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produced by all deep alluviums) and are often not higher than the elephant-grass that sur- 

 rounds them ; their crowns are usually disproportionately developed, rounded aud spreading, 

 or sometimes much lengthened or flattened out There are, however, many exceptions with 

 regard to the last mentioned quality. 



The chief character of these forests lies in the very dense almost impenetrable growth of 

 elephant-grass, amongst whioh the trees grow up apart from one another, and often at great 

 distances from one another, in which latter case the localities partake more of the character 

 of true Savannahs. Owing to the coarse, almost woody, stems of these coarse grasses, juugle- 

 fires, which are here reg^ular, do great damage, for nearly all the stems of the trees are found 

 on examination to be scorched or otherwise injured by these fires. The number of species of 

 trees is here greatly reduced, for we can hardly find a locality, where, in a circuit of a mile, 

 more than thirty species occur. Many localities are found, in whioh only eight to twelve 

 different kinds do occur, and sometimes only a single or a very few species people the whole 

 forest. All these trees, with hardly any exception, grow also in the lower mixed forests, from 

 whence they most probably have immigrated. At the same time these are all of such 

 kinds, as are of ubiquitous occurence having no particular predilection for any subtratum and, 

 if I may be permitted to express myself in this way, they are the proletarians of the proper 

 forests towards the hills. 



Sometimes the trees grow close together, when they assume more the character of lower 

 mixed forests, from which, however, they still can be distinguished easily by their under- 

 growth consisting of coarse elephant-grass. 



The trees that are chiefly found here are Slrehlus aspera, Butea frondosa, Nauclea 

 wallichiana, parvi/olia ?, sericea, and sometimes also iV dicersifotia, Fictis fistulom, Terminalia 

 crcnata, AnogeissUH actiminatus var., Dalbergia cuUrata, and purpurea (thitpoh), Butea 

 frondosa, Careya arborea, Lagerstroemia Jlos reginae, and macrocarpa, Terminalia pyrifolia 

 Strychnos nux vomica, Vitex Leucoxylon-, Acacia catechuoides, Tectona grandig, Zizyphm jujuba, 

 Pterospemmm semisagitiatum, Antidesma Ghaesembilla, hydia calycina, Odina icodier. Stereos- 

 permum chelonioides, Ficus cordifolia, Ca/osanthes Indica, Bandia ttliguiosa, Gardenia sessili- 

 flora, Albizzia elata, Tetranthera Boxburghii, and a few others. 



But besides these, nearly all of the trees mentioned as growing in the lower mixed forests 

 can be found, the one here, the other there, without however giving a difl'erent character to 

 these forests. 



It often happens, as already stated, that some one or other forest-tree assumes the 

 prevailing type, for instance there are Savannah-forests consisting only of yindyke, thitpoh 

 and baup, others solely of i^Mfca/roji^/osa (baup.) or of Nauclea parriflora ? I have even 

 observed a teak-savannah-forest of considerable extent E. of Pouugday. 



The undergrowth is here, as already mentioned, the so-called elephant-gi-ass, under 

 which denomination the coarse grasses generally pass. Such are Saccharum spontaneum 

 and another broad leaved species, Andropogon muricatum, Coix heteroclita, Phragmitea 

 Boxbtirghii and another species, sometimes also Coix lacryma and Imperata cylindrica. 

 The former-named grasses grow here so high, that a man on horseback is completely 

 concealed. The culms of tliese wild sugarcaues grow to be nearly as thick as a finger and 

 in strength equal certain small species of bamboo {Arundinariae). At the same time they 

 grow so dense, that one cannot successfully penetrate them except on the back of an 

 elephant. The shai'p margins of the sugarcaues are especially troublesome to a traveller, 

 who seldom emerges from these grass-jungles without having cut his face and bauds. 



Only a few shrubs and larger plants are seen here, such as Solanum Indicum, Clero- 

 dendron Siphonanthus, Thespesia Latiipas, Melochia corchori/olia, Hygrophila salici/olia, aud 

 iongijblia, JJesModium polycarpum, Melanthesopvis patens, Securinega obovata, Crotalana ver- 

 rucosa, return and striata, Tephrosia purpurea locally, Demnodium umbellatum, and Gange- 

 ticum, Flcmingia lineata, Morinda lanceolata, Alpiiiia Allughas, Urena lobota, Triumfelta 

 angulata, Costus speciosus, Sida acuta, Mnsa rubra locally. Smaller herbs and perennials 

 are so subordinate, that unless specially searched for they are hardly observed. Such are 

 chiefly Microrhynchus glaber and aspknifolius, Ophioxylon serpeniinum, Ardisia wallic/iu, 

 Hemiagraphis hirta, Amorphopliallus chlorospathus, Smithia sensitica, Pogonia, a new viscose 

 very small-flowered Ebernieyera, Polygonum pkbejum, Ageratum conyzoides, Lepidagathis 

 incurva, Bliimea runcinata, Ischacmum, Iiapatiens Chinense, Curcuma, and a few others, 

 chiefly Cyperaceae and herbs of an agrarian character. Sometimes tracts are found destitute 

 of elephant-grass, but covered by Imperata cylindrica, the so-called tatoh-grass, in which 

 case still fewer plants are met with. 



The stiff ftulms of Phragmites and of a broad-leaved Saccharum, often as thick as a finger, 

 are capital supports for twiners, which are plentiful here, but which do not change the 

 monotony of these grass plains. Tliose whioh most frequently occur are : twining Convolca- 

 Inceae and Leguminosae, as Ipomoea viti/ulia and cymosa, P/iaseolus calearatus, Cylista scariosa, 

 Alylosia mollis, Calonyctiou grandijiorum, Teiamnus labialis, a yellow Lepistemon, a yellow 

 flowered Vigna, further Dioscorea tomenlosa, glabra, and hirsuta ? Lygodium bipinnatum, 



