1468

 

Pittosporum tetraspermum Wight & Arn.

Family	:	Pittosporaceae
Local name	:	Malayalam-  Analivegam
Flowering and fruiting period	:	February-April
Distribution	:	South India and Sri Lanka
Distribution in Kerala	:	Kozhikkode, Idukki, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Wayanad
Habitat	:	Evergreen Shola forests of Western Ghats, near streams and disturbed places, altitude 1200-2500 m.
Uses		It has anti-bacterial,  antioxidant, anticancer and anti-fungal properties. It is used as an antidote against snake bites.
Key botanical characters: Shrubs or small trees, branched dichotomously near the stem and whorl on the top, branchlets puberulous, tender leaves and inflorescences ferruginous tomentose. Leaves simple, alternate or whorled or usually clustered towards the tips of branchlets, subverticellate, ovate-oblong, about 4-9 x 1.5-4 cm across, base cuneate, margin entire, revolute, recurved when dried, apex obtuse or subacute, membranous and puberulous when in tender stage, coriaceous, shining and glabrous when mature, midrib impressed above and slightly prominent beneath, lateral veins about 6-8 pairs, slightly prominent beneath, diminishing towards margins, petiole slender about 5-10 mm long, stipules absent. Inflorescence in subsessile terminal or pseudoterminal compound umbels or subumbels, 4-8 flowered, puberulous, peduncles about 10 mm long. Flowers bisexual, yellowish, buds oblong, about 8-10 mm across, pedicels puberulent, about 1 cm long, sepals 5, subequal, triangular-ovate, subulate, free, margins ciliate, apex subacute, pubescent, about 2-3 x 1 mm across, petals 5, linear oblong, apex obtuse, about 6-10 x 2.5 mm across. Stamens 5, free, alternate to petals, filaments glabrous, about 3 mm long, anthers sagittate, dorsifixed, oblong, about 1-1.5 mm long, ovary superior, usually stipitate, densely brown tomentose, about 3 mm across, carpels 2, ovules 4, unilocular with pariental placentae usually equaling the number of carpels, styles glabrous, about 2 mm long, stigma capitate. Fruit capsule, subglobose, transversely ribbed, sometimes dehiscing with 2 valves, about 10 mm across, pericarp thin, striate. Seeds 4, subtrigonous, irregularly compressed, embedded with glutinous, resinous sticky pulp, reddish orange