ANOGEISSUS 539 



Ovgeinia dalbergioides, Terminalia tomentosa, Wendlandia exserta, and Pinus 

 longifolia. In the submontane forests of the Himalayan region it is often 

 abundant, both in certain types of sal forest and in mixed forest without sal. 

 A very common companion is Terminalia tomentosa, and on alluvial flats near 

 streams the crop sometimes consists entirely of this species and Anogeissus ; 

 here the trees attain large dimensions. 



In Chota Nagpur it is very common, especially on the drier hills, often 

 growing more or less gregariously. In the hills of Central India it is likewise 

 plentiful in some localities. In Gwalior it often forms an underwood in 

 Boswellia forests. In the Central Provinces and Bombay it is a common 

 constituent of the mixed deciduous forests, where it is at times gregarious, 

 among its chief companions being teak, Terminalia tomentosa, Lagerstroemia 

 parviflora, Ougeinia dalbergioides, Diospyros Melanoxylon, Cassia Fistula, and 

 Phyllanthus Emblica. 



In Bombay it is one of the commonest trees above ghats, particularly in 

 Belgaum and Kanara ; on the eastern (Dharwar) side of the North Kanara 

 forest division it forms nearly pure crops over considerable areas. In the 

 Madras Presidency it is perhaps more abundant than it is anywhere else, 

 particularly in the south-east, in Madura and in Tinnevelly, where it may 

 form as much as 50 per cent, of the crop on the upper dry slopes of the 

 hiUs. It is plentiful in the eastern forests of Coorg, in many parts of 

 Mysore and Hyderabad, and in the dry deciduous forests of Travancore up 

 to 4,000 ft. 



Generally speaking it avoids moist regions, but on the other hand it does 

 not extend into the driest parts of India, being absent from Sind and rare 

 in Ajmer-Merwara : in the drier regions of its habitat it is usually stunted 

 and crooked, though this condition is often due in part to fire and maltreat- 

 ment. It grows on a variety of geological formations, including sandstone, 

 limestone, metamorphic rocks, trap, and laterite : it attains its largest dimen- 

 sions, however, on deep alluvial or diluvial soil. It avoids swampy and badly- 

 drained ground, and requires good drainage. In the natural habitat of the 

 tree the absolute maximum shade temperature varies from 102 to 118 F., 

 the absolute minimum from 30 to 60 F., and the normal rainfall from 25 

 to 90 in. 



Leaf-shedding, flowering, and fruiting. The leaves turn a coppery 

 red to reddish brown about November, and in the cold season the trees are 

 very conspicuous with their deep red foliage. The leaves fall chiefly in 

 February, the trees remaining leafless until xA.pril-May, when the new foliage 

 appears. The insignificant greenish yellow flowers, in small globose heads, 

 appear from June to September according to locality (August-September 

 towards the northern limit of the species). 



The small dry indehiscent fruits (Fig. 206, a), crowded in globose heads, 

 are 0- 15-0-25 in. in diameter, compressed, with a narrow wing on each side, 

 yellowish brown, fairly hard. About 3,000-3,500 weigh 1 oz. They ripen 

 from December to March, fall soon after ripening, and may be found scattered 

 over the ground round the trees from February-March onwards. 



As a rule the tree seeds abundantly every year, but the fertility of 

 the seed is usually very poor ; this question is considered under ' natural 



