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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The flower labeled Deccan Crossberry is ...