Rhamnus napalensis (Wall.) M.A.Lawson

Lawson, M.A. (1875) J. D. Hooker, Flora of British India 1: 640.

Usually grows into a vine but also flowers and fruits as a shrub. Vine stem diameters to 5 cm recorded. Heartwood dark reddish brown, sapwood yellow or ochre.

Leaf blades broadly lanceolate to elliptic, about 7-11 x 2-4.5 cm, leaves alternately large and small. Petioles about 1-1.5 cm long, channelled on the upper surface. Lateral veins about 8-13, curving but not forming distinct loops inside the blade margin. Stipules linear, caducous, about 2-3 mm long, hairy. Domatia, if present, are small tufts of hair.

Flowers about 3-4 mm diam. Calyx lobes about 1.5-2 mm long, hypanthium about 1 mm long. Inner surface of the hypanthium glandular. Petals and stamens about 1 mm long, petals +/- spathulate, enveloping the stamens until anthesis. Style with two or three branches and two or three stigmas.

Fruits red when ripe, depressed globular, often wider than long, about 6-7 x 7-9 mm. Seeds about 4-5 x 3-3.5 mm, turbinate or shaped like a grape (Vitus spp.) seed, but channelled or depressed on one side. Radicle about 0.5-0.7 mm long, cotyledons much larger and curved.

Cotyledons obreniform, about 9-10 x 12-14 mm, apex broadly retuse. Venation palmate with fine veins radiating from the base. First pair of leaves alternate, margins toothed (+/- serrate with the tip of each tooth bent inwards). At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade margin crenate, each tooth with a small gland or process on the inner edge. Stipules about 2 mm long, terete with thickened bases. Terminal buds densely clothed in short pale hairs, stems and petioles similarly clothed. Seed germination time 20 days.

Occurs in NEQ. Altitudinal range from 450-900 m. Grows in upland rain forest often in association with Kauri Pine (Agathis robusta). Also occurs in Malesia.