''Alphonsea sclerocarpa'' is a species of plant in the
Annonaceae
The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...
family. It is endemic to
South India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
, and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. It is known by several local names, including Pulusu mamidi in Telugu and തുട്ട in Malayalam.
Description
A small tree up to 6 meters tall, Leaves are simple and alternate leaves The flowers are in axillary peduncles, The fruit consists of aggregated subglobose berries, typically containing more than two seeds
[Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 11. 1858; Gamble, Fl. Madras 1: 23. 1997 (re. ed); Sasidharan, Biodiversity documentation for Kerala- Flowering Plants, part 6: 15. 2004.]
Phenology
Flowering: March-October.
References
sclerocarpa
Flora of Sri Lanka
Flora of India (region)
{{Annonaceae-stub