OPERCULICARYA BOREALIS

This member of the Anacardiaceae family was described by Urs Eggli in 1995. It is found in the Orangea and Sahafary forests, north-eastern Madagascar, growing in sandy soils with some water and some sun. I think the stem will grow to 20 centimetres and the whole plant can grow to three meters high.

The genera name from Latin operculum; 'little lid' and Greek karyum; 'nut', referring to the lidded, nut-like seeds. The species is named after Raymond Decary, 1892-1973, a French botanist and anthropologist. The leaves are slightly hairy. The stem might be a little to slim to be at those pages (nepotism!). A. Randrianasolo & P. P. Lowry, 2006: "It can be distinguished from other members of the genus by its small elliptic to slightly obovate leaves with a rounded, mucronate apex, villous to lanate indument, and secondary venation on the lower surface that is moderately raised but does not form distinct cavities between the individual veins".