HAP. V] TROriCAI. DISTRICTS WITH DRY SEASONS 3.-,3 



he forest is thin ; trunks and branches arc tiiick and gnarled, covered with 

 1 rich epiphytic flora. Lianes and shrubs arc poorly represented, whereas 

 he soil is covered with a turf composed cither of grass and perennial 

 lerbs, or of grass alone. 



Kurz distinguishes two forms of his 'mixed forest' — ' upper mixed forest" and 'lower 

 ni.Ked forest.' In the ' upper ' the trees are taller than in the ' lower,' but less varied. 

 Large bamboos play an important part in the 'upper mixed forest' (Fig. 189); 

 eak is as a rule present ; Sterculia villosa and S. urens, Milletia Brandi- 

 iana, Grewia elastica, Duabanga grandiflora, Erythrina stricta and E. suberosa 

 re the characteristic trees, but many other species are represented. Shrubs are 

 cantily and badly developed, but we have Helictcres plcbeja, Thespesia Lampas, 

 irewia hirsuta, and others. Lianes are also few in number, represented amongst 

 thers by Combretum, Calycopteris, Abrus precatorius. Accordingly the interior 

 f the forests is verj' easy of access. A grassy covering to the ground is quite 

 xceptional, and then consists of the so-called teak-grass, a species of Pollinia. 

 "erns are scanty on the ground, and only those species are present that withstand 

 reat drought. Numerous herbaceous plants spring from the soil, but without 

 overing it. Bryophyta are very scarce and confined to moist sandstone rocks 

 Hypnum, Fissidens, Marchantia). Epiphj'tes are not numerous, and occur only 

 n the tops of the trees. 



The ' loiver mixed forest' averages 70 to So feet in height, sometimes attaining 

 00 feet ; it is richer in lianes and also in shrubs, and therefore denser than the 

 upper mixed forest." Kurz mentions about fifty species of trees as the leading 

 onstituents of this forest, and about as many more as rather of local occurrence. 

 V'e find among the former the most diverse families represented : — Sterculiaceae, 

 lalvaceae, Bombaceae, Dilleniaceae, Sapindaceae (Schleichera), Anacardiaceae 

 3dina, Mangifera, Spondias), Combretaceae (various species of Terminalia, Ano- 

 eissus), Lj'thraceae (various species of Lagerstroemia), Samydaceae (Homalium), 

 )iospyraceae, Bignoniaceae (Spathodea, Heterophragma, Stereospermum, Calo- 

 anthes), Euphorbiaceae lAntidesma, Emblieal, Mimosaceae (Albizzia), Rubiaceae 

 arious species of Nauclea, Gardenia, Randia), Artocarpaceae (various species of 

 icus), Myrtaceae (Barringtonia, Careya), Loganiaceae (Strychnos Nux-vomica). 

 Among the shrubs are in particular Thespesia Lampas (Malvaceae), Grewia 

 irsuta (Tiliaceaei, Premna, Clerodendron (Verbenaceae), Ceratogj'num, Phyllan- 

 lus, Baliospermum (Euphorbiaceae), Desniodium, Flemmingia (Papilionaceae), two 

 aecies of Calamus. 



The lianes are extremely diversified. Kurz specially mentions more than fifty 

 pecies, among them numerous Leguminosae (Butea, Spatholobus, Entada, Caes- 

 Ipinia of various species. Acacia, Dalbergia, Phaseolus, Pueraria, Mucuna, Dolichos, 

 lezoneurum, Abrus precatorius), Menispermaceae (Stephania), Rhamnaceae (Zizi- 

 hus, Gouania, Colubrina), Celastraceae (Celastnisl, Sapindaceae (Stephanial, 

 itaceae (Vitis, many species), Rubiaceae (Paederia), Euphorbiaceae (Rottlera, 

 ridelia), Verbenaceae (Symphorema, Congea), Combretaceae (Combretum of various 

 pecies, Calycopteris), Cucurbitaceae (Zehneria, Luffa), Convolvulaceae (Argyreia 

 f various species, Ipomoea), and others ; of Monocotyledones, Smilax and Scin- 

 apsus ; also Gnetum scandens (Fig. 147) and Lygodium, 



SCHIMPER ^ ^ 



