.Anogeissus.] Combretacece. 1 6 1 



A very large tree with an extremely thick trunk and 

 horizontally spreading branches, bark very thick, smooth, 

 pinkish- or greenish-white, flaking off in large flat pieces, 

 young twigs finely pubescent ; 1. opp. or sub-opposite, 3-6 in., 

 oblong or oval-oblong, rounded at both ends, obscurely apicu- 

 late, very shallowly serrate-crenate in upper part, glabrous 

 but not shining on both sides, pale dull green, veins pellucid, 

 petiole very short, ^-| in., with 2 (or 1) prominent glands at 

 top immediately beneath 1.; fl. sessile, spikes rather lax, short, 

 axillary or in small terminal panicles ; cal.-limb nearly glabrous 

 on both sides, disk with a few long white hairs ; drupe if-2 in., 

 obovate-ovoid, somewhat narrowed at base, bluntly pointed, 

 glabrous, fibrous-woody, with 5 stiff hard projecting wings 

 becoming wider upwards, and striated with very numerous 

 much-curved veins, dark brown. 



Banks of streams and rivers in the low country ; very common in the 

 dry region ; rare in the moist districts. Fl. April, May; greenish-white, 

 strongly honey-scented. 



Also in India. 



The name T. Arjuna, Bedd., seems a quite unnecessary synonym. 



Grows to an enormous size in the beds of tanks and rivers in the dry 

 region, and is, generally speaking, the most noticeable feature of such 

 scenery. Cordiner recorded specimens at Yala, north of Hambantota, 

 in 1800 (which is the earliest notice I find of it for Ceylon), with trunks 

 23^ ft. in circumference at 5 ft. from the ground. A well-known one at 

 Colombo measured, in 1879, 45 ft- ' n circumference round the base, and 

 24! ft. at 8 ft. above ground. 



The astringent bark is used in medicine. It is remarkable for the 

 immense amount of lime it contains, and it is largely burnt as a source of 

 lime for chewing with betel, the copious ash almost entirely consisting 

 of pure calcium carbonate. 



Wood greyish-brown, with bands of darker colour, very hard and 

 heavy, smooth, strong. 



[T. lomcntosa, W. and A., is recorded for Ceylon in Fl. B. Ind. The 

 specimen is in Herb. Kew., labelled by Gardner as from ' Jaffna, Dyke.' 

 It was, doubtless, planted there by Mr. Dyke. The species is very doubt- 

 fully distinct from T. glabra.] 



2. ANOGEISSUS, Wall. 



Tree, 1. alt. or sub-opp., no stip., fl. small in globular heads ; 

 cal. with a long solid tube or neck extending above ov. and 

 persistent, limb campanulate with 5 scgm.; pet. o ; stam. 10, 

 inserted on cal. -limb in 2 rows; ov. inferior, compressed, 

 I -celled, with 2 pendulous ovules; fruit small, indehiscent, 

 win >ped by a beak formed of the persistent neck of 



cal. olitary, cotyledons convolute. — Sp. 5 ; 4 in. Fl. />. 



Ind, 



. n. M 



