Diospyros oocarpa
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| Diospyros oocarpa | |
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| Species: | D. oocarpa
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| Binomial name | |
| Diospyros oocarpa (Thw.)
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Diospyros oocarpa, is a tree in the Ebony family, native to Central and North Malanad of Central Sahyadri of Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. Sometimes, it is classified as a synonym of Diospyros marmorata.
Common names
- Tamil: Vellai karankali,
- Sinhala: Kalu-kadumberiya
- Malayalam: Karunkali
Description
Trees are up to 25 m tall. Bark is usually blackish brown in color and flakes are blaze brown. Branchlets are terete, fulvous pubescent when young.
Leaves are simple, alternate, and distichous. Petiole is to 0.6-1.1 cm long, planoconvex in cross section, glabrous, Lamina is 5-12 x 3-7.5 cm,is narrow ovate to ovate, apex is acute to acuminate with blunt tip, where base is acute, margin entire, coriaceous, glabrous, drying brown. Midrib of the leaf is flat above. Secondary nerves may be 5-8, but not prominent, lower most pairs close, tertiary nerves are obscure.
Flowers are unisexual, and dioecious. Inflorescence present,where male flowers in axillary sessile clusters, and are cream in color; where as female flowers 1-3, are axillary.
Fruits are as berries. They are oblong-ovoid, 2.3 x 3.5 cm large, rugose; calyx is persistent. A fruit bear 1-seed per cell.
Ecology
Trees can be from canopy to subcanopy in evergreen forests, up to 800 m.
Chemistry
The chemical examination of the roots of D. oocarpa afforded ten coumpounds on column chromatography and repeated crystallizations, Lupeol, 5-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-2-naphthaldehyde, 4-Hydroxy-5-methoxy-2-naphthaldehyde, 4-Hydroxy-3, 5-dimethoxy-2-naphthaldehyde, β-sitosterol, Plumbagin, Betulinaldehyde, Diospyrin, 8’hydroxyisodiospyrin, Umbelliferone.