426 XXIII. LEGUMINOSAE 



flourishes well, but on the higher ground away from the rivers, where the 

 soil is dry and shallow, the teli, variety gives place to the kavadi {kauria), the 

 crop becomes more open and the trees are stunted ; finally on the poorest 

 localities, where the soil consists of deposits of kankar, the babul may disappear 

 altogether and give place to Acacia eburnea, A. Latronu7n, A. Catechu, Balanites 

 Roxburghii, Capparis aphylla, and occasionally Azadirachta indica and a few 

 other species. These species are characteristic of the poorest types of babul 

 forest. Among other associates on comparatively dry ground a,Te Zizyphus 

 Jujuba, Prosopis spicigera, Alhizzia odoratissima, Diospyros Melanoxylon, 

 Acacia leucopJdoea, Anogeissus latifolia, and others, while on the rich alluvium 

 along the rivers Pongamia glabra and Eugenia Jambolana make their appear- 

 ance. The babul crops occur in various stages of development : under previous 

 working plans most of the old and deteriorating trees have been cut out, and 

 the majority of the more promising crops are of various ages up to 20 or 

 30 years. 



The climate of this region is a dry one, the rainfall, which is uncertain, 

 varying from 18 to 30 in., though the tree thrives best where the rainfall is 

 over 25 in. The absolute maximum shade temperature varies from 108 to 

 112 F., and the absolute minimum from 37 to 45 F. From March to May 

 there is intense heat and drought, which is detrimental to reproduction and 

 development on all but the deeper and richer soils where the roots are able 

 to penetrate to the moist strata : the annual inundations on the alluvial 

 riverain tracts are therefore of the greatest importance in producing favourable 

 soil conditions to counteract the adverse climatic factors. 



Southern India. The babul is found in greater or less abundance in 

 suitable localities throughout the plains in the drier parts of the Madras 

 Presidency, Hyderabad, Mysore, and Travancore, where the rainfall varies 

 from 20 to 40 in., but not in the moist regions of the west coast. In Madras 

 it occurs in fair abundance in several districts, particularly in Kistna, Kurnool, 

 Anantapur, Guntur, Bellary, Chingleput, and Tinnevelly. It is usually found 

 on black cotton soil, but also occurs on other soils, for example on ferruginous 

 loam overlying metamorphic rocks in Bellary, where it is stunted and much 

 damaged by grazing. In some districts, particularly in Tinnevelly, good crops 

 of babul are found in the beds of numerous tanks scattered about the country. 

 Many of these have been formed into reserved forests and improved by artificial 

 sowing ; they constitute an important source of supply of fuel and agricultural 

 and domestic timber. Among the more usual associates of the babul in Madras 

 are Acacia planifrons, A. Latronum, A. leucophloea, Prosopis spicigera, Cassia 

 Fistula, C. auriculata, and Azadirachta indica. 



Leaf-shedding, flowering, and fruiting. Acacia arabica is hardly 

 ever quite leafless, though on very poor soils it is sometimes bare for a short 

 time in April-May. The young leaves appear from March to May, the old 

 leaves commencing to fall before they appear and continuing to do so while 

 the young leaves are spi outing. The flowering season is somewhat irregular, 

 varying not only according to locality but also in the same locality. Flowering 

 is most general in the rainy season, from June to September or October, but 

 trees may be found in flower as late as December or January. The flowers 

 are in fragrant yellow globose heads about 0-5 in. in diameter. The young 



