1151

Desmos chinensis Lour.

Synonym	:	Desmos lawii (Hook.f. & Thomson) Saff.
Family	:	ANNONACEAE
Flowering and fruiting period	:	April-October
Distribution	:	Peninsular India
Distribution in kerala	:	Kannur
Habitat	:	Semi-evergreen forests
Uses	:	ornamental purposes
Key Botanical Characters: Scandent shrubs; branchlets pubescent when young, glabrous later. Leaves alternate, elliptic, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, truncate, rarely slightly cordate at base, acute or acuminate at apex, 6-9(-18) x 2-4.5(-7) cm, membranous, glabrous above, pubescent beneath; lateral nerves 7-12 pairs; petioles ca 7 mm long, pubescent. Flowers extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, greenish-yellow, fragrant; pedicels ca 5.5 cm long, slender, pubescent; bracts ovate, in the middle of pedicel. Sepals ovate, acuminate, ca 7 x 5 mm, pubescent. Outer petals elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 3-8.5 x 1-1.5 cm, pubescent; the inner oblong-lanceolate, acute, 2-3.2 x 0.8-1 cm, pubescent. Receptacle convex, brown-pubescent. Stamens many, oblong, .connectives obtuse. Carpels oblong, ca 2 mm long, densely brown-tomentose; stigmas clavate, grooved. Fruitlets 1-1.4 cm long, ovoid, beaked; stalks to 1 cm long.