Humboldtia ponmudiana
| Humboldtia ponmudiana | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Humboldtia |
| Species: | H. ponmudiana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Humboldtia ponmudiana E.S.S.Kumar, Shareef & Raj Vikr.
| |
Humboldtia ponmudiana is a species of plant endemic to Kerala in India.[1][2][3]
Etymology
This species was named for Ponmudi Hills, a hill station in Kerala where the tree was found and described. The leaves are of sub-sessile with 8-12 in numbers.[1]
Description
This tree can be between 5 and 12 meters high. The trunk has a 25–50 cm diameter and the bark is black. The flowers are white and cauliflorus where they grows directly on the stem or old branches. The seed pods are oblong and silky and hairy with 2–3 seeds inside. The flowering and fruiting season is from December to February.[1]
This species resembles Humboldtia decurrens but can be differentiated by the black bark, young shoots being densely hairy and dark brown, sessile flowers, oval-shaped bracts without glands, hairy and long-beaked shaped seed pods amongst other characteristics.[1]
Distribution
This species of trees were known only from the evergreen forests of Ponmudi and found at an elevation of 700–800 meters.[1]
Threats and conservation
At the time of discovery of this species in 2002, a single population of 50 mature trees were found in less than 5 km2 area. Hence it was suggested to be categorized as Critically Endangered.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Santhosh Kumar, Ettickal Sukumaran; Shareef, Sainudeen Muhammed; Vikraman, Ramachandrakurup Raj (2022-06-21). "Humboldtia ponmudiana (Fabaceae-Detarioideae), a new species from Kerala, India". Phytotaxa. 552 (1): 115–121. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.552.1.11. ISSN 1179-3163.
- ^ "Humboldtia ponmudiana E.S.S.Kumar, Shareef & Raj Vikr". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
- ^ "Data - Legume Data Portal". www.legumedata.org. Retrieved 2025-07-16.