HARDWICKIA 341 



Distribution and habitat. The tree is distributed in isolated blocks 

 and patches varying in extent in the drier parts of the Indian Peninsula, 

 extending as far north as the Banda district, United Provinces. In Madras 

 it occupies well-defined areas in the Godavari, Kistna, Kurnool, Bellary, 

 North Arcot, Anantapur, Cuddapah, Nellore, and Salem districts. In Bombay 

 it is fairly common in parts of Khandesh and Nasik, and is found scattered 

 in the dry scrub forests of eastern Belgaum ; Talbot says there is a small 

 isolated patch in the Ranebennur subdivision of the Dharwar district. In the 

 Central Provinces and Berar it occurs in parts of Buldana, Nimar, Hoshang- 

 abad, and South Chanda. In Buldana it is found in the Amdari, Geru-Matergaon, 

 and Ghatbori reserves and intervening forests over an area of about 182 square 

 miles. It is fairly plentiful in Nimar, and occupies restricted areas in Hoshang- 

 abad and South Chanda (south of Allapalli and in Sironcha), while it has been 

 introduced artificially in Nagpur and elsewhere. In Chota Nagpur it is found 

 only in Palamau, especially towards the Sone, on the other side of which, in 

 the Kymore hills, it is frequent (Haines). It occurs locally in Mysore and 

 in some of the Central India states, for example in Indore and Gwalior. 

 The remarkably local distribution of the species, which is not altogether 

 accounted for by soil and climate, is somewhat puzzling, and has not yet been 

 satisfactorily explained. 



The rock and soil on which the tree grows have a marked influence on its 

 growth. In many localities, for example in parts of Nimar and Buldana, in 

 Khandesh and Nasik, the underlying rock is trap and the soil is usually very 

 shallow, soon merging into hard murram and thence into solid rock. On this 

 formation it is often remarkably gregarious, forming pure crops of greater or 

 less extent where the trees, which are frequently in the pole or sapling stage, 

 may grow thi,ckly together. On such ground, however, it never attains the 

 large dimensions which it reaches on more porous soils overlying rocks which 

 disintegrate more readily than trap. Thus the best growth is attained on 

 sandstone, conglomerate, quartzite, granite, and schist, with an overlying soil 

 of sandy loam or, what is a very characteristic soil for Hardwickia, a quartzose 

 reddish gravelly sand. On such formations the tree frequently attains a large 

 size, even though the overlying soil may not be deep, since the taproot has 

 a wonderful capacity for making its way through fissures in solid rock. Here, 

 however, it is not so characteristically gregarious as it is on trap, for although 

 it may form pure crops it is also commonly found scattered among a miscel- 

 laneous growth of other species. 



Some examples may be quoted of the occurrence of Hardivickia hinata 

 on shallow soil overlying trap rock. In East Khandesh, Bombay, the tree 

 is almost pure over considerable areas, particularly on the higher ground with 

 poor shallow soil ; in places it is mixed with teak, Anogeissus latifolia, Bos- 

 wellia serrata, and Acacia Catechu. The trees are of comparatively small size, 

 attaining their maximum girth, about 4 ft., in the Jamner reserve : most of 

 the trees are hollow, owing, it is believed, to former fires. In the adjoining 

 Nasik district it occurs pure towards the Khandesh border, becoming scarcer 

 on proceeding west until it disappears and gives place to scrub : the soil is 

 poor and shallow and the trees are of small size. In the Nimar district of the 

 Central Provinces Hardivickia hinata occupies a considerable portion of the 



