Vol. XI, No 1.] The Defoliation of some Madras Trees. 23 
[NV.8.] 
shedding of leaves in some cases is an indication that they are 
anfractuosum. This flowering in a leafless condition is quite 
significant biologically, since the leafless trees in full blossom 
are very conspicuous even at a great distance and thus are able 
to attract its insect or bird visitors. For instance Erythrina 
indica, Poinciana regia, Bombax malabaricum, Butea frondosa, 
while a few may sometimes be formed on the lower branches. 
Again when new leaves are formed later on, after the repro- 
ductive activities are over, they are first on the lower branches 
and the leaf formation gradually extends upwards. This can 
So 
E. 
77) 
a 
=) 
ct 
= 
gg 
° 
=, 
nm 
B 
= 
fa) 
ct 
I 
is*) 
ao) 
=) 
: 
° 
< 
@ 
Ps 
Ev) 
i=} 
[or 
oy 
a 
A 
SS 
53 
Q 
eu 
S 
; 
etc. Here the same twig will have a number of new leaves 
at the bottom and flowers at the top. Sometimes flowers are 
formed before the shedding of the old leaves, e.g. Mangifera 
indica, Spathodea campanulata. Sometimes the flowers make 
their appearance only during the monsoon season, e.g. Milling 
tonia hortensis, Calophyllum inophyllum, etc. 
I shall now consider a few special cases :— 
(1) Thespesia’ populnea is practically an evergreen. Its 
old leaves keep falling throughout the year and new ones keep 
coming out at the same time. The maximum leaf-fall, however, 
occurs during the rainy season; on the other hand, Thespesia 
trees near the Salt marsh at Adyar shed their leaves totally 
during the dry season. 
2) The case of Ficus nitida is rather interesting. The 
bare but for the leafy clumps of witches’ brooms all over the 
tree. The witches’ brooms being parasitized portions of the 
tree exhibit an increased feverish activity. Being more active 
than the normal leaves of the tree, they shed their old leaves and 
