Snehalatha VR and Rasmi AR

Syzygium laetum (Buch.-Ham.) Gandhi is an endemic species in India’s Western Ghats. It was characterized morphologically, anatomically, and histochemically for its taxonomic authentication. Field-collected specimens were examined macroscopically, and thin sections of different parts were prepared. The tree is approx. 10 m tall, with smooth grey-white bark and opposite elliptic-oblong glabrous leaves. Flowers are solitary or in small clusters, red or lemon-yellow, with numerous stamens, and fruits are ovoid berries. Leaves show a thick midrib, dorsiventral lamina, bicollateral bundles, and abaxial paracytic stomata. The stem has a corky periderm, sclerenchymatous cortex, and crystal-rich tissues. Bark is tannin-rich, and the wood is diffuse-porous with short vessels, paratracheal parenchyma, and uni- to biseriate rays. Collectively, these morpho-anatomical and histochemical traits serve as diagnostic markers for S. laetum, highlighting its ecological and medicinal relevance.

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