SONNERATIA 609 



They are globose, about 0-7-0-8 in. in diameter, fleshy, indehiscent, containing 

 several angular irregularly-shaped seeds about 0-3 in. long, with a rather hard 

 testa. The fruits are buoyant, and are distributed by water ; they are also 

 said to be eaten by birds. After falling they soon rot and disintegrate, the 

 seed being scattered. 



Germinatioist. Epigeous. The testa splits at one end and the radicle 

 emerges. The hypocotyl arches and the testa is carried above ground, falling 

 with the expansion of the cotyledons. 



Rate of growth. Mr. Trafford ^ notes that this tree grows more rapidly 

 than any other in the Sundarbans ; he estimates the mean annual girth 

 increment at 1-2 in. 



2. Sonneratia acida, Linn. f. Vern. Ora, orcha, Beng. ; Tiwar, Mar. ; 

 Thirala, Mai. ; Tabu, tamu, Burm. 



A small evergreen tree with dull green foliage and black shining lenticellate 

 bark. It produces pneumatophores in the shape of asparagus -like rootlets 

 emerging from the mud. This is another common species of the mangrove 

 swamps, with an even wider distribution than S. apetala. 



3. Sonneratia Griffithii, Kurz. 



A species of the Burma coast, strongly resembling S. acida. 



4. Sonneratia alba, Smith. 



A shrub or small tree of the mangrove swamps of the Andamans, Mergui, 

 and the Konkan (Brandis). 



4. WOODFORDIA, Salisb. 



Woodlordia floribunda, Salisb. Vern. Dhaula, dhau, ddwi, Hind. ; Dhaiti, 

 Mar. ; Jaji, Tel. ; Yetkyi, pattagye, panle, Burm. 



A large shrub with more or less fluted stem and long spreading branches, 

 widely distributed throughout India and the drier parts of Burma, ascending 

 to 5,000 ft. in the Himalaya ; also in Africa, Arabia, China and elsewhere, 

 and in Ceylon (rare). 



This is a common gregarious shrub which springs up on landslips, 

 abandoned cultivation, and other open places, kiUing out grass and acting as 

 a useful soil-improver and a most efficient nurse to tree species, including sal, 

 which come up freely under its protective cover. For clothing landslips it 

 is invaluable. It is not eaten by cattle, and is frost-hardy, and thus appears 

 often in extensive pure masses on open ground subject to grazing. In tracts 

 where shifting cultivation has been practised the presence of old bushes of 

 Woodfordia gradually dying out under the shade of poles of tree species usually 

 indicates the site of a former cultivated clearing in which the shrub has 

 appeared and the tree species have grown up through it, eventually sup- 

 pressing it. 



The bright red flowers, which appear from January to April in axillary 

 cymes along the spreading branches, make the plant a conspicuous sight. 

 The capsules ripen from April to June and shed the minute seeds, which 

 require open well-drained ground for germination. Mr. Haines notes that 

 it scatters its seeds slowly for several weeks, and only that seed germinates 



1 Working Plan for the Sundarbans, 1912. 

 2307.2 T 



