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Resinous Kamala
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Resinous Kamala
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Resinous Kamala, narrow-flowered mallotus • Malayalam: കരുവാളിച്ചി karuvaalichi • Tamil: சோலை கருபிச்சி colai karupicci, கருவளிச்சி karuvalichchi, காட்டுப் புளசை kattu-p-pulacai Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Mallotus resinosus    Family: Euphorbiaceae (Castor family)
Synonyms: Mallotus stenanthus, Mallotus muricatus, Mallotus viridis

Resinous Kamala is shrubs to small tree, up to about 12 m tall and 8 cm dbh, reproductive from 1.5 m tall and 5 cm dbh. Twigs are solid, hairless to rarely hairy. Stipules are narrowly triangular, falling off early, erect, 1-4 mm long by 1-1.5 mm wide. Leaf-stalks are hairless, opposite leaves differing in stalk length, long stalks up to about 1.5 cm long, opposite short stalks up to about 0.5 cm long. Leaves are opposite, one of each leaf pair clearly smaller, but similar in shape. Large leaves are elliptic to obovate, 9-25 cm long by 3.5-10 cm wide, length/width-ratio 2.31-2.57. Secondary veins are 8-13, ending in the margin. Leaf base is attenuate, sometimes slightly heart-shaped. Leaf margin with glands, toothed; leaf upper surface hairless, with 2-6 rather large basal nectary glands positioned near the midrib at base of secondary veins, rarely with apical nectary glands as well. Leaf lower surface glabrous, densely gland dotted. Male inflorescences are not branched; flowers clustered per bracteole; bracteoles with entire margin. Female inflorescences are not branched; fruits 10-13 mm wide, 3-locular, with few short spines. Resinous Kamala is found in India and Sri Lanka to New Guinea and Australia.

Identification credit: Radha Veach, Anil Rahbhar Photographed at Matheran.

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