''Elaeocarpus blascoi'' is a species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
in the
Elaeocarpaceae
Elaeocarpaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family contains approximately 615 species of trees and shrubs in 12 genera."Elaeocarpaceae" In: Klaus Kubitzki (ed.). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' vol. VI. Springer-Verlag: Ber ...
family. It is endemic to the
Western Ghats of southern
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, where it is threatened by
habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
and is
Critically Endangered
An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...
.
[
]
Description
''Elaeocarpus blascoi'' is a medium-sized, slow-growing evergreen tree. Young trees have dense foliage, while mature trees develop a buttressed trunk and spreading crown up to 20 metres high. The plants have a low fruit-set (50-78%), and many immature fruits drop prematurely. Mature fruits detach from their stalks in June and July. Seeds are stony and often dormant for 6 to 18 months. They have a low germination rate (5%) and most seeds lose their viability after a year.[
]
Range and habitat
This tree is known only from Vattakanal Shola
A shola is the local name for a patch of stunted Montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical montane forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India, largely in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. These ...
in the Palani Hills
The Palani Hills are a mountain range in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Palani Hills are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India. The Palani Hills adjoin with t ...
, at Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal () (English: ) is a municipality and hill station in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at an altitude of in the Palani hills of the Western Ghats. Kodaikanal was established in 1845 to serve as a r ...
in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
state at 2,200 metres elevation. Only two mature wild specimens are known. One is a four-stemmed buttressed tree growing along a seasonal stream channel at the edge of the shola forest overlooking grassland. Associated trees include '' Elaeocarpus variabilis, Elaeocarpus recurvatus, Elaeocarpus munroi, Syzigium densiflorum, Gomphandra coriacea'', and ''Lasianthus
''Lasianthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. They are tropical subshrubs, shrubs, or rarely, small trees. They inhabit the understory of primary forests.
''Lasianthus'' has about 300 species. The type species for the g ...
'' sp.[
]
Conservation
The species is threatened with habitat loss from logging and expansion of agriculture. No natural regeneration has been observed.[
]
See also
* List of ''Elaeocarpus'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5353078
blascoi
Endemic flora of the Western Ghats
Critically endangered flora of Asia
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot