84 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1982. 



The irregularities of the trunk of this fig-tree, and of other specie 

 I am speaking of, are caused independently of the aerial roots 

 They (the irregularities) are not confined to the trunks of the fig-trees 

 alone, but are also met with in those (though to a slight extent) of 

 Poinciana {Cesalpinea) regia, Bojer, and of several other plants, 

 specially trees of long standing. The cause of this state is not well 

 known. Mr, Woodrow, of the Poona Science College, thinks that 

 surface-growing trees are thus furrowed. Why these should be so 

 is not clear, inasmuch as there are many surface-growing trees, such 

 as palms, the trunks of which never show a tendency to this kind 

 of furrowing. It is true that the roots of such trees spreading over the 

 surface are prominent, and appear to form ridges ; these are like 

 buttresses, but do not produce the trunk. The food they absorb from 

 the earth is taken up to be elaborated by the leaves, and thence it 

 descends to nourish the whole tree. 



I believe that the ridges are due to the vigorous growth of large 

 primary branches ; for on close observation it will be found that the 

 former are in a line with the latter, becoming large and more promi- 

 nent as they descend towards and into the roots. In their descent the 

 ridges sometimes bifurcate or divide themselves into more than two 

 ridges. The space between the ridges form furrows which are deep 

 or shallow according as the former are prominent or less vigorously 

 formed. 



I believe that the sap descending from the branches contributes to 

 the enlargement of that part of the trunk which is opposite to them 

 by supplying it with more nourishment than the contiguous part. 

 In corroboration of this comes the fact that the aerial roots of Wad 

 (Ficus Bengalensis, Linn.) and of other trees^ before they reach the 

 earth and fix themselves into it, are chiefly supplied with nourishment 

 from the parent branch. In fact all the parts of a tree are 

 nourished from above. 



