212 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 
Geoerapuicat Distrisution. As indicated above this is strictly a tropical order and is 
found within the tropics of Asia, Africa, and America, but not in New Holland. Some of the 
Indian species however extend considerably beyond the 23° of northern latitude and are even 
found as far north as the foot of the Himalayas, several are found in the Malayan peninsula 
in the Eastern Islands. In the Indian peninsula, though only 9 genera and 19 species are des 
cribed, the order may be said to abound as most of the species are of frequent occurrence, 
ose of Terminalia and Conocarpus abound in the alpine tracts, while Combretum and — 
Getonia are equally abundant on the plains in those parts of the country where they do occur, — 
Combretum, of the two, is more generally diffused. Getonia is principally confined to the western 
coast and about Courtallum, but not limited to these localities. 
ES 
Properties anp Uses. Most of the species of Terminalia are strongly astringent and 
the bark of several may be used for tanning. ‘he leaf galls and fruit of 7. chebula are m 
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necessary the bark or fruit or gallsof Terminalia or Myrobalanus maybe used. Nearly all the 
species of Terminalia and Conocarpus are large timber trees and some of them yield very useful _ 
timber, but I do not find any precise accounts of their respective qualities. Terminalia (Pen- 
taptera) coriacea or perhaps T. glabra “ has a trank straight and lofty ; wood of considerable 
diameter, so as to be made into solid wheels for buffalo earts; strong, hard and heavy” — 
in Roxb. FI. Ind. This tree is not mentioned by Ainslie. ee 
No useful property is assigned to — 
any of the scandent forms but the wood of Lumnitzera racemosa (Petaloma alternifolia, Roxb.) 
The plant is however rare in this part of India 
ent size to be of much value. Vast quantities 
of it are daily carried from the Sunderbunds to Calcutta for fuel. 
fi 
: 
© genera are essentially characterized by their flowers, i 
n Ter 
latter is erect, arboreous, and a na 
DAES bite, cone in miniature whence the name 
ralia, 
of which genera 1 ; Mesepae:- 
The Peninsular igs adopted by DeCandolle, but i 
