TERMINALIA 519 



collected from the ground, but in any case this would represent the actual 

 conditions so far as natural reproduction is concerned. In seven different 

 samples of fruits from northern India the number weighing 1 lb. varied from 

 150 to 250. 



Records of seed-years extending over a series of years in various localities 

 show that fair to good seed-years are the rule, though occasional bad seed- 

 years occur at varying intervals. 



Germination (Fig. 201, h-e). Epigeous. The hard endocarp of the fruit 

 opens slightly and the radicle emerges. The cotyledonary petioles elongate 

 by arching and the large foliaceous cotyledons, which are convolute in the 

 seed, extricate themselves and miroll. The cotyledons are raised above ground 

 by the further elongation of their petioles, from between which the young 

 shoot emerges. 



The seedling (Fig. 201). 



Boots : primary root moderately long and thick, terete, tapermg, brown, 

 upper part, immediately below ground-level, swollen, with a characteristic 

 bend due to the efforts of the seedling to escape from the hard endocarp of 

 the fruit during germination ; lateral roots moderate in number and length, 

 fibrous, distributed down main root. Hypocotyl distinct from root, 0-2 in. 

 long, green, immediately below or on surface of ground. Cotyledons : petiole 

 0-8-1-5 in. long, flattened above, green, pubescent : lamina 1-2-1-4 in. by 

 1-1-5 in,, foliaceous, somewhat fleshy, broadly and often obliquely obovate 

 orbicular, apex truncate or retuse, base tapering and slightly decurrent, bright 

 green, glabrous, with five prominent veins from the base. Stem erect, terete, 

 green, tomentose ; first internode, above cotyledons, 1-8-2-5 in., subsequent 

 internodes 0-1-0-7 in. long. Leaves simple, exstipulate, alternate, rarely sub- 

 opposite, first pair not opposite. Petiole 0-1-0-2 in. long, tomentose. Lamina 

 1-3-4 in. by 0-8-1-6 in., elliptical ovate or obovate, apex and base acute, 

 entire, pubescent or glabrescent above, pubescent beneath, tomentose round 

 margin and on principal veins beneath, lateral veins 6-8 pairs in young seed- 

 lings ; two small glands present, one on either side of midrib near base of 

 lamina on under surface. 



The cotyledons of T. tomentosa, T. Arjuna, and T. Ghehula are somewhat 

 similar, but in the germinating stages the seedlings can be readily distinguished 

 by the lengths of the hypocotyls and cotyledonary petioles, thus : 



Cotyledonary petioles short (0-3-0-6 in.) ; hypocotyl long (2-2-3 in.) 



T. Arjuna. 

 Cotyledonary petioles long (0-8-1-5 in.) ; hypocotyl moderately long 



(0-3-0-6 in.) T. ChebuU. 

 Cotyledonary petioles long (0-8-1-5 in.) ; hypocotyl very short (0-2 in.) 



T. tomentosa. 



During the first season the growth of the seedling is only moderate, 

 a height of 4-7 in. being ordinarily attained under natural conditions, while 

 even with regular watering and weeding a height of more than 1 ft. is seldom 

 reached, though occasionally a height of 18 in. or more may be attained. 

 The taproot reaches a length of about 6-10 in. within two months of germina- 

 tion. In the subsequent growth of the young plant height is sacrificed to 

 a branching or stragghng growth, long branches being produced which bend 

 over towards the ground, and no definite upward leader being formed for 



