Mesua. ] GUTTIFER^:. 27 



1. M. ferrea, Linn.; Hook. Fl. Ind. i. 277; Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 

 605 ; Kurz i. 97 ; Beddome xxiii (witU also M. speciosa, Choisy ; 

 M. Roxbnrghii, Wight; J\L sclerophylla, Thw. ; M. pulc/iella, PI. and 

 Trian. ; and M. coromandeliana, Wight; Beddome t. 64) ; Thwaites Enum. 

 50. Vern. Nagesar, Beng. ; Nahor, Ass.; Nageshvoro, Uriya; Nangal, 

 mallay nangal, Tarn.; Naga-kcsara, Tel.; Nang, Tinnevelly; Naga 

 mmplgi, Kan.; Nag-champa, Mar.; Behetta-ckampagam, Mai.; Nd, 

 deya-nd, Cingh. ; Kaing-go, Ma<*h ; Gangau, Burm. 



A large evergreen tree. Heartwood dark red, extremely hard. 

 Pores moderate-sized, often in groups, scanty, often filled with yellow 

 resin. Medullary rays extremely fine, uniform, equidistant, very 

 numerous. Numerous fine, wavy, concentric lines of light-coloured 

 tissue. 



Eastern Bengal from the Monas eastward (though traces of its having formerly 

 been found west of that river occur sometimes in the names of places, e. g., 

 Nageshwarbari, or Naksarbari, a town in the Sikkim Terai on the Nepal frontier), 

 Assam, South India, Ceylon, Burma and the Andainans, often cultivated. 



The weight and transverse strength have been determined by the following experi- 

 ments : 



Weight. Value of P. 



A. Mendis Ceylon No. 59, with bars 2' X V X 1" found 72 Ibs, 994 



Brandis Burma No. 18, 1862 . , 69 



Bennett Andamans No. 4, 1872 . 



Assam (4 specimens), 1378 



70 1053 



67-5 

 62 

 70 



Smythies < Kanara (1 ), 



(. Burma (6 ), 



Several of our specimens, however, reached 74 to 76 Ibs. per cubic foot in weight. It 

 is very durable. It has been found to answer for sleepers equally well with 

 JPynkado, but the cost of cutting the hard wood, its weight, and the freight from the 

 Tenasseriin forests to Calcutta prevent its being much used, as the total cost is scarcely 

 covered by the price (Us. 5) per broad-gauge sleeper. It is used for building, for 

 bridges, gunstocks and tool handles ; but its more general use is prevented by its 

 great hardness, weight and the difficulty of working it. In Ceylon an oil is obtained 

 from the nut, and the tree is often planted for the sake of its handsome flowers, 



Ibs. 



E 2309. E. Diiars, Assam 64 



E 793. Kararup 61 



E 2190. Nowgong 75 



E 1273. Cachar 70 



W 741. South Kanara 62 



B 2504 Burma (1862) 69 



B 554. Martaban 75 



B 2700. Tavoy (Wallich, 1828) 60 



1] 2238. Andamans (Major Ford, 1866) 76 



B 2491. (Home, 1874, No. 10) 67 



B 520. 74 



No. 59. Ceylon Collection (Mesua Nag aha) . . . . .72 



ORDER XV. TERNSTEOMIACE^, 



Twelve genera belonging to three tribes, vis. .- 



Tribe I. Ternstromiese .... Anncslea, Ternstroiiiia, Adinan* 



Jra, Clcyt-ra and Enrya. 

 II. Sauraujea) .... Aclinidia, Saio'auja and Stachy- 



urus. 



III. GordoniejB .... Pi/renariu, Sc/iima, Gordonia and 



Camellia. 



