532 XXVII. COMBRETACEAE 



including plots of ground kept moist by percolation in order to imitate natural 

 conditions, showed that the seed does not germinate readily if exposed to the 

 sun, and if germination begins the radicle is very liable to dry up. If the 

 fruits become partially buried by rain or otherwise germination is much more 

 successful, while the success is greater on bare soil with a considerable amount 

 of moisture, provided the fruits are buried : these conditions ordinarily obtain 

 on alluvial ground along streams. A certain degree of shade, particularly 

 from the side, assists the establishment of the seedling, but heavy shade is 

 inimical. In the forest seedlings are often to be found in large quantities 

 where the fruits have been accumulated by the action of streams in loose 

 alluvial soil and conditions for germination have been favourable. 



Artificial reproduction. The plants bear transplanting well during 

 the first rainy season before the taproot becomes too long. The fruits should 

 be sown in the nursery about April-May, covered lightly, and watered regularly. 

 Irrigated weeded line sowings have been found successful. 



Rate of growth. Few detailed statistics are available regarding the 

 rate of growth, but young trees planted at Dehra Dun and well watered have 

 grown fairly rapidly. A cross-section from the United Provinces 2 ft. 8| in. 

 in girth, including bark, in the silvicultural museum at Dehra Dun showed 

 43 rings, giving a mean annual girth increment of 0-75 in. Trees raised from 

 seed sown in 1901 by Mr. Haines in the forest garden at Chaibassa, Chota 

 Nagpur, attained the following dimensions in sixteen years : 



(1) Height 40 ft., girth 2 ft. 11 in. 



(2) Height 37 ft., girth 2 ft. 8 in. 



(3) Height 37 ft., girth 1 ft. Sf in. 



Measurements in coppice coupes in Bombay showed that a height of 12 ft. 

 and a girth of 10 in. may be expected in six to seven years. 



5. Terminalia myriocarpa, Heurck and Muell. Arg. Vern. Panisaj, Nep. ; 

 Hollock, jhalna, Ass. 



A very large evergreen tree with pendulous branches. Bark greyish 

 brown, rough, exfoliating in vertical flakes. Wood dark brown, hard, used 

 for house-building, canoes, cheap furniture, and other purposes. The tree 

 attains very large dimensions. Mr. Jacob ^ records one tree in the Raidak 

 valley over 30 ft. in girth, and two trees close together in the Chirrang valley 

 roughly 36 and 27 ft. in girth. Babu R. N. De ^ records a tree 46 ft. 4 in. in 

 girth round buttresses in the Lakhimpur district, Assam. 



Distribution and habitat. Eastern Himalaya from Nepal eastwards, 

 in valleys and lower hills up to 5,000 ft., Assam, hills of Upper Burma. It is 

 very plentiful in some localities, often coming up in gregarious patches on 

 newly exposed ground, forming pure even-aged groups underneath which 

 evergreen species appear. Mr. Jacob notes that it is very common in Bhutan 

 up to 3,000 ft. and is found up to 4,000 ft. Mr. Milroy ^ reports that in the 

 Abor country it is the predominant tree on the lower hills, where trees of 

 12 and 14 ft. girth are common, and still larger ones up to 18 and 20 ft. are 

 not scarce ; he adds that although the trees are apt to be short in the bole 



1 Report on the Forests of Bhutan, 1912. ^ i^d. Forester, xliv (1918), p. 517. 



^ Report on the Forest Resources of the Abor Country, 1912. 



