12o. MORACEJE. [8. Picus. 



broad sessile base, glabrous or puberulous, Avrinkled when dry, '(S-'lb" 

 diam., black when ripe, basal bracts m.s. or large, extending one-fifth 

 to one-half diam. of recept, glabrous, pubescent or silky, orbicular, 

 almost hidden by large base of recept. 



N. Champaran ! Freijiient along nalas in the hills of Sing-lihuin, Hazaribagh 

 and other districts of Ohota Nag-pur ! Often in village lands and planted along 

 roadsides where it does well, and is frequently calletl Fipal, than which it is 

 usually a smaller, more spreading and less handsome tree. There ap])ear to be 

 two seasons for ripening the recepts, one in tlie r.s., the other Dec. -Jan. Evergreen 

 (or some, esp. fruiting branches deciduous), renews leaves March-April. 



Bark grey, not pitted as in the Pipal. Leaves conspicuously but minutely 

 punctulate, margin often wavy, tertiary nerves meeting at an angle with those 

 from the next secondary nerve or connected hy nervules. Petioles 2-3", usually 

 one-third to three-fourths as long as the blade, much stouter and stiifer than in 

 tiie Pipal. Stipules •7-5-2" glabrous. Recepts often crowded along the branches, 

 geminate, both axillary and from the leaf scars, young verrucose or slightly so. 



Blitme's description is rather too brief to be sure of this being- his tree, but he 

 quotes an excellent description and figure of Riimphius which, leaves no doubt 

 about it. i'i»<7 would appear to have seen only glabrous specimens. The tree is 

 seldom epiphytic and I have seen it in the foi'm of slender poles in the forest 

 when quite young. 



Lac .sometimes grows upon it. Said to be a good fodder and the fruit is eaten. 



11. F. Arnottiana, 21 iq. Duranga-hesa, K. ; 8unum-jo, S. Some- 

 times also confused with Pijial. 



A glabrous small tree, or sometimes a shrub, with broadly ovate 

 leaves abruptly acuminate or cuspidate and with a cordate base, 

 usually about (3" by 4-4 -o", sometimes 7", the cusp only -d-^-S", base 

 with 3 strong and 2-4 much weaker nerves and 5-8 strong translucent 

 straw-coloured (when fresh) sec. nerves looped within the cartilaginous 

 margin, tertiaries and nervules very beautifully and closely reticulate 

 (much more so than in F. Rumphii), final nervules sunk in the lamina 

 enclosing very small pale areoles. Petiole often nearly as long as the 

 blade, slender. Recepts mostly from the leaf scars depressed globose 

 •4 — 5" diam. subsessile or very shortly pedicelled, at first white and 

 faintly reddish and verrucose, finally purple or nearly black. Bracts 

 thickened pulvinate at base. 



Epiphytic on trees or rocks, chietly on drj- rocks or in rocky places. Gaya 

 ghats, frequent! Monghyr Hills, Ceil. Herb and Wall. Cat. 44.85 e! Kai-akpur 

 Hills, Kurz ! Singbhum. Hazaribagh and other districts of Chota Nagpur ! 

 Puri ! Sambalpur ! Ripe recepts found March-,June and again (])erhaps always 

 var. coiirtallensi)') Dec. -Jan. Deciduous about March or April, new leaves bright 

 red, old often turn copper-coloured in Dec. 



Stipules r3-2" long, membranous, glabrous- 



Var. coiiftallensis has ovate leaves mostly 3'5-4" with base only slightl3^ cordate 

 or somewhat cuneate on the petiole. Recepts only •28-"3", when ripe veri'ucose, 

 flushed red, pedicelled, slightly umbonate. 



12. F. religiosa, L. Asvattha, Sans ; Tepe-hesa, K. ; Hesak', *S'. ; 



Pipar, Pipal, H. ; The Pipal Tree. 

 A very large tree, epiphytic when young, with rotund or broadly 

 ovate, very long caudate, more or less pendulous leaves dark-green 

 and shining above, 5-7" long, the slender tail nearlj^ one-third to 

 half the entire length of the blade, base cordate, with .3 strong principal 

 nerves and 2 or 4 weak ones, margin often waved, undersurface 

 sometimes dotted when dry. Petiole slender, 3-4". Recepts axillary 



833 



