622 XXXIII. RUBIACEAE 



reported from north and east Bengal or Assam. Within its habitat the tree 

 is scattered in deciduous forests, not as a rule in any great abundance. Like 

 Adina cordifolia, with which it is often associated, it reaches its best develop- 

 ment on well-drained ground with deep soil. It is, however, more tolerant 

 of stiff badly- drained ground than Adina, and often grows more or less 

 gregariously on low-ljdng ground with clayey soil, for example on badly- 

 drained savannah lands in Burma, and in many localities round the edges of 

 tanks and swamps ; in the tarai and plains of the sub -Himalayan tract it 

 occurs frequently in low-lying somewhat swampy ground along with Eugenia 

 Jambolana. In such places, however, its development suffers, and as a rule 

 it remains stunted. In the Indian Peninsula it is often found on black cotton 

 soil, and on alluvial ground near rivers. 



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 130 in. 



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

 February-March, and the tree is leafless in April-May, the new leaves appearing 

 about May (northern India). The fragrant globose white or pale yellow flower- 

 heads, 0-7-1 in. in diameter, appear from May to July, and the fruit-heads 

 become fuU formed, but are stiU green and unripe, by October ; in northern 

 India they do not ripen and shed their seeds until about April-May. Haines 

 mentions that ripe seed has also been collected in November in Chota Nagpur. 

 The fruit-heads (Fig. 239, a) are globose, 0-5-0-7 in. in diameter, with numerous 

 small two-valved many-seeded capsules. Sometimes the ripe fruit-heads fall 

 before shedding the seeds, which may even be found germinating within the 

 fallen fruit-heads (Fig. 239, b). The seeds (Fig. 239, e) are minute, 0-1-0-15 in. 

 long, pointed at either end, light brown, very light, as many as 10,000 weighing 

 1 gramme, giving nearly 300,000 to the ounce avoirduj)ois. 



Germination (Fig. 239, d-f). Epigeous. The testa splits at one end and 

 the minute radicle emerges, the hypocotyl elongates, arching slightly at first, 

 and the testa, enclosing the cotyledons, is carried above ground, falling with 

 their expansion. 



The seedling (Fig. 239). 



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

 a dense mass of woolly hairs in the upjjer part which soon disappears ; in 

 second season much thickened, terete, tapering : lateral roots moderate in 

 number and length, fibrous, distributed down main root. Hypocotyl distinct 

 from root, 0-1-0-15 in. long, very fine and delicate, white turning green. 

 Cotyledons very shortly petiolate, up to 0-1 in. long, ovate, acute or rounded, 

 base rounded, truncate or sub-cordate, entu'e, foliaceous, glabrous. Stetn 

 erect, delicate at first, becoming woody later ; internodes in first season very 

 short, in second season up to 1 in. long. Leaves simple, opposite decussate. 

 Leaves of first season usually only two pairs, sub-sessile or very shortly petiolate, 

 0- 1-0-5 in. by 0-08-0-4 in., ovate, acute or rounded, base obtuse or acute, 

 entire, often reddish. 



Like those of Adina cordifolia, which they strongly resemble, the seedlings 

 for some little time after germinating are extremely minute and deficate, and 

 are very hable to be beaten down or washed away by rain. During the first 

 season their growth is very slow, a height of barely J in. being ordinarily 



