science

Xylosma nepalensis

Xylosma nepalensis is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Xylosma nepalensis rather than just read about it. In short: Xylosma nepalensis is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae, excavated from the Sivalik Hills within western Nepal, with an estimated temporal range spanning the Miocene to the Pliocene. It was first described by Mahesh Prasad and Shivendra Mohan Pandey in 2008.

Key takeaways

Xylosma nepalensis belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Xylosma nepalensis to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Xylosma nepalensis from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Xylosma nepalensis is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae, excavated from the Sivalik Hills within western Nepal, with an estimated temporal range spanning the Miocene to the Pliocene. It was first described by Mahesh Prasad and Shivendra Mohan Pandey in 2008.

Description Known only from a single leaf specimen, Xylosma nepalensis had leaves that measured roughly 2.8 cm (1.1 in) long and 1.2 cm (0.47 in) wide; the shape was elliptic, the apex and base were both obtuse, and the margins were serrate. The leaf surface was chartaceous, and the veins came in pairs that formed a eucamptodromous pattern. The leaves of Xylosma nepalensis reportedly bore a close resemblance to the extant Xylosma congesta.

Taxonomy and discovery In 2008, many fossil specimens were recovered from sites across the Sivalik Hills, where Mahesh Prasad and Shivendra Mohan Pandey identified Xylosma nepalensis as a new species based solely on a leaf impression. This taxon is only known from one specimen obtained from the Bankas Formation along the Surai Khola, a 19 km (12 mi) river running through the southern Sivalik belt.

Etymology The generic name Xylosma derives from xylon (Ancient Greek: ξύλον), meaning "wood" or "tree", and osmé (Ancient Greek: ὀσμή), meaning "smell", overall referring to the aromatic wood found in some extant species. The specific epithet, nepalensis, is in reference to Nepal, where the fossil locality, Surai Khola, is located.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Xylosma nepalensis

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Xylosma nepalensis claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Xylosma nepalensis before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Xylosma nepalensis ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Xylosma nepalensis

In research: Xylosma nepalensis appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Xylosma nepalensis in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Xylosma nepalensis is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fossil taxa described in 2008, Plants described in 2008, Prehistoric angiosperms, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Xylosma nepalensis outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Xylosma nepalensis in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Xylosma nepalensis means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Xylosma nepalensis out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Xylosma nepalensis in simple terms?

Why does Xylosma nepalensis matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Xylosma nepalensis?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Xylosma nepalensis.