse, convex, 0.6–0.8 × 0.8–1 cm, coriaceous; petals pale green, orbicular, convex, 1.5–1.9 cm wide; staminodes c. 22, free, around the ovary; ovary 0.2-–. 3 cm, 3–4-locular, covered with numerous, fleshy scales or warts; stigma peltate, irregularly 4-lobed. Berries sub-globose or ellipsoid, 4–6 × 2.5–4 cm, covered with spines or tubercles. Seeds 1–3, oblong, 3–4 cm long; aril scanty.

Vernacular names: Malayalam: Para or pura, Malamkongu; Tamil: Madul.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering from December to March; fruiting from March to May.

Habitat: Moist evergreen forests, between 950– 1100 m elevation.

Distribution: Endemic to the southern Western Ghats.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram district, Agasthyamala , 05.10.1989, N . Mohanan 7949 ( TBGT); Athirumala , 1300 m, 07.01.2013, S. M . Shareef 792257 ( TBGT); Chemmunji , 17.11.2009, G . Rajkumar 44747 ( TBGT); Ibid. , 22.01.2014, P. S . Shameer 79604 ( TBGT); Travancore , 08.04.1898, T. F . Bourdillon 953 ( FRC); Ibid. , 05.04.1895, T. F . Bourdillon s.n. ( MH); Ibid. , s.d., R. H . Beddome s.n. ( MH) ; Tamil Nadu, Tirunelveli district, Tinneveli hills, 1879, R. H . Beddome s.n. ( MH); Kannikatti, 21.02.1913, Hooper & Ramaswami 39428 ( CAL); Ibid. , 19.03.1917, s.coll. 14650 ( MH); Ibid. , 05.06.1964, K. N . Subramanian 1606 ( MH); Ibid., 30.07.1989, Shanavas Khan 5866 ( TBGT); Ibid. , 30.07.1989, Shanavas Khan 5325 ( TBGT). Without precise locality, 1873, R. H . Beddome s.n. ( MH [ MH2939 ]) .

Uses: Oil from the seed is used for lighting lamp ( Maheshwari, 1964).

Conservation status: Endangered ( IUCN, 2020).

Notes: Garcinia echinocarpa Thwaites was earlier considered as a species distributed in South India and Sri Lanka. Thwaites (1858) identified two varieties under this taxon, var. α and var. β. Maheshwari (1964) in his revision named the var. β. as G. echinocarpa var. monticola and treated the south Indian and high-altitude specimens of Sri Lanka under this taxon. Kostermans (1977) separated the South Indian taxon from Sri Lankan , as a distinct species viz., G. rubro-echinata Kosterm , endemic to South India.

Figures

FiG. 14. Species of Garcinia L. in India: a–c. G. pedunculata Roxb. ex Buch.-Ham; D–f. G. pushpangadaniana T.Sabu, N.Mohanan, M.V.Krishnaraj & S.M.Shareef; G–i. G. rubro-echinata Kosterm.; j–l. G. sibeswarii Shameer, J.Sarma, N.Mohanan & A.Begum (a, d, g, j. Staminate flowers; b, e, h, k. Pistillate flowers; c, f, i, l. Fruits; photos by N. Mohanan & P.S. Shameer).