''Fagraea ceilanica'' is a species of small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the family

Gentianaceae Gentianaceae is a family of flowering plants of 103 genera and about 1600 species. Etymology The family takes its name from the genus '' Gentiana'', named after the Illyrian king Gentius. Distribution Distribution is cosmopolitan. Characteri ...

growing to heights of up to 10 metres. Typical habitat is

seasonal tropical forest Seasonal tropical forest, also known as moist deciduous, semi-evergreen seasonal, tropical mixed or monsoon forests, typically contain a range of tree species: only some of which drop some or all of their leaves during the dry season. This tropic ...

, but it is also grown as an ornamental tree in many places in India,

Indo-China Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

and

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. The ...

. It has been described as "

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

" or a "strangler" when young, since like

strangling fig Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species in the genus ''Ficus'', including those that are commonly known as banyans. Some of the more well-known species are: * ''Ficus altissima'' * ''Ficus aurea'', ...

s (''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...

'') its seeds germinate in cracks and branch joints of living tree trunks from where the young plants' roots grow around the trunk down to the ground, using the tree as support but without killing it. Occasionally flowering ''Fagraea ceilanica'' bushes are seen high up on tree trunks, remaining there as epiphytes. It is also recorded as a

lithophyte Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are also ...

growing on rocks and rock faces.India Biodiversity: ''Fagraea ceilanica''
/ref>

Description

;Leaves: are fleshy, shiny and typically lanceolate, 100-180 x 50–80 mm, with a petiole to 25 mm long. ;The inflorescence: is terminal or axillary, few-flowered (see illustration). Flowers are 60–80 mm cream/white typically in March–August. The calyx is 5-lobed each approx. 8 mm long. The funnel-shaped corolla is 40–50 mm long with five broad lobes, twisted to right, and 5

adnate Adnate may refer to: * Adnation, in botany, the fusion of two or more whorls of a flower * Adnate, in mycology, a classification of lamellae (gills) * Conjoined twins Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are ...

stamens are attached to base. A capitate stigma is attached to the ovary, which is 2-celled and containing many ovules in each. ;Fruiting: is typically in August–November; structurally they are shiny berries (see illustration): 20-40 x 15–30 mm and containing many seeds. Fagraea ceilanica 2

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q13614044 ceilanica Flora of India (region) Flora of Indo-China Trees of Vietnam Plants described in 1782