Grey Bollywood

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• grey bollywood
• smooth-barb bollygum
• Shore Laurel

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Laurus cassia
• Balanopsis cassia
• Neolitsea balakrishnanii
• Camphorina cassia
• Persea cassia

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Laurales, it is further categorized into the family Lauraceae. Finally, it is identified by the genus Neolitsea, specifically as the species Neolitsea cassia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a widespread distribution across several key regions of South and Southeast Asia. Within the Indian Subcontinent, it is prominently found throughout the country of India. Its presence is also noted in specific areas such as Assam and the island nation of Sri Lanka. Moving towards the Indo-China region, the species extends its range to include the Andaman Islands. Collectively, these locations highlight the diverse ecological niche occupied by Neolitsea cassia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Morphology

The morphology of Neolitsea cassia is characterized by a diverse growth habit, appearing as either a shrub or a tree depending on its environmental context. As a woody species, it possesses a robust, lignified structure that supports its development. While it exhibits characteristics of a self-supporting plant—acting as a self-supporting liana, vine, or facultative climber—it primarily functions as a terrestrial organism rather than an epiphyte, maintaining a strictly terrestrial existence.

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Growth form :

tree

Woodiness :

woody

Reproduction

Reproduction in Neolitsea cassia is characterized by specific seed morphological traits that contribute to its dispersal and establishment strategies. The reproductive output of the species is defined by a highly consistent seed mass, showing no variance across measured samples. Specifically, the seed mass exhibits a mean value of 0.39 g, which is identical to both its maximum and minimum recorded values of 0.39 g. This uniformity in seed mass suggests a stabilized reproductive mechanism within the species, ensuring that each propagule provides a predictable amount of nutrient reserves for the developing embryo.

Seed mass mean:

0.39 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Neolitsea cassia has 5 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Galacturonic acid, arabinose, galactose, glucose, glucuronic acid.

Galacturonic acid

1. Natural product research

arabinose

1. Natural product research

galactose

1. Natural product research

glucose

1. Natural product research

glucuronic acid

1. Natural product research