DIOSPYROS 649 



or obovate, apex acute, obtuse or rounded, base rounded or slightly cordate, 

 entire, coriaceous, glabrescent or sparsely pubescent with yellowish hairs, 

 principal veins of lower surface pubescent ; older leaves dark green, younger 

 leaves dull reddish green ; lateral veins 5 to 10 pairs, in D. tomentosa impressed 

 on the ujDper surface, in D. Melanoxylon somewhat variable, but for the most 

 part not impressed. 



Note. This descrii^tion applies to the seedling both of D. Melanoxylon 

 and of D. tomentosa. 



The main development of the seedling during the first year or two is 

 underground ; a long taproot is quicldy formed, and may attain a length of 

 1 ft. or more in a few weeks, and a length of 2 ft. or more with a diameter of 

 nearly i in. by the end of the second season. Meanwhile the growth above 

 ground is slow, a maximum height of 3 or 4 in. being attained by the end of 

 the first season ; during the second season the growth is not much faster 

 except under favourable conditions, when a height of 1-2 ft. may be reached 

 by the end of the season. Under unfavourable conditions dying back may 

 take place, particularly where drought is severe, the stem of the young plant 

 dying down while the root system develops, and a new stem being produced 

 the following year. The season's growth ceases about November (northern 

 India) ; some seedlings are leafless by February-March, but others are never 

 quite leafless, the old leaves continuing to fall throughout March. New growth 

 begins in March or April. The seedlings stand a considerable amount of shade, 

 persisting under it for some time. They are hardy against frost and drouglit, 

 but not against excessive damp, and tend to rot in heavy damp weed-growth. 

 They have great jDower of struggling through grass, but their development 

 suffers, while more vigorous growth is promoted if the ground is kept clear of 

 weeds and periodically loosened. 



SiLVicuLTURAL CHARACTERS. In the Seedling and young pole stage the 

 tree stands moderate shade, but later it requires more light. It is decidedly 

 frost-hardy, and in the abnormal frost of 1905 in northern India it resisted 

 the frost more successfully than almost any other species. It is also drought- 

 resistant ; in the abnormal drought of 1907 and 1908 in the forests of Oudh 

 it proved to be conspicuously hardy {D. tomentosa), but in the severe drought 

 of 1899-1900 in the Indian Peninsula it was affected to some extent, though 

 sucker reproduction is said to have escaped injury {D. Melanoxylon). Young 

 plants and suckers are immune from damage by browsing ; in heavily grazed 

 sal forest in Oudh an undergrowth of this species may be found in places 

 where the ground has been grazed bare, while in over -grazed forests in the 

 Peninsula the prevalence of a stunted growth of Diospyros is a familiar sight, 

 the development of the tree being probably hindered by the trampling and 

 hardening of the soil and not by browsing. 



The tree coppices moderately well, but the coppice-shoots grow slowly ; 

 it pollards better, though the growth of the pollard-shoots is also slow. Coppice 

 experiments in North Chanda, Central Provinces, showed that after April the 

 coppicing power is very poor, the percentage of stools which coppiced success- 

 fully in different months being (1) April 100, (2) May 30, (3) August nil. The 

 extensive production of root-suckers, however, is one of the most characteristic 

 features of this tree. Its hardiness and immunity from damage by grazing 

 assist it to establish itself in quantity by this means, and on cleared forest 



