ANOGEISSUS 545 



Mahals in the south. It is essentially a tree of the dry hot regions ; within 

 its natural habitat the absolute maximum shade temperature varies from 

 115 to 120 F., the absolute minimum from 30 to 38 F., and the normal 

 rainfall from 17 to 35 in. 



The tree is typically gregarious, sometimes forming pure forests and 

 sometimes occurring in mixture with a few other species. In the Aravalli 

 hills of Rajputana, Ajmer and Merwara, which consist of metamorphic and 

 sub-metamorphic rocks chiefly gneiss, schist, slate, and quartzite with 

 occasional limestone and trap it often forms almost pure forests of consider- 

 able extent, usually occupying the lower and more gentle slopes. The ridges 

 and upper slopes are occupied mainly by Boswellia serrata, below which and 

 extending to the foot of the hills Anogeissus pendula occurs, particularly if 

 the soil is good. Where the slopes are gentle this tree may extend to the hill- 

 tops ; where the soil is poor it is replaced by Acacia rupestris. Besides the 

 two species mentioned, its more important associates in this region are Acacia 

 %Catechu, Albizzia odoratissima, Dalbergia lanceolaria, DichrostacJiys cinerea, 

 Bauhinia racemosa, and Grewia spp., while on the level ground below the 

 Anogeissus forests the prevailing species is Zizyphus Jujuba. 



In the Jhansi district the tree forms practically pure forests on quartzite 

 ridges, other species such as Diospyros Melanoxylon, Acacia Catechu, Zizyphus 

 Xylopyrus, Bauhinia racemosa, Odina Wodier, and Butea frondosa, being 

 occasionally scattered with it. The trees here are small and badly shaped, 

 though the forest is often well stocked. Another type of forest in this district 

 is that occurring on undulating to hilly ground on a gneiss formation ; here 

 Anogeissus pendula occurs in pure patches or in mixture with A. latifolia and 

 Acacia Catechu, while the other species previously mentioned occasionally 

 make their appearance. 



Leaf-shedding, flow^ering, and fruiting. The leaves, which are green 

 throughout the rainy season, turn a beautiful reddish brown colour in the cold 

 season and commence falling in January, the trees becoming leafless about 

 March and remaining so until about May-June, when the new foliage appears. 

 The small flower-heads, about J in. in diameter or less, appear towards the 

 end of the rainy season. The fruits (Fig. 207, a) ripen December-January ; 

 they are small, winged, and nearly orbicular, about 2,700 weighing 1 oz. The 

 tree fruits abundantly nearly every year, but the germinative power of the 

 seed, like that of A. latifolia, is usually poor, though tests carried out at Dehra 

 Dun gave a higher percentage of fertility than in the case of A. latifolia. 



Germination (Fig. 207, b). Epigeous. The radicle emerges from the 

 extremity of the fruit and descends. The hypocotyl elongates, raising the 

 cotyledons above ground. The shell of the fruit encloses the cotyledons at 

 first, and falls with their expansion. 



The seedling (Fig. 207). 



Boots : primary root long, thin, terete, wiry : lateral roots moderate in 

 number, short or moderate in length, fibrous, distributed down main root. 

 Hypocotyl distinct from root, 0-5-0-6 in. long, terete, minutely tomentose. 

 Cotyledons : petiole 0-1 in. long or less : lamina 0-15-0-25 in. by 0-35-0-55 in., 

 foliaceous, reniform, much broader than long, truncate or slightly retuse, base 

 truncate or slightly lobed, entire, green, glabrous. Stem erect, terete, wiry, 

 tomentose ; internodes up to 0-5 in. long. Leaves simple, first pair usually 



2307.2 p i 



