XYLIA 413 



* 



and in poor condition : the surrounding forest contained pyinkado trees of 

 good quality, and the poor condition of the plantation, in which the ground 

 was covered with a thick growth of grass, was probably due to this growth 

 of grass, to unfavourable soil conditions induced by the removal of the 

 forest cover, and to the exposure of the plants to the sun. The readiness 

 with which natural reproduction of pyinkado sometimes springs up in teak 

 plantations would indicate that it might be introduced successfully as an 

 under-story in such plantations if the correct degree of light is obtained : 

 sowings of pyinkado in lines between the lines of teak, after the latter have 

 been sufficiently thinned out, should not be difficult to carry out. 



2. Xylia xylocarpa (Roxb.), Hole in Ind. For., xxxviii. 463. Vern. 

 Jamba, yerul, suria. Mar. ; Jambe, tiruwa, Kan. ; Ind, Tam. ; Tangedu, Tel. ; 

 Iruniulla, kada, Mai. 



A moderate-sized to large deciduous tree. Leaves bipinnate with one 

 pair of pinnae, each pinna with two to six pairs of leaflets. Bark 0-2-0-5 in. 

 thick, smooth, reddish grey, exfoliating in large irregular plates. Wood very 

 hard, reddish brown, durable, liable to split in seasoning, used for house and 

 bridge construction. 



The tree is considerably smaller than the Burmese species, seldom reaching 

 a height of more than 60 ft. and a girth of more than 6 ft. ; in dry localities 

 and on poor ground it attains much smaller dimensions than these, and pro- 

 duces a somewhat crooked and fluted bole. 



Distribution and habitat. This tree occurs in the Indian Peninsula, 

 extending as far north as Bombay in the west, Orissa in the east, and the 

 Balaghat district of the Central Provinces in the centre. It extends southward 

 to Travancore, but is absent from the south of that state. It is not found 

 in the dry districts of the Deccan. It is plentiful throughout the deciduous 

 forests of the Western Ghats, in the Belgaum and North Kanara districts of 

 Bombay, and in South Canara, Malabar, and thence south to Travancore. 

 Here its most important companions are teak, Terminalia tomentosa, T. pani- 

 culata, Lagerstroemia lanceolata, Dalbergia latifolia, Pterocarpus Marsupium, 

 Adina cordifoUa, and ScMeichera trijuga. It is, however, a typically gregarious 

 tree, often forming nearly pure crops, especially on abandoned cultivation. 

 In the east of the Peninsula it is plentiful in some of the deciduous forests 

 of the Crodavari district, where it also becomes more or less gregarious. It is 

 locally common in Ganjam. In the Puri district of Bihar and Orissa it occurs 

 on low hilly country, where it is sometimes mixed with sal, forming pole crops. 

 In the Central Provinces it is found locally in mixed deciduous forests on hill 

 slopes and in valleys in Chanda, Bhandara, Balaghat, Raipur, and Nagpur, 

 sometimes forming dense pure young crops under teak and other species. 



The tree is found on various geological formations, such as granite, gneiss, 

 mica schist, basalt, trap, quartzite, sandstone, and limestone, while it is some- 

 times very plentiful on laterite, though on this formation it does not appear 

 to attain large dimensions. 



In its natural habitat the absolute maximum shade temperature varies 

 from 95 to 115 F., the absolute minimum from 37 to 62 F., and the normal 

 rainfall from 50 to 180 in. or perhaps more. 



Leaf-shedding, flowering, and fruiting. The leaves fall about 



