ANOGEISSUS 547 



drooping branches. Bark dark grey, in Burma often covered with small 

 globular pustules. The tree is variable. In Burma Kurz distinguishes two 

 varieties: var. 1. genuina, with densely pustular bark, frequent in the mixed 

 forests all over Burma ; and var. 2. pJiillyreaefolia, with smaller leaves, and 

 bark more or less destitute of pustules, restricted to the savannah and swamp 

 forests of the alluvial plains of Prome and Pegu, and extending to Upper 

 Burma. Haines distinguishes three varieties in Chota Nagpur, of which 

 complete material is wanting. 



The wood is moderately hard, but is inferior to that of A. latifolia ; it is 

 not durable, and warps and cracks in seasoning. 



Distribution and habitat. The tree is found in limited quantity in 

 Chota Nagpiu" (Singhbhum district), extending southward through Orissa, the 

 Northern Circars, and the Chanda district. Central Provinces. It is found 

 typically along the banks of streams on alluvial ground. It occurs in the 

 Chittagong hill tracts, and is a common forest tree throughout the greater 

 part of Burma, extending to the borders of the dry zone. In Burma it is 

 frequent not only along river banks, but also in the upper mixed deciduous 

 forests with teak and its associates. It is, however, perhaps most plentiful in 

 the lower mixed deciduous forests of the plains, along with Dillenia pentagyna, 

 Terminalia tomentosa, T. belerica, T. Chehula, Schleichera trijuga, OdiTia Wodier, 

 Dalbergia cultrata, Vitex glabrata, Eugenia Jamholana, Adina cordifoUa, 

 Stephegyne diversifolia, and in the better drained localities teak, Xylia 

 dolabriformis, and Homalium totnentosum. It extends into low-lying swampy 

 ground, and is one of the most characteristic species of the freshwater swamp 

 forests of the plains, which are inundated during the rainy season. It is, 

 however, not confined to moist localities, but is common in certain dry regions, 

 for example in the Ruby Mines district, where it occurs in open dry forest on 

 somewhat poor shallow soil, the trees being of small size ; here it is associated 

 with Terminalia tomentosa, Acacia Catechu, Diospyros burmanica, Vitex 

 pubescens, Pterocarpus macrocarpus, and others. 



In its natural habitat the absolute maximum shade temperature varies 

 from 100 to 115 F., the absolute minimum from 40 to 55 F., and the normal 

 rainfall from 35 to 120 in. or more. 



Leaf-shedding, flowering, and fruiting. In Burma the tree is leafless 

 for a short time in the hot season ; the flowers appear in February-March, 

 and the fruits ripen in April-May, falling as soon as they ripen. In Chota 

 Nagpur, according to Haines, the flowers appear in March-April and the fruits 

 commence ripening in April. About 1,100 to 1,800 of the fruits weigh 1 oz. 

 The seed, like that of other species of this genus, is very unfertile. No fewer 

 than fifteen tests under different conditions were carried out at Dehra Dun 

 in two separate years with samples of seed from three different localities in 

 Burma, and in no case did a single seed germinate. 



Natural reproduction. Notwithstanding the unfertile nature of the 

 seed, natural reproduction of this tree in Burma is often very good, young 

 plants sometimes forming dense even-aged thickets, particularly on alluvial 

 ground in places where the fruits have been washed into heaps along with silt. 

 In the case of A. latifolia it has been suggested that fertile seed is produced 

 only in certain years, probably following on seasons of deficient rainfaU. 



P2 



