TERMINALIA 515 



is one of the commonest and most widely distributed of Indian forest trees. 

 It extends throughout the sub-Himalayan tract from the Ravi eastwards, 

 ascending the outer hills to 4,000 ft. : it is not common east of the Jalpaiguri 

 district of Bengal, and is rare in most parts of Assam. It is not found in 

 Sind and Rajputana, but is common throughout the greater part of the Indian 

 Peninsula, extending into comparatively dry regions. It is plentiful throughout 

 the greater part of Burma, extending into the dry zone and ascending to 

 4,000 ft. in the Southern Shan States. 



Climate. In its natural habitat the absolute maximum shade temperatm-e 

 varies from 95 to nearly 120 F., the absolute minimum from 30 to nearly 

 60 F., and the normal rainfall from 30 to 150 in. 



Soil. The tree attains its largest dimensions on deep rich alluvial soil. 

 On poor shallow soil, particularly on hilly ground, though often plentiful it 

 remains stunted. It favours stiff clayey soil, where it often becomes gregarious 

 in depressions and round the edges of swamps. It grows freely on black 

 cotton soil, though it remains stunted. It is abundant on laterite in some 

 localities, though here also it is stunted. 



Local distribution and forest types. Sub-Himalayan tract. In the sub- 

 Himalayan tract Terminalia tomentosa is abundant in the sal forests, becoming 

 gregarious on flat clayey ground and in grass-covered depressions which 

 usually mark the sites of former ponds or watercourses and which have 

 gradually filled up. In such places it is probable that the tree acts as a useful 

 draining agent, for it is noticeable that sal reproduction eventually makes its 

 way into these areas underneath it. That it is not specially partial to badly 

 drained clayey ground, though it is capable of growing there, is shown by 

 the fact that it occurs in quantity and shows its best development on well- 

 drained ground. In the sal forests, besides the sal {Shorea robusta) its principal 

 associates are Lagerstroemia parvijiora, Terminalia belerica, Adina cordifolia, 

 Ougeinia dalbergioides, Anogeissus latifolia, Stereospermum suaveolens, Eugenia 

 Jambolana, E. operculata, and Buchanania latifolia. 



A special type of forest, in which Terminalia tomentosa occurs pure or 

 mixed with Anogeissus latifolia on rich alluvial groimd beside rivers, is a feature 

 of some of the submontane forests and is well exemplified in the Gonda district 

 of the United Provinces. The evolution of this type is explained on p, 523 

 under 'natural reproduction' and is shown in Figs. 197-200. Fig. 200 gives 

 a good idea of the appearance of a crop of this type approaching maturity. 

 On rich alluvial ground of this kind it reaches magnificent proportions, as 

 may be judged from Fig. 196, showing a tree 12 ft. 4 in. in girth and 115 ft. 

 high. 



In the Siwalik hills and outer Himalaya it is common and sometimes 

 gregarious, often on somewhat poor soil, but here it reaches only a small size. 

 In the Himalaya it ascends to about 4,000 ft. It extends westward to the 

 Kangra hiUs, and possibly to a small extent farther west. 



In the eastern part of the sub-Himalayan tract it reaches very large 

 dimensions, for instance in the Tista forests, where it occui's both in sal forest 

 and in low-level mixed forest without sal. In Jalpaiguri it is not plentiful, 

 though there are some well-grown trees in the Upper Tondu forest : east of 

 this district it is not common, and is more often absent altogether. In the 



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