Nilgiri Rudraksh is a tree up to 13 m tall, with
bole buttressed; young branches and leaves covered with rusty velvety
hairs. Leaves are simple, alternate, clustered at the tip of
branchlets, stipules free, lateral, falling off. Leaf-stalks are 1.5-5
cm, stout, woolly. Leaf blade is 7.5-15 x 4-8 cm, ovate or
ovate-oblong, folded back, boat shaped, base pointed or wedge-shaped,
tip pointed or caudate, margin rounded toothed or sawtoothed, hairless
above except downy midrib, softly velvet-hairy beneath, leathery,
lateral nerves 6-10 pairs, pinnate, prominent, veins dividing
dichotomously towards the margin. Flowers are bisexual, white, in short
racemes in leaf-axils, up to 7 cm. Sepals are 5, lanceshaped,
velvet-hairy; petals 5, 1.2 cm long, broadly ovate, sparsely within,
inserted round the base of glandular disc; stamens numerous, inserted
between the glands on the disc; anthers ending in straight bristle;
ovary superior, subspherical, densely silky outside, 3-celled, ovules 2
in each cell; style subulate, entire. Fruit is a drupe, ovoid; stone
single, compressed, coarsely tubercled, 1.8 x 1 cm, seed one. Nilgiri
Rudraksh is endemic to Southern Western Ghats.
Identification credit: S. Jeevith
Photographed in The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu.
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The flower labeled Nilgiri Rudraksh is ...