TECTONA 707 



and on the south by several minor ridges rising to 1,900 ft. above sea-level. 

 The rocks are partly trap, partly massive sandstones of the upper Gondwanas, 

 and partly soft sandstones, clays, and shales of the lower Gondwanas. The 

 soils resulting from these rocks are often intermingled, the result being favour- 

 able to forest growth, though the teak is most abundant and of best growth 

 where trap predominates. An important factor is the rainfall, which is between 

 75 and 80 in., and is considerably higher than in any of the neighbouring parts 

 of the Peninsula. Teak is the predominant tree, especially on alluvial ground 

 along river-banks, where it may form as much as 90 per cent, of the crop. 

 The chief associate species are Ougeinia dalbergioides, Terminalia tomentosa, 

 Diospyros Melanoxylon, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Anogeissus latifolia, Ptero- 

 carpus Marsupium, Dalhergia latifolia, and many of the other common trees 

 of the Central Provinces. Bamboos {Dendrocalamus strictus) are also plentiful. 

 Teak is capable of reaching very fair dimensions, and coppice-shoots show 

 remarkable growth, attaining a height of 100 ft. and a girth of 6 ft. 



Bombay. The most important teak forests of the Bombay Presidency are 

 those of North Kanara, where under the uafluence of a heavy rainfall and 

 favourable soil the trees attain large dimensions. The rocks are chiefly crystal- 

 line (granite, gneiss, schist, limestone, quartzite, &c.), with occasional trap or 

 sandstone and shale, and the soil is often a deep rich loam. Laterite is frequent, 

 but the teak avoids pure laterite soils. The best teak areas of the Western 

 Ghats and h&\ow-ghat tracts of North Kanara are in the regions of heavy 

 rainfall, that is, where the rainfall is over 60 in., and may reach 150 in. or 

 more. Here the teak reaches large dimensions on well-drained slopes such as 

 those of the Kalinaddi and Gangawuli river drainages. 



Teak occurs only in mixed deciduous forests, and although occasional 

 trees are found standing in evergreen forest this, as in Burma, indicates recent 

 encroachment of evergreen species in former forest of a deciduous type. In 

 the Kanara high forests, teak is a scattered tree, forming a comparatively 

 small proportion of the growing stock. Farther inland, where the rainfall is 

 less, the teak diminishes in size but increases in relative quantity ; thus the 

 eastern parts of Kanara, and the adjoining forest tracts of Belgaum and 

 Dharwar, where the rainfall varies from 35 to 60 in., are the regions of teak 

 pole forests. The chief companions of the teak in the forests of Kanara are 

 Terminalia tomentosa, T. paniculata, T. belerica, Lagerstroemia lanceolata, 

 L. parviflora, Dalbergia latifolia, Pterocarpus Marsupium, Xylia xylocarpa, 

 Adina cordifoUa, Stephegyne parvifolia, Grewia tiliaefolia, Schleichera trijuga, 

 8tereosp3rmum xylocarpum, Anogeissus latifolia, Saccopetalum tomentosum, 

 Dillenia pentagyna, and Careya arborea. The bamboos are Barnbusa arundi- 

 nacea on the lower slopes and in the valleys, De7idrocalamus strictus, and 

 Oxytenanthera monostigraa, the last-named often forming on the upper slopes 

 a dense undergrowth which hinders natural reproduction. 



Outside North Kanara, Belgaum, and Dharwar, teak is found over a con- 

 siderable portion of the great trap area extending from Surat and Khandesh 

 in the north to the northern parts of Kanara and Belgaum in the south, as 

 well as on the gneiss, schist, sandstone, and quartzite of the Panch Mahals. 

 In the Khandesh Akrani teak ascends to 3,700 ft. Throughout the great bulk 

 of the trap area the teak is of comparatively small size, but, as elsewhere on 



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