Baccaurea courtallensis explained

Baccaurea courtallensis is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Phyllanthaceae.^{[1] [2]} It is endemic to the Western Ghats mountains in India. It is a medium size evergreen understory tree frequent in tropical wet evergreen forests of the low and mid-elevations (40-1000m). It is a Near Threatened species according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Description

It is a medium size tree up to 10-18m tall and girth up to 1.3 m.^[3] Bark is grey and generally smooth or scaly. The leaves are simple, alternate and clustered at twig end. The leaf petiole is 1.2 to 3.8 cm long and swollen at both ends.

The flowers are scarlet in colour and dioecious. Inflorescence are in long stalks arranged in clusters growing on the trunk of the tree i.e. cauliflorous.^[4] Male inflorescence is clustered all over the trunk. Female inflorescence is clustered mostly at the base of the trunk. The fruit are globose, crimson coloured and ribbed.^[5] Fruits are sour to sweet in taste when fully ripe. Pollen size 10 to 12 μM.

Common names

Malayalam: Mootilpazham, Mootilthoori, Mootippuli, Mootikaya^{[6] [7]}

Kannada: Kolikukke, Kodikukke, Kolakukki

Tamil: Kuran Pazam^[8] Pulichampazham, Mootupazham (மூட்டுப்பழம்)^[9]

Distribution and habitat

This tree is endemic to the Western Ghats.^[10] It grows in the tropical evergreen forests and occasionally grows along river or stream banks in the moist deciduous forests of southern India.

Ecology

Flowering: Aug, Nov, Dec., February to March/ May in southern Western Ghats. Leaf buds and fruits are eaten by Nilgiri Langurs,^[11] Elephants and Lion-tailed Macaques were also known to feed on the ripe fruits.^[12]

Uses

The fruit is edible and eaten by people

Notes and References

1. Web site: Baccaurea courtalensis - EUPHORBIACEAE . 2022-07-13 . www.biotik.org.
2. Book: Underutilized and Underexploited Horticultural Crops: Vol.03 . 9788189422851 . Peter . K. V. . 2 June 2008 .
3. Book: Brandis, Dietrich . Indian trees : an account of trees, shrubs, woody climbers, bamboos, and palms indigenous or commonly cultivated in the British Indian empire . 1906 . A. Constable . London.
4. Book: Hooker, Joseph Dalton . The flora of British India . 1890 . L. Reeve . 5 . London.
5. Book: Cooke, Theodore. . The flora of the presidency of Bombay . Cooke . Theodore . 1903 . Taylor and Francis . 2 . London.
6. Web site: Baccaurea courtallensis - Mootapalam . 2022-07-13 . www.flowersofindia.net.
7. Book: Gamble, J. S. . A manual of Indian timbers; an account of the growth, distribution, and uses of the trees and shrubs of India and Ceylon with descriptions of their wood-structure . S. Low, Marston & co. ltd . New and revised. London.
8. Mathpati, Mahesh and Vaishnavi C (2013). Useful plants that are increasingly rare, as perceived by the Adivasi Community in the Gudalur Region". Action for Community Organisation, Rehabilitation and Development, Gudalur
9. Nandhini . Karuppiah . David . Vincent Joshuva . Manimekalai . Venugopal . Ravichandran . Perumal . 2023-04-27 . Floral biology of Baccaurea courtallensis – an endemic tree species from peninsular India . Journal of Threatened Taxa . en . 15 . 4 . 22940–22954 . 10.11609/jott.8180.15.4.22940-22954 . 0974-7907. free .
10. Page, N (2017). A Photographic Guide-Endemic Woody Plants of the Western Ghats. Pp.iii+201. Trial Blazer Printers and Publishers. Bangalore.
11. Ramachandran, K. K. (1995). Status survey of primates in Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent areas. KFRI Research Report 106. December 1995. Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Thrissur. Pp. 34
12. Web site: Baccaurea courtallensis – Karthik's Journal . 2022-07-13 . en-US.