Uvaria narum Wall.

Uvaria species are scandent or sarmentose shrubs, normally stellately pubescent. Stolons slender and long. Leaves simple, alternate, glabrous or pubescent. Flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual, axillary, axillary, terminal or leaf-opposed, solitary or cymose fascicled, brown, purple or yellow, pedicellate or subsessile. Sepals 3, valvate, often connate below. Petals 6 in 2 series, oval, orbicular or oblong, imbricate, sometimes connate at the base, torus depressed, pubescent. Stamens numerous, outer rows sometimes sterile, ovoid, anthers dorsal, connectives usually trapezoidal or rhomboidal on top. Carpels many, style short, thick, ovules many, 2 seriate rarely 1 seriate. Ripe carpels many, often edible, globose, berries or dry, seeds few to many.

Flowering class: Dicot Habit: Climber

Flowering and fruiting: November-June

Uvaria 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. Rarely unisexual, i.e., have male (staminate) flowers on one plant, and female (pistillate) flowers on another plant. Flowering/Fruiting: November-December/December-April.

Seeds may be dispersed by zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals.

Large scandent shrubs. Bark grayish brown, vertically fissured, branchlets, shoots and inflorescence minutely tomentose when young, glabrous when mature. Leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate-oblong to elliptic, about 10-16 x 2.5-6 cm across, base subcuneate or acute, asymmetrical, margin entire, apex acuminate, chartaceous, coriaceous, dark green, glabrous, shining above, paler glaucous beneath, lateral veins 10-18 on either side of the midrib, impressed above and beneath except on the midrib beneath, almost parallel, arched or oblique near the margins, reticulate veinlets fine and close, petiole stout, glabrous, about 0.3-0.6 cm long. Flowers bisexual, usually solitary, extra axillary, terminal or leaf opposed, reddish maroon, about 3 cm across, pedicels slender, rusty tomentose, about 1-1.2 cm long, buds globular, bracts oblong, caducous, glabrous, about 1-3 mm across. Sepals 3, ovate-rotund, base connate, apex obtuse and curved, about 5 mm across. Petals 6, in 2 series, outer petals slightly larger and wider than the inner petals, broadly ovate, apex obtuse curved inside, fleshy, reddish maroon, minutely tomentose outside, glabrous inside, about 1-2 x 0.8-1.5 cm across, inner petals almost similar to outer petals, but narrower near the base and smaller, Torus raised about 8 mm across. Stamens numerous and fertile, yellow, about 1.5 mm long, anthers broad, connectives truncate on the top. Ripe carpels many, linear, ellipsoid to ovoid monocarps, glabrous, obtuse on base and apex, green and bright red when ripe, about 2-6 cm in long, stalk stout, about 4-8 cm long, Seeds about 4-6 in a rows, ovoid, glossy chestnut dark brown, plano-convex.

Susceptible to insect pests and moulds.

Notes: Western Ghats & Eastern Ghats, Dry Deciduous to Moist Deciduous Forests

Along coastal areas and deciduous forests at low altitudes

Deciduous to evergreen forests along banks or rivers and streams.

Medicinal

Root and bark decoction is used to treat rheumatism, fits during delivery and bowel complaints. Leaves decoction is used to treat jaundice, rheumatism, biliousness and fevers.