Blepharistemma membranifolia (Miq.) Ding Hou (RHIZOPHORACEAE)
Description: Trees, up to 9 m tall; branchlets glabrous. Leaves elliptic-oblong, up to 15 x 7 cm, acuminate,. Inflorescence of 3-4 cm long axillary cymes. Flowers white. Calyx lobes 4, triangular, erect, short. Petals 4, clawed, spathulate, lacerate at apex. Stamens 8; filaments ciliate. Ovary 3-4-locular; style slender, elongated; stigma shortly 3-lobed. The fleshy capsule is oval-shaped, reaching up to 1 centimeter in length, ending with a lasting style, and displaying a greenish-black color.
Flowering: March – April.
Fruiting: June – July.
Distribution: India: West coast and Western Ghats, from Coorg to Travancore, up to 800 m in evergreen forests. Endemic.
