EHRETIA 683 



abnormal drought of 1907 and 1908 in the forests of Oudh it proved to be 

 decidedly drought-resistant. It coppices well and produces root-suckers. 



The rate of growth is slow to moderate. Measurements in sal forest 

 sample plots in the Siwalik forest division, United Provinces, showed mean 

 annual girth increments of 0-01, 0-07, 0-30, 0-39, and 0-57 in. Some of these 

 obviously refer to suppressed trees. A cross-section in the silvicultural museum 

 at Dehra Dun showed 31 rings for a girth of 2 ft. 9 in., giving a mean annual 

 girth increment of 1-06 in. Gamble's specimens showed 5 to 8 rings per inch 

 of radius, representing a mean annual girth increment of 0-78 to 1-26 in. 



Measurements made by Mr. C. M. McCrie in 1910 in coppice coupes in the 

 Gorakhpur district, United Provinces, showed the following results for Ehretia 

 laevis as compared with sal : 



2. Ehretia acuminata, R. Br. Syn. E. serrata, Roxb. Vern. Puna, punia, 

 Hind.; Bual, Ass.; Petthin, Burm. 



A moderate-sized deciduous tree with grey longitudinally fissured bark. 

 Wood moderately hard, used for building, agricultural implements, gun- 

 stocks, &c. The leaves, plucked when quite young, are used for mixing with 

 tea to make the brick-tea exported from China to Tibet, where the warmth 

 combined with the rich red liquor produced by these leaves is said to be 

 appreciated by the Tibetans. 



The tree is local, though fairly common, in parts of the sub-Himalayan 

 tract and outer Himalayan valleys, ascending to 5,000 ft. ; it occurs also in 

 the Duars, Assam, Khasi and Chittagong Mils, and Burma. In the sub- 

 Himalayan tract it is often found on boulder formations and on grass -lands. 



The tree is leafless in December-January, the new leaves appearing in 

 February-March. The fragrant white flowers, in conical terminal panicles, 

 appear in March-April, and the fruit, a small drupe, ripens in November- 

 December. 



The growth is moderate. A cross-section in the silvicultural museum at 

 Dehra Dun showed 53 rings for a girth of 4 ft. 6 in., giving a mean annual 

 girth increment of 1-02 in. One specimen examined by Gamble showed 7 rings 

 per inch of radius, giving a mean annual girth increment of 0-9 in. 



