602 XXIX. LYTHRACEAE 



rangular. stellate tomentose ; internodes 0- 1-0-6 in. long. Leaves simple, 

 exstipulate, first pair opposite, subsequent leaves on main stem alternate, 

 sometimes sub-opposite, those on side branches opposite or sub-opposite. 

 Petiole 0-1 in. long, stellate tomentose. Lamina 0-8-3 -2 in. by 0-3-1-3 in., 

 elliptical lanceolate, acuminate, base tapering, entire, stellate pubescent. 



During the first season the seedling remains comparatively small, but 

 from the second year onwards the growth is fairly fast. Seedlings raised in 

 a box at Dehra Dun were 1 ft. 6 in. to 2 ft. 7 in. in height by the middle of the 

 second season, and one of these which was transplanted reached a height of 

 9 ft. 7 in., with a basal girth of 7| in. by the end of the fourth season. These 

 seedlings for the first two or three j^ears developed long thin weak stems and 

 had the habit of climbers rather than of erect plants ; eventually, however, 

 they became rigid and erect. The young seedlings are sensitive to drought ; 

 frost is unknown in the natural habitat of the tree, but at Dehra Dun the 

 young seedlings proved to be very sensitive to frost, and all those grown in 

 the open succumbed during the first winter. 



Natural reproduction. The seeds fall during the hot season, and are 

 washed into heaps by the early showers. Germination takes place at the 

 beginning of the rainy season. The factors influencing natural reproduction 

 require further study, but experiments at Dehra Dun indicate that bare loose 

 moist soil is favourable to germination, and that stiff soil and weed-growi:h 

 are unfavourable ; also that in early youth shade is beneficial in preventing 

 mortahty through drought. These experiments, however, are not conclusive, 

 more especially as climatic conditions at Dehra Dun are very different from 

 those met with in the natural habitat of the tree. 



Artificial reproduction. Experiments at Dehra Dun showed that 

 young plants can best be raised on well-drained porous soil kept moist and 

 protected from the sun. Transplanting can be carried out without much 

 difficulty in the second rainy season. No plantations of this species, so far as is 

 known, have ever been made. A young tree in the Forest Research Institute 

 grounds, Dehra Dun, raised from seed sown in 1912, shows good promise. 



4. Lagerstroemia lanceolata, Wall. Syn. L. microcarpa, Wight. Benteak. 

 Vern. Nana, Mar. ; Nandi, bili-7iandi, Kan. ; Ventek, Tarn. (Fig. 225.) 



A large deciduous tree with smooth whitish bark exfoliating in large 

 papery strips. Wood moderately hard, used for building, furniture, boxes, &c. 

 A valuable timber, but liable to split and not durable in the open. 



Distribution and habitat. This is one of the most important trees of 

 the west coast of the Indian Peninsula, where it is very common along and 

 below the Western Ghats from Bombay southwards to Travancore, ascending 

 the hill range.s of Coorg, Mysore, and Travancore, and the Nilgiris and other 

 hills, to 4,000 ft. In East Khandesh it is rare, and in Kolaba and Surat is 

 only scattered. 



In its natural habitat the absolute maximum sliade temperature varies 

 from 95 to 115 F,, the absolute minimum from 43 to 63 F., and the normal 

 rainfall from 30 to 180 in. or more. It attains its best development in regions 

 of heavy rainfall, for instance in Kanara, Malabar, and Coorg, where it reaches 

 a large size. It grows well both on hill slopes and in valleys, preferring crystal- 

 line rocks to laterite. It is found most commonly in mixed deciduous forests 

 associated witli teak, Terminalia tomentosa, T. j)anicvlaia, Xylia xylocarpa, 

 Dalbergia latifolia, Pterocarpu-'i Mar^upium, Adina cordifolia, and other species. 



