Chap. V] TROPICAL DISTRICTS WITH DRY SEASONS 353 



the forest is thin ; trunks and branches are thick and gnarled, covered with 

 a rich epiphytic flora. Lianes and shrubs are poorly represented, whereas 

 the soil is covered with a turf composed either of grass and perennial 

 herbs, or of grass alone. 



Kurz distinguishes two forms of his ' mixed forest' — ' upper mixed forest' and 'lower 

 mixed forest.' In the ' upper ' the trees are taller than in the ' lower,' but less varied. 



Large bamboos play an important part in the 'upper mixed forest' (Fig. 189) ; 

 teak is as a rule present ; Sterculia villosa and S. urens, Milletia Brandi- 

 siana, Grewia elastica, Duabanga grandiflora, Erythrina stricta and E. suberosa 

 are the characteristic trees, but many other species are represented. Shrubs are 

 scantily and badly developed, but we have Helicteres plebeja, Thespesia Lampas, 

 Grewia hirsuta, and others. Lianes are also few in number, represented amongst 

 others by Combretum, Calycopteris, Abrus precatorius. Accordingly the interior 

 of the forests is ver}' easy of access. A grassy covering to the ground is quite 

 exceptional, and then consists of the so-called teak-grass, a species of Pollinia. 

 Ferns are scanty on the ground, and only those species are present that withstand 

 great drought. Numerous herbaceous plants spring from the soil, but without 

 covering it. Bryophyta are very scarce and confined to moist sandstone rocks 

 (Hypnum, Fissidens, Marchantia). Epiphytes are not numerous, and occur only 

 on the tops of the trees. 



The 'lower mixed forest' averages 70 to 80 feet in height, sometimes attaining 

 100 feet; it is richer in lianes and also in shrubs, and therefore denser than the 

 ' upper mixed forest.' Kurz mentions about fifty species of trees as the leading 

 constituents of this forest, and about as many more as rather of local occurrence. 

 We find among the former the most diverse families represented : — Sterculiaceae, 

 Malvaceae, Bombaceae, Dilleniaceae, Sapindaceae (Schleichera), Anacardiaceae 

 (Odina, Mangifera, Spondias), Combretaceae (various species of Terminalia, Ano- 

 geissus), Lythraceae (various species of Lagerstroemia), Samydaceae (Homalium), 

 Diospyraceae, Bignoniaceae (Spathodea, Heterophragma, Stereospermum, Calo- 

 santhes), Euphorbiaceae (Antidesma, Emblica^, Mimosaceae (Albizzia), Rubiaceae 

 (various species of Nauclea, Gardenia, Randia), Artocarpaceae (various species of 

 Ficus), Myrtaceae (Barringtonia, Careya), Loganiaceae (Strychnos Nux-vomica). 



Among the shrubs are in particular Thespesia Lampas (Malvaceae), Grewia 

 hirsuta (Tiliaceae>, Premna, Clerodendron (Verbenaceae), Ceratogynum, Phyllan- 

 thus, Baliospermum (Euphorbiaceae), Desmodium, Flemmingia (Papilionaceae), two 

 species of Calamus. 



The lianes are extremely diversified. Kurz specially mentions more than fifty 

 species, among them numerous Leguminosae (Butea, Spatholobus, Entada, Caes- 

 alpinia of various species, Acacia, Dalbergia, Phaseolus, Pueraria, Mucuna, Dolichos, 

 Mezoneurum, Abrus precatorius), Menispermaceae (Stephania), Rhanmaceae (Zizi- 

 phus, Gouania, Colubrina), Celastraceae (Celastrus 1 , Sapindaceae (Stephania), 

 Vitaceae (Vitis, many species), Rubiaceae (Paederia), Euphorbiaceae (Rottlera, 

 Bridelia), Verbenaceae (Symphorema, Congea), Combretaceae (Combretum of various 

 species, Calycopteris), Cucurbitaceae (Zehneria, Luffa), Convolvulaceae (Argyreia 

 of various species, Ipomoea), and others ; of Monocotyledones, Smilax and Scin- 

 dapsus ; also Gnetum scandens (Fig. 147) and Lygodium. 



51 HIMPER J^ 2i 



