GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FLORA xiii 



within a few miles certainly within fifteen miles one may meet with 

 a series of very distinct types, ranging from a semi-desertic through 

 dry and moist deciduous hill forest, dense evergreen forest varying 

 with elevation to the open grass lands and alpine flora of the higher 

 peaks. 



Subject to the limitations indicated, the Madras Presidency may 

 be divided roughly into five main floristic regions as follows : 



I. The Sal Region in the North ; comprising the district of Ganjam, 

 and the hill tracts of the Agency of that district and of Vizagapatam 

 and Godavary. As its title implies, the region is characterized by 

 the more or less abundant presence of Shorea robusta, Gaertn., which 

 species does not occur south of the Godavari River. 



Apart from the presence of this and some other species of more 

 northern tracts that appear on a few of the higher hills (Mahendragiri, 

 Madgole, etc.), the region presents no very obvious line of cleavage 

 from the next and the vast majority of their species are identical. 



II. The Dekkan Region, comprising the Lower Godavari, Kistna, 

 Guntur, Kurnool, Bellary, Anantapur, Cuddapah, Chittoor, Nellore, 

 Chingleput and North and South Arcot districts and also parts of 

 the Salem and Coimbatore districts. 



The forest growth is mainly deciduous, and includes Tectona 

 grandis, Linn., Terminalia tomentosa, W. & A., Terminalia coriacea, 

 W. & A., Anogeissus latifolia, Wall., and numerous other trees of 

 the more or less dry forest tracts. In some of the valleys evergreen 

 trees of comparatively small size are found, e. g. Memecylon edule, 

 Roxb., Maba nigrescens, Dalz., and Gelonium lanceolatum, Willd. 



There are four endemic trees of interest that appear in one part 

 of this region. These are Pterocarpus santalinus, Linn, f., Terminalia 

 pallida, Brand., Syzygium altemifolium, Walp., and Shorea Tum- 

 baggaia, Roxb., which inhabit the Veligonda, Lankamallais, Pal- 

 konda, Seshachalam and Kambakkam Hills of the Cuddapah, 

 Nellore, Chittoor and Chingleput districts. The first three also 

 occur in the southern outliers of the Nallamalais hills in the 

 Kurnool and Cuddapa districts. 



III. The Semi Desert Region, comprising the lower parts of the 

 districts of Coimbatore, Salem, Trichinopoly, Madura and Tinne- 

 velly. 



The rainfall is low, in most places under 18 in. per annum. The 



