402 XXIII. LEGUMINOSAE 



' . . . Any one who has collected seeds of Indian Acacias or Albizzias 

 must have noticed the large proportion attacked by insects. With Acacia 

 modesta in the Punjab it is not uncommon to find fully half the seed crop 

 destroyed by weevils. In the case of P. jiUiflora seed collected in India, I have 

 never seen a single seed attacked. To this is perhaps largely due the profuse 

 reproduction of P.julifiora in suitable localities as compared with the indigenous 

 trees. During the past 18 months I have received several consignments of 

 P. juliflora seed from Mexico, and in each case found a very large proportion 

 of the seed destroyed by weevils. It is evident that P. juliflora on being 

 brought to India has left its natural enemies behind. The publicity given 

 to the merits of this tree may perhaps lead to fresh consignments of seed 

 being imported from America, and if this is done, care should be taken to see 

 that the weevils are not introduced too. As seed is produced in abundance 

 in India there is no need to import it from America, unless the object be to 

 obtain other varieties than var. glandulosa. Last year over 60 maunds of seed 

 was collected in the Pabbi Reserve, and several maunds could be collected 

 annually in Lahore or Changa-Manga.' 



2. XYLIA, Benth. 



Species 1. X. dolahriformis , Benth.; 2. X. xylocarpa, Roxb. 



L Xylia dolabriformis, Benth. Iron wood of Burma, pyinkado. Vern. 

 Pyinkado, pyin, Burm. (Fig. 153.) 



A very large deciduous tree. Leaves bipinnate with one pair of pinnae, 

 each pinna with two to six pairs of leaflets. Bark thin, yellowish or reddish 

 grey, fairly smooth, exfoliating in irregular rounded plates. Wood reddish 

 brown, very hard, heavy and durable, extensively used for house and bridge 

 construction and for railway sleepers ; it is one of the most important timbers 

 in Burma. 



Under favourable conditions the tree reaches a height of 120 ft. and 

 a girth of 12 ft. or more, but on poor ground it is stunted. 



Distribution and habitat. Throughout the greater part of Burma and 

 Arakan, ascending to 3,000 ft. In the Irrawaddy valley it extends as far north 

 as 24 N. lat., being locally common in some of the forests of the Shweli river 

 drainage : in the Chindwin valley it extends somewhat farther north, though 

 its northernmost limit has not yet been accurately determined. It extends 

 southward into Tenasserim, eastward into the Shan States, and westward into 

 Arakan. It is probably most abundant, as well as most accessible, in the 

 extensive forests of the Pegu Yoma, the low range of hills running up the 

 centre of Burma and forming the watershed between the Irrawaddy and 

 Sittang rivers. It is foiuid in parts of the dry zone of Upper Burma, but 

 here it does not attain large dimensions. In Arakan it occurs in many localities, 

 often in belts or patches of varying extent. The quality is best in the Sando- 

 way district, where the percentage of pyinkado in the crop is usually higher 

 than it is in most parts of Burma ; on the islands, and in the eastern part 

 of the Akyab district, the trees are often stunted and badly shaped. 



Pyinkado is found both on hilly and on flat ground, but particularly on 

 the former, attaining its best development on the lower slopes of hills and 

 in well-drained valleys. It thrives best on d(?ep moist porous loam and requires 

 good drainage, for which reason its occurrence on flat ground is decidedly 

 local, being confined to well-drained areas, preferably with a slightly undulating 



