LAGERSTROEMIA 605 



\v-ith various species of Dipterocarpus and other trees. Mr. C. G. Rogers ^ 

 notes that the tree seeds freely nearly every year, and the seeds germinate 

 easily ; on Wilson Island he mentioiis that natural reproduction in very open 

 forest is remarkably good, extensive thickets of this species being found. 

 Mr. F. H. Todd - notes that natural reproduction is good in the North Andaman. 

 Flowers June-Julj- ; fruits cold season (Kurz). 



2. DUABANGA, Ham. 



Duabanga soniieratioides, Ham. Vern. Lmnpatia, Nep. ; Khokan, Ass. ; 

 Myaukngo, Mau-lettanshe, Burm. (Fig. 229.) 



A large deciduous tree with characteristic long horizontal branches 

 drooping at the ends, and opposite large sessile leaves. Bark greyish brown, 

 peeling off in thin flakes. Under forest conditions the tree forms a long clean 

 bole. tSometimes it attains a very large girth ; Mr. J. W. A. Grieve measured 

 a tree 18 ft. in girth in the Tista valley. Wood grey or yellowish grey, soft, 

 seasoning well without warping or splitting, excellent for tea-boxes, for which 

 it is largely used ; also used for canoes, and has been reported on as a good 

 wood for match manufacture. As a fast -growing useful softwood this tree is 

 v.ell worth more attention. 



Distribution and habitat. Eastern sub-Himalayan tract, ascending to 

 3,000 ft., Assam, Manipur, Chittagong, Burma, Andamans, and Nicobars. It 

 occurs mainly along the banks of streams and on the sides of moist ravines, 

 springing up on landslips and other places where the soil has been exposed, 

 always on well-drained ground. It is essentially a tree of moist warm climates. 

 In its natural habitat the absolute maximum shade temperature varies from 

 98^ to 110 F., the absolute minimum from 36 to 60 F., and the normal 

 rainfall from 50 to 200 in. 



Leaf-shedding, flowering, and fruiting. The tree is leafless for 

 a time in the hot season. The clusters of large showy white flowers appear 

 at the ends of the long spreading branches in Februarj^-March, weighing them 

 down at the ends. The capsules ripen in the end of April or during May. The 

 seeds (Fig. 228, a) are minute, averaging 0-05 in. long, tapering at each end 

 to a point, and very light. Tests at Dehra Dun showed that the seed retains 

 its vitality fairly well for a year. The tree flowers and fruits at an early age 

 (six years in the case of a tree planted at Dehroj Dun). 



Germination (Fig. 228, b-d). Epigeous. The testa splits at one end 

 and the radicle emerges ; the hypocotyl elongates, carrying the testa above 

 ground, and the latter falls with the expansion of the cotyledons. 



The seedling (Fig. 228). 



Roots : primary root at first minute, resembling a flue thread, with a mass 

 of woolly hairs round upper part ; by end of first season from two to several 

 inches long, moderately thick, with long branching fibrous lateral roots, chiefly 

 from upper part of main root. Hypocotyl distinct, at first less than 0-1 in. 

 long, very fine, white or green, afterwards elongating to 0-2-0 -3 in., becom- 

 ing" thicker, ofteji dark red. Cotyledons at first less than 0-05 in. long, aftci- 



1 Report on the Exploration of the Forests in tlie South Andaman and other Ishxnds, 1900, 

 para. 23. 



2 Draft Working Plan foi the North Andaman, 1906. 



