Kydia calycina

[Devendra Bhardwaj]

Family: Malvaceae 

Name: पुला (Pula)

Species: Kydia calycina

Date: May 15, 2009

Place: Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India

Note: commonly known as Roxburgh's Kydia, is a ecologically and ethno-botanically significant deciduous tree species well-suited to the moist and dry deciduous tracts of India.Hindi and Local NamesIn Hindi and the regional dialects of northern and western India, the tree is known by several common names: मुख्य नाम (Main Hindi Names): पुला (Pula), पुलिया (Pulia), पोला (Pola) अन्य क्षेत्रीय नाम (Other Vernacular Names): भरंगा (Bharanga), भोटी (Bhoti), सुखलाई (Sukhlai), चोपुल्टिया (Choupultea) Distribution in RajasthanIn Rajasthan, Kydia calycina exhibits a patchy, specialized distribution. It typically avoids the true arid western plains (Thar Desert) and is primarily confined to the Aravalli Range and the mixed dry deciduous/semi-arid forests of the eastern and southern districts.Sariska Tiger Reserve (Alwar District): Historically, it is reported to grow with relative abundance in the moist valleys and hilly terrain of Sariska, making the north-eastern Aravalli extension a key micro-habitat for the species.Southern & South-Eastern Deciduous Tracts: It is frequently recorded as a companion species in the dry deciduous forest ecosystems dominated by Anogeissus pendula (Dhok), Boswellia serrata (Salar), and Lannea coromandelica (Gurun). This includes parts of the Udaipur Division and the transition zones into the Malwa plateau (such as Pratapgarh, Chittorgarh, and Banswara), where the moisture regime during and post-monsoon supports its striking late-season flowering.Current Conservation Status in the State: Although it adapts well to stony, well-drained slopes, extensive field observations indicate that Kydia calycina has become increasingly rare and localized across Rajasthan's landscape due to habitat fragmentation and pressures on understory vegetation.