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Deccan Crossberry
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Deccan Crossberry
E Native Photo: Kiranraj R.
Common name: Deccan Crossberry • Malayalam: Kayyonnar, Payippala • Sinhala: වැල් කෑලිය Wel keliya, Wel-mediya • Tamil: Taviddai
Botanical name: Grewia orientalis    Family: Tiliaceae (Phalsa family)
Synonyms: Grewia columnaris, Grewia furfuracea

Deccan Crossberry is a shrub or a small, well-branched tree. The young parts of twigs are velvety due to brown hairs. Leaves are ovate-elliptic to almost oblong, 4-8 x 1.8-4 cm, rough, alternately arranged, with a rounded base and tapered tip and minutely teethed margins. Flowers are seen in groups of 3, each about 2 cm, and borne on leaf nodes. Erect, cone-shaped buds bloom into attractive, whitish yellow flowers with numerous white filaments. Once the petals fall off, the brownish recurved sepals and centered filaments become prominent. The fruits are globular with one seed and, four lobes, about 1.5 cm, fleshy, and turn yellow with black dots when ripe. Deccan Crossberry is found in South India and Sri Lanka. Flowering: May-January.

Identification credit: Kiranraj R. Photographed in Coonoor taluk, Nilgiri distt., Tamil Nadu.

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