ADINA 617 



the dry regions of Ceylon. In the sub -Himalayan tract large trees are found 

 along the lower slopes of the outer hills from the Jumna eastwards and on 

 the boulder terraces at the base of these hills, where it is sometimes almost 

 gregarious. It is also a familiar tree in the sal forests of the United Provinces. 

 It is fairly common in mixed deciduous and sal forests in Chota Nagpur, and 

 is scattered throughout the greater part of the Central Provinces and the 

 Indian Peninsula generally. In Burma it is found both in the upper mixed 

 and in the lower mixed deciduous forests. 



The tree is found most frequently, and attains its best development, on 

 well-drained ground, for instance along the lower slopes of hills among boulders ; 

 it also grows well on alluvial ground provided the drainage is good. Like 

 Stephegyne parvifolia it is sometimes met with in the sub -Himalayan tract 

 round the edges of swampy depressions where the soil is stiff and the 

 drainage deficient, but in such places it is always stunted and tends to 

 become stag-headed early. 



In its natural habitat the absolute maximum shade temperature varies 

 from 100 to 118 F., the absolute minimum from 30 to 55 F., and the normal 

 rainfall from 35 to 150 in. 



Leaf-shedding, flowering, and fruiting. The leaves are shed about 

 February and the trees remain leafless until about May- June, when the new 

 fohage appears. The large whitish stipules enclosing the leaf -buds are con- 

 spicuous ; they fall to the ground when the young leaves appear. The yellow 

 globose flower-heads, about 0-6-1 in. in diameter, appear from June to August. 

 By October the globose fruit-heads are almost fully formed, bjit are still green 

 and unripe ; they do not actually ripen and shed their seeds until from April 

 to June of the following year (northern India). The fruit-head (Fig. 237, a) 

 consists of a large number of small two-valved many-seeded capsules. After 

 the capsule-valves and seeds have been shed the remains of the fruit-heads 

 appear like small prickly balls formed of the bristle-Hke axes of the capsules ; 

 these, on their peduncles 1-3 in. long, soon fall to the ground and may be found 

 there in quantity during the rainy season. Sometimes the ripe fruit-head falls 

 before shedding the seeds, which may even germinate within the fallen fruit- 

 head (Fig. 237, 6). 



The seeds (Fig. 237, c) are very small and light, 0-06 to 0-12 in. long, brown, 

 with numerous minute longitudinal wrinkles, one end tapering to a point, the 

 other terminating in a pair of pointed appendages. As many as 11,000 seeds 

 weigh 1 gramme, giving over 300,000 to the ounce avoirdupois. Tests carried 

 out at Dehra Dun showed that the seed, if carefully stored, retains its vitality 

 well for at least a year. 



Germination (Fig. 237, d-g). Epigeous. The minute radicle emerges 

 from the blunt end of the seed, the hypocotyl elongates, arching shghtly, and 

 the testa, enclosing the cotyledons, is carried above ground, falhng with their 

 expansion. 



The seedling (Fig. 237). 



Roots : primary root in first season very fine, white, delicate, with a dense 

 mass of woolly hairs in the upper part which soon disappears ; in the second 

 season much thickened, tough, terete, tapering, yellowish brown : lateral 

 roots moderate in number and length, fibrous, distributed down main root, 



