Baccaurea courtallensis (Wight) Muell.Arg. – Mootilpazham (In Malayalam) Phyllanthaceae

Baccaurea courtallensis is an edible medicinal plant that is endemic to the Western Ghats mountains in India. It is a medium size evergreen tree found frequent in the tropical wet evergreen forests of the low and mid-elevations (40-1000m). This species is a Near Threatened species categorized under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The trees are characterized by the Inflorescence in long stalks arranged in clusters growing on the trunk of the tree i.e. cauliflorous. The flowers are scarlet in colour and dioecious. Further, male inflorescence are found clustered all over the trunk. Female inflorescence is clustered mostly at the base of the trunk hence the Malayalam name Mootil pazham. The pulpy sweet and sour fruits are globose, crimson coloured. The fruits are of high medicinal value and is in high demand locally. Flowering and fruiting is observed between January to June. Further, the leaf buds and ripe fruits are fed by Nilgiri Langurs, Elephants and Lion-tailed Macaques.