Tree for ID, online video NAW-23-10-01

[nadeem waqif]

Dear all,

a strange request out of curiosity. someone forwarded me this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTzrXtXejb4

which shows a rather dangerous tree whose white fruits spontaneously light up match sticks. they mention the local name as Pandava Patti, which has been identified as Callicarpa tomentosa, but the tree in the video is clearly not C. tomentosa.

The location alluded to in the video is Chandrapur which might refer to the forests of east Maharashtra tho the uploader of the video is in Mizoram.

The video does seem genuine and not a stunt, hence i dared to link it on this group as a enquiry.

best regards

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Kudos for the nice photography.

Whosoever has made the video really knows his job.

Regards

Taffazull

[Mahadeswara]

This video was posted long back in the group , if I remember right.  This is being circulated on whats app for the last one year . Even now I received  from 3 to 4 members.

For me it looks FAKE. 

On Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 9:33:21 AM UTC+5:30 nadeem waqif wrote:

[nawaqif]

Dear All,

If nobody on this forum can identify the species, i take the video to be fake. it is impossible that such a striking behavior by a plant is unknown to this forum.

Thank you.

[Tabish]

The video may not be fake. There is another plant which has similar properties. See this link for details:

 http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286761

To quote from the site

 "Another common name for this plant is gas plant. In hot weather, old flowers or seed pods emit a flammable oil which, on a windless summer evening, can be ignited with a match resulting in a brief vapor burn which is harmless to the plant, hence the common name."

  Tabish

On Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 9:33:21 AM UTC+5:30 nadeem waqif wrote:

[Tabish]

PS: The plant I pointed out emits a vapour which can be ignited with a burning match, which is different from a match spontaneously catching fire. But the phenomenon is not so far fetched.

   Tabish