Cynometra beddomei

Cynometra beddomei is an extinct species of the subfamily of carob plants in the legume family. The specific epithet honors the British naturalist Richard Henry Beddome.

Features

Cynometra beddomei was a tree that reached a height of 20 m. The leaves were pinnate. They were 2.5 to 3.5 inches long and 1 to 1.5 inches wide. The stipules were early deciduous. The leaflets were dreipaarig arranged, the lower pair was smaller. The leaf margin was elliptic- ovate with asymmetrical sides. The blade tip was dull with a shallow incision. The base sheet was wedge-shaped and tapered to the narrower side of the blade a little. The midrib was prominent on the upper leaf surface. There were 13 to 16 pairs of secondary veins. The tertiary veins were ramified near the center. The inflorescence was axils. The spherical legume was 1.3 inches long and had a vertical incision. She was one seed.

Distribution and habitat

Cynometra beddomei was endemic to the Western Ghats in the Indian state of Kerala. Localities were in the western part of the Agasthyamalai region in the southern Western Ghats as well as in the districts of Wayanad and Coorg in the central Western Ghats. The type came along watercourses in evergreen forests at altitudes between 500 and 800 m ahead.

Status

Despite intensive searches, this type has not been detected since 1870. The primary forest has been largely replaced by forestry plantations. The IUCN took Cynometra beddomei 1998 in the Red List of extinct plant species.