CALLICARPA 779 



and inflorescences densely tomentose with soft stellate hairs. Wood moderately 

 hard, even-grained, resembling that of Gmelina (Gamble). The tree is a familiar 

 one in the eastern sub-Himalayan tract, where it springs up readily on burnt 

 savannah lands when they first come under fire -protection ; being a strong 

 light-demander it soon becomes ousted by other trees. In Burma it comes 

 up frequently in deserted taungya lands. The corymbose cymes of small lilac 

 or purple flowers appear from April to June, and the fruit, a small drupe, 

 ripens from August to November or sometimes later. Growth, according to 

 Gamble, 5 rings per inch of radius, giving a mean annual girth increment 

 of 1-26 in. 



6. AVICENNIA, Linn. 



Avicemiia ofllciualis, Linn. Syn. A. tomentosa, Wall. White mangrove. 

 Vern. Tiwar, Mar. ; Ipati, Kan. ; Baen, Sundarbans ; Madda, Tel. ; Thame, 

 Burm. 



A large evergreen shrub or small tree of the mangrove swamps along the 

 coasts and tidal creeks of India and Burma. It is one of the commonest of 

 the Indian mangrove swamp species, growing gregariously^, and often forming 

 an extensive bushy growth, conspicuous from its grey foliage, and when in 

 flower from its bright yellow inflorescences. In the Sundarbans it occurs in 

 the inland parts of the littoral forest, and is characteristic of bhils, or moist 

 depressions. It is common along the coasts of both sides of the Indian Peninsula 

 as weU as of Chittagong, Arakan, and Burma. In the Sittang estuary it some- 

 times forms 60 to 70 per cent, of the stock, and reaches a height of 25-30 ft. 

 with a girth of 2-3 ft. 



The wood has a peculiar structure, consisting of alternate layers of pore- 

 bearing tissue and loose large-celled tissue without pores. It is brittle, and is 

 used only as fuel, but in some localities it is an important fuel species. 



The panicled heads of yellow flowers appear from March to June, and the 

 fruit ripens from August to October. The fruit is a compressed ovoid one- 

 seeded capsule 1-1-5 in. long, dehiscing into two thick valves. The large 

 fleshy cotyledons fill the fruit. The seeds germinate immediateh' they faU, 

 or even on the tree. A thick densely hairy hypocotyl elongates, from the 

 lower end of which a number of rootlets appear, the shoot being produced from 

 its upper end. 



The seeds are buoyant, and are thus able to spread by the agency of 

 water ; about October the tidal creeks are often full of the large seeds floating 

 on the surface of the water, and most of this seed will be found to be germinating. 

 To collect the seed for artificial reproqluction, the best method is to drag with 

 a small net, and throw the seed into a canoe, partly filled with water, which 

 should then proceed straight to where the seed is to be sown, the seed being 

 sown without delay. In Madras it is usual to sow the seed broadcast, the best 

 time being between new moon and full moon, when the tides are lowest:, 

 the sowing is done when the tide has run out and there is no water on the 

 ground, otherwise there is danger of the seed floating away.^ 



Under favourable conditions the tree regenerates freely from seed. The 

 necessary conditions appear to be frequent flooding and absence of dense tow 



1 Working Plan for the Corringa Reserved Forest, Godavari District, H. F. Wood, 19lt2. 



