468 XXIII. LEGUMINOSAE 



In the former Brandis ^ mentions it as one of the lofty deciduous trees towering 

 above the evergreen trees, other large deciduous trees growing with it being 

 Xylia dolabrijorrnis, Alhizzia stipulata, Teframeles nudiflora, Penface burmanica, 

 StercuUa spp., &c. It is found both in the moist upper mixed forests and in 

 the dry mixed forests. In the former it is associated with teak, Xylia, Lager- 

 stroemia Flos-Reginae, DijpterocarpiLS alatus, and many other trees, the chief 

 bamboos being Bambusa polymorpJia and Cephalostachyurri pergracile. In the 

 dry mixed forests its chief companions are Pentacme suavis, Shorea ohtiisa, 

 Buchanania latifoUa, Dalbergia cultrata, Terminalia tomeniosa, Phyllanifius 

 Emblica, Dillenia pulcherrima, Cassia Fistula, and others, sometimes with 

 teak of comparatively small size ; the chief bamboo is Dendrocalamus 

 str ictus. 



In the dry forests of the Madras Presidency it is found chiefly along streams 

 and in moist places. It is frequently planted in dry regions, and on a variety 

 of soils ; it grows successfully when planted on black cotton soil. 



Leaf-shedding, flowering, and fruiting. In northern India the 

 leaves commence falling in October and November, and some trees are almost 

 leafless by the end of November. Some are still in full leaf during December. 

 In some cases the leaves continue falling from December to the end of February 

 or even into March. The new leaves appear in April or sometimes as early 

 as March. Trees or branches which yield fruits in plenty become leafless 

 earlier and remain leafless longer than those which do not. 



The flowers, of a somewhat heavy fragrance, appear chiefly in April and 

 May, sometimes earlier or later, and the masses of yellowish white blossom 

 are conspicuous against the new foliage. 



The fruits develop rapidly, and by August some are nearly full-sized. In 

 northern India they approach maturity by October, though still green, and 

 begin to turn yellow in November, ripening soonest on trees which have lost 

 their leaves ; by December or January the pods are all ripe. Farther south 

 they ripen sooner. They hang on the tree as a rule until March, when they 

 commence to be blown down, but many continue hanging through April and 

 May, some exceptionally remaining on the trees as late as October, so that 

 from July onwards old yellow pods may be seen hanging along with young 

 green ones. Heavy rain from March onwards brings down the pods in 

 quantity. 



The ripe pods are straw coloured, 8-12 in. long by 1-2-2 in. broad, flat, 

 thin, firm, linear-oblong, 6- to 12-seeded, the outlines of the seeds prominent 

 on the outside. They rustle in the breeze with a characteristic sound which 

 has been described as that of the frying of meat. On leafless trees they are 

 often produced in great abundance, the trees having the appearance of being 

 covered with dry light yellow foliage. The pods are dehiscent, but dehiscence 

 does not as a rule take place until the pods have reached the ground, and 

 may be tardy or only partial, the seeds remaining within the pod for a con- 

 siderable time. 



The seeds (Fig. 178, a) are 0-3-0-45 in. by 0-25-0-35 in., obovate or oblong, 

 compressed, light brown, smooth, with a hard testa. Their weight varies 

 considerably, from 140 to 350 (average 230) weighing 1 oz. Tests carried out 



^ Report on the Attaran Forests. 



