334 URTICACE^I. [Ficns. 



villages situated in fertile valleys among the mountains. Balfour says that Marsden 

 mentions a tree near Patna having a diameter of 363 to 375 feet of spread, circumference 

 of shadow 1,116 feet, with 50 to 60 principal sterns. The well-known tree in the, 

 Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, which was ascertained by Falconer to have grown in 1782 

 from a seed deposited in the crown of a date palm, and which is consequently now 

 98 years old, measured when examined by Falconer in 1834, Hooker in 1847, and 

 Balfour in 1863. 300 feet in diameter of spread and 80 feet in height. It has since 

 suffered severely in the cyclones of 1864 and 1867. Braudis met with a tree at Chicholi 

 in Hoshungabad district, Central Provinces, 85 feet high with a diameter of 275 feet, 

 and occupying an area of 1| acres. Its aerial roots were not, as usual in cultivaiion, assist- 

 ed by bamboos, but small mounds of earth were heaped up to meet and receive them. 

 Weight, Skinner (No. 70) gives 36 Ibs. ; our specimens weigh 38 and 39 Ibs. per 

 cubic foot. Skinner gives P =1 600. 



The wood is of little value, but is durable under water, and therefore used for well 

 curbs. It is sometimes used for boxes and door panels. The wood of the drops is 

 stronger and is used for tent poles, cart yokes and banghy poles. The bark and small 

 root drops give a coarse fibre for rope-making. Five specimens were sent to the 1878 

 Paris Exhibition from Berar (No. C 981). The milky juice is made into birdlime, the 

 leaves are used as plates, and the fibre is used for slow matches by the Sikhs. Lac is 

 sometimes collected on it, the leaves are used to cure bruises, the bark in native medicine, 

 and the fruit is sometimes eaten. It is a common avenue tree, and being evergreen, 

 fast-growing and easily propagated by large cuttings is very useful for planting on 

 road-sides. Cuttings, 8 to 10 feet long, planted in July, succeed well. The Gori or 

 Deomuqa silkworm (Bombyx religlosa) feeds on its leaves in Assam. It is one of the 

 epiphytic species of Ficus, which do so much harm to valuable timber trees in the 

 forests, and which often has to be cut. 



Ibs. 



C 1150. Ahiri Reserve, Central Provinces 38 



C 836. Bairagarh Reserve, Berar 39 



C 2813. Melghat, Berar 



2. F. infectoria, Willd. ; Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 551 ; Beddome ccxxii. , 

 Brandis 4*14; Kurz ii. 446 ; (gamble 75. F. ve?iosa, Ham. Vern. War, 

 batbar,jangli pipli, palakh, trimbal, Pb. ; Pilkhan, kahimnial, ramanjir, 

 2jdkhar,jt)akri,keol, kaim, khabar, Hind. ; Pdhar, Beug. ; Safed kabra, 

 Nep. ; Kangji, Lepcha ; Prab, Garo ; Seritti, Gondi ; Pepere, Kurku ; 

 Jovi, kall-alun, Tarn. ; Jewi,yuri, Tel. ; Tsjakela 3 Mai.; Bassari, Tel.; 

 Kari basri, bassari, Kan.; Nyoungchin, Burm. 



A large tree. Bark inch thick, greenish grey, smooth, exfoliating 

 irregularly in flukes and patches. Wood grey, moderately hard. Pores 

 scanty, large, often subdivided, joined by narrow concentric bands of 

 soft tissue, which alternate with broader bands of firmer texture. Medul- 

 lary rays uniform, moderately broad, equidistant, prominent on a radial 

 section. 



Suliman and Salt Ranges, Outer Himalaya ascending to 5,000 feet, Bengal, Burma, 

 Central India, Western Coast and Ceylon. 



Growth rapid. Weight : according to Brandis 30 Ibs. ; our specimens give an average 

 of 34 Ibs. It is often found as an epiphyte on other trees, but does not send down 

 numerous roots like the Banyan, though it often has one or two aerial roots. It is 

 often planted in avenues. It is common in the forests ; but the wood is not durable. 

 It is used in Assam and Cachar to make charcoal. The young shoots are eaten in 

 curries, and the leaves make good elephant fodder. The bark gives a fibre good for rope. 

 (No. C 982 from Berar was a fine specimen.) 



ibs, 



P 911. Salt Range 31 



C 1166. Ahiri Reserve, Central Provinces . . . . . .37 



C 838. Bairagarh Reserve, Berar 34 



C 2808. Melghat, Burar 



3. F. religiosa, Linu. ; Roxb. Fl. lud. iii. 54-7; Beddome t. 3U ; 





