648 XXXVII. EBENACEAE 



fuel. Silviciilturally the tree is of importance in clothing dry poor ground, 

 and is interesting owing to its wonderful hardiness in surviving maltreatment. 



Distribution and habitat. The distribution of D. Melanoxylon is 

 stated to be the Indian Peninsula generally, extending northward to Bihar, 

 and that of D. tomentosa the sub-Himalayan tract from the Ravi to Nepal, 

 eastern Rajputana, the Central Provinces and Berar, Bihar and Orissa, and 

 the Northern Circars. Both are common in the Central Provinces, and Haines 

 says that the latter is the commoner form in Chota Nagpur, where it is one of 

 the commonest trees throughout the forests. Considering the two forms as 

 one species, this is one of the most characteristic trees of the dry mixed 

 deciduous forests throughout India. It is locally common also in sal 

 forest, often replacing the sal where the ground becomes too poor to support 

 the latter. In the Peninsula it appears to reach its best development on 

 metamorphic rocks. 



In its natural habitat the absolute maximum shade temperature varies 

 from 105 to 119 F., the absolute minimum from 30 to 55 F., and the normal 

 rainfall from 20 to 60 in. 



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

 a sliort time in the hot season or is frequently never quite leafless. The flowers 

 appear from April to June, and the fruits ripen from April to June the foUowmg 

 year. The fruit is a globose to ovoid berry, 1-1 -5 in. in diameter, smooth and 

 yellowish when ripe, with 3-8 seeds embedded in a sweet yellow edible pulp. 

 The seeds (Fig. 248, a) are oblong, compressed, 0-5-0*8 in. long, brown, shining, 

 with a wrinkled testa and ruminate albumen. About 25 to 40 weigh 1 oz. 

 Fresh seeds have a high percentage of fertility ; different samples of seed 

 tested at Dehra Dun after being stored for a year had a fertility of 10, 55, and 

 60 per cent, respectively. The fruits are readily eaten by fruit-bats and by 

 birds, notably hornbills, which may often be seen in quantity among the trees 

 at the time the fruits are ripening ; the seed is spread by their agency. 



Germination (Fig. 248, b~f). Epigeous. The radicle emerges from one 

 end of the seed and descends rapidly, forming a taproot of some length before 

 the elongation of the hypocotyl is completed. The hypocotyl elongates by 

 arching, and in straightening raises above ground the cotyledons enclosed in 

 the testa and albumen. The cotyledons are caducous, and either they become 

 detached before extricating themselves from the testa and fall to the ground 

 still enclosed in it, or more usually they extricate themselves, the testa falling 

 to the ground, but they fall off not long after. 



The seedling (Fig. 248). 



Roots : primary root long, thick, at fii'st fleshy, afterwards woody, black, 

 tomentose, often bent or swollen in upper part near ground-level : lateral 

 roots sliort, fibrous, distributed down the main root. Hypocotyl distinct from 

 root, 1-2-1 -6 in. long, slightly compressed or terete, tapering upwards, minutely 

 tomentose, at first smooth and pink with a pale grey or pale yellow base, 

 afterwards rough and reddish brown to nearly black. Cotyledons sessile, 

 0-7-0-8 in. by 0-25-0-3 in., foliaceous, oblong lanceolate, apex acute or rounded, 

 entire, glabrous, delicate, white, pale pink or pale green, caducous, venation 

 reticulate. Ste7n erect, slightly compressed or terete, woody, tomentose ; 

 internodes 0-1-0-7 in. long. Leaves simple, exstipulate, first pair or sometimes 

 two pairs opposite, subsequent leaves alternate or sub-opposite. Petiole 

 about 0-1 in. long, tomentose. Lamina 1-2 in. by 0-6-1-2 in., elliptical, ovate 



