''Merope angulata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. It is a tree that ranges from northeastern India through Bangladesh,

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, the

Andaman Andaman may refer to: * Andaman Islands * Andaman Sea * ''Andaman'' (1998 film), a Kannada-language film * ''Andaman'' (2016 film), a Tamil-language film * ''Andaman'' (2021 film), a Hindi-language film See also * Andaman and Nicobar Islands ...

and Nicobar islands, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Java,

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

, the Philippines, and Maluku Islands to New Guinea. It is the sole species in genus ''Merope''. It is an erect shrub growing up to 3 meters tall, with sparse stems growing from a root crown. Stout spines 1.5 – 3.5 cm long grow on the axils of juvenile stems. Leaves are oval, alternate, thick, and leathery, measuring 4.5 – 16 by 2 – 7 cm. The leaves are oval with blunt or slightly pointed tips and slightly notched leaf edges. They are aromatic with a lime-like scent when bruised. Flowers are white, fragrant, solitary, and bisexual, about 2 cm long, and grow in leaf axils in pairs or small clusters. The plant is salt-tolerant and grows in coastal mangrove swamps, tidal forests, and brackish wetlands. The species is threatened with habitat loss from destruction of its native habitat for agriculture, aquaculture, coastal development, and tourism. Its natural regeneration is limited by sparse seed production and poor seedling establishment. The IUCN Red List assesses the species' conservation status as

least-concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

across its range. It is assessed as critically endangered in Singapore, endangered in Peninsular Malaysia, and rare and threatened in India. Indian populations of the species are limited to the Jharkhali islands of the

Sunderbans Sundarbans (pronounced ) is a mangrove area in Ganges Delta, the delta formed by the confluence of the Padma River, Padma, Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Baleswar River in Bang ...

in West Bengal, and to the

Bhitarkanika Mangroves Bhitarkanika Mangroves is a mangrove wetland in Odisha, India, covering an area of in the Brahmani River and Baitarani River deltas. History The Bhitarkanika Mangroves were zamindari forests until 1952, when the government of Odisha abolish ...

and

Mahanadi River Delta Mahanadi River Delta in India is a basin of deposit that drains a large land mass of the Indian subcontinent into the Bay of Bengal. The alluvial valley is wide and relatively flat with a meandering river channel that changes its course. The M ...

in Orissa.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q9031794, from2=Q18084397 Rutaceae Flora of the Andaman Islands Flora of Bangladesh Flora of Borneo Flora of India (region) Flora of Java Flora of the Maluku Islands Flora of Myanmar Flora of New Guinea Flora of the Nicobar Islands Flora of Peninsular Malaysia Flora of the Philippines Flora of Sulawesi Plants described in 1802