Common name: Maple leaf tree, Dinner plate tree. Tamil Name: Kanaka champa
Native to the Indian sub-continent Kanaka champa is a evergreen tree that grows to around 30 feet in height. Young branches, leafs and young flowering shoots have a rusty appearence. The leafs are simple and alternate, the leafs are shallowly lobed with the lobes tips are acuminate. The flower stalk is peltatly joined to the leaf lamella. The leafs are obovate to roundish in shape; below surface is rusty white in color and the upper surface is green. The nerves below the leafs extrude out of the lamella- 5 prominent nerves seen. The leaf stalk measure 14 cm the leaf lenght and across measure around 26 cm each. The leaf stipule vary some are bifid measuring 2 cm; in some cases 3 to four finger like attachments are seen on eighter side at the base of each leaf. The flower stalk measure around 2 cm. The flower has five belt like calyx elements conjoined below. Each calyx element measure around 15 cm. They are longer than the petals. Upper layer of calyx elements yellow in color and slightly hairy; the lower surface of the calyx elements are yellow-green in color with more hair like structures. The flower has five petals they are poly petalous (may appear gamopetalous at first sight). The petals are white in color and each measure around 13 cm; they are fragrant; they change color to cream as they age. The flowers are guarded by 2 hand shaped (6 finger like elements) bracts which are rusty green in color. The flower has 15 anthers; monadelphous; out of which about 5 are staminodes. The grow over the females gynophore and fan out the anther filaments. The gynoecium is rather in the middle of the flower, stout and greenish in color, elliptical in shape, The style is long measuring around 7.2 cm. The fruit is in the form of a woody, rough capsule measuring around 12 cm. The seeds are winged and brown in color.
