| Hildegardia populifolia | |
|---|---|
| |
| H. populifolia tree cultivated in Hollywood, Florida, USA | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Hildegardia |
| Species: | H. populifolia
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| Binomial name | |
| Hildegardia populifolia | |
| Synonyms | |
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Hildegardia populifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is found only in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in India.[1] It is threatened by habitat loss; just about 20 trees are known to exist on the eastern slopes of the Kalrayan Hills.[1]
This is a deciduous tree growing up to 20 meters tall. It has lobed leaves and panicles of flowers with red sepals and no petals. Most trees produce both male and bisexual flowers.[3]
The bee Trigona iridipennis feeds on the pollen and nectar. The flowers are visited by several bird species, such as the red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer), rufous-backed shrike (Lanius schach), blue-tailed bee-eater (Merops philippinus), and stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis), some of which are predators of the bee.[3]
