Hopea jacobi C. E. C. Fisch.

Hopea species are evergreen trees. Bark gray or brown, smooth, at some length fissured or flaked, with white resin. Leaves simple, alternate, narrow oblong-lanceolate to oblanceolate-elliptic, base obtuse to oblique, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, coriaceous, leathery, usually hairy with domatia in the axils of the lateral veins, midrib impressed above and prominent beneath, lateral veins pinnate, tertiary veins scalariform, petiole slender, stout, stipules linear, fugacious, caducous, scars inconspicuous. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, lax panicles or unilateral racemes. Flowers bisexual, pedicel short to sessile, bracts early caducous or ebracteate, calyx 5 lobed, tubular with very short, imbricate densely stellate tomentose lobes, adnate to receptacle, 2 outer longer, ovate, apex obtuse, thick, growing soon after anthesis, becoming much longer than others, 3 inner lobes short, suborbicular, thin near margins, apex usually mucronate, petals 5, imbricate, oblong, fleshy, pubescent in bud, glabrous inside, densely stellate outside. Stamens 10-15, base connate, adnate to petals, usually caducous along with the petals, filaments subulate, usually inner ones shorter and sterils, outer ones longer, anthers medifixed, short, connective thin near apex. Ovary tri-locular, ovoid, ovules in two rows, axile placentation, style filiform, short, cylindric, stigma thick. Fruit large, nutlike, globose-ovoid, enclosed in calyx tube with 2 accrescent lobes like wings. Seed 1, adnate at the base, cotyledons unequal.

Flowering class: Dicot Habit: Tree

Hopea species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: N/A.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals.

Trees. Bark brown, smooth, also flaked, with white resin, branchlets, buds, shoots glabrous except for the petals. Leaves simple, alternate, ovate, about 5-9 x 2.5-4 cm across, base obtuse to oblique, margins entire, apex acuminate to caudate, coriaceous, chartaceous, usually hairy with domatia or gland-like swelling in the axils of the lateral veins, midrib impressed above and prominent beneath, lateral veins 5-6, tertiary veins parallel or perpendicular to the midrib, petiole slender, stout, about 7-10 mm long, stipules caducous, scars inconspicuous. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, lax panicles, solitary or paired, glabrous. Flowers bisexual, about 3 mm across, pedicel subsessile, calyx 5 lobed, tubular with very short, imbricate, glabrous, 2 outer longer, ovate-suborbicular, apex obtuse, thick, growing soon after anthesis, becoming much longer than others, about 1.5 cm across, 3 inner lobes short, thin near margins, petals 5, imbricate, oblong, fleshy, pubescent in bud, glabrous inside, margins minutely ciliate, puberulous outside. Stamens 15, base connate, adnate to petals, usually caducous along with the petals, filaments subulate, anthers medifixed, short, appendages subulate, connective thin near apex. Ovary tri-locular, ovoid, ovules in two rows, axile placentation, style short, apex pointed. Fruits unknown.

Hopea species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Notes: Western Ghats, Evergreen Forests

Rare in the forests or Madikeri, Karnataka and Silent valley or Kerala.

Evergreen forests

Southern Western Ghats

Critically Endangered (IUCN).

Critically Endangered

Wood is a good timber.