BOTANY. 



205 



BITTER WOOD. 



The bitter wood a small tree used for boats in the neigh- 

 borhood of Amherst, is particularly desirable for being, 

 as Mr. O' Riley states, " exempt from the attack of the te- 

 redo." I have never seen the tree, but its leaves and 

 fruit were furnished me by Mr. O' Riley, and they indi- 

 cate it to be a species of "terminalia, and of the section 

 pentaptera. The good timber, and bitter bark assimilate 

 it to Roxburgh's P. Arjuna, but the foliation is different. 

 Terminalia ( Pentaptera. ) 



o-Sslsn rocoSslsu 5)83 n .8a (Tavoy) 



TERMINALIA. 



I believe every member of the genus terminalia yields 

 useful timber, and besides the preceding species, two 

 others, the chebula, and bellerica have been noticed as 

 indigenous in another part of this work. A still larger 

 timber tree is common in the interior, whose winged fruit 

 indicate its connection with Roxburgh's genus pentaptera. 

 Terminalia (Pentaptera.) 



©8s§i (Sgau.) 



CHASTE TREE. 



This is a species of vitex very common at Maulmain, 

 which produces a valuable small timber. Roxburgh says : 

 " Wood when old, chocolate coloured, very hard, and 

 durable." 



Vitex arborea. 



GCODoS^OS 



GMEL1NA ARBOREA. 



Wallich met with this tree on the Salwen, but it has 

 never fallen under my observation, and I am unacquainted 

 with its native name. It produces, however, a useful tim- 

 ber, " not readily attacked by insects." 

 Gmelina arbor oa. 



