INTRODUCTION xxi 



distribution, and from this list it appears, that out of the GO species 11 are 

 found in the Deccan and 8 are distributed from Africa to India, while the rest 

 are endemic in Burma, are distributed over other parts of India, over Malaya, 

 China and Australia, or are found in a large portion of the tropical zone. Of 

 the 19 Deccan and African species most are found in other parts of India 

 besides the Deccan, and the remark made by Capt. Gage, interesting as it is, 

 does not atfect what has here been said regarding the difference in the veget- 

 ation of Western and Eastern India outside the Himalaya. 



The effect of the climatic factors which have influenced the character 

 of forest growth in India, the chief being elevation, latitude and moisture, is 

 readily intelligible, while the difference in the vegetation of the Western 

 and Eastern divisions is not so easily explained. It might Vie supposed 

 that the soil in these two great divisions of India was different, and 

 that this would account for the remarkable facts here mentioned. This 

 view may be supported by the extensive area covered with basaltic rocks 

 in r he Western peninsula, a formation which, as far as known, is not found in 

 the Eastern division of India. In spite of this fact, however, it cannot in any 

 way lie saiil that the character of the soils is essentially different in these two 

 great divisions of the country. The difference between western and eastern 

 species rather points to changes which in remote ages must have taken place 

 in the configuration and climate of the country, a most interesting subject, 

 which however cannot be discussed here. 



One of the most important steps taken by Dr. Schlich, when organizing the 

 Indian Forest School in connexion with the Cooper's Hill Engineering College, 

 was to arrange, not only for the teaching of systematic botany, but to insisr 

 upon the students becoming familiar with the anatomy and physiology of 

 trees, so that they should thoroughly understand the development, nutrition, 

 and propagation of plants, Further, that their attention should be directed t" 

 important biological features, which are not generally dealt with in books on 

 systematic botany. Professor Marshall Ward, whom Dr. Schlich fortunately 

 secured to carry out this plan, managed to instil some of his own enthusiasm 

 into his students, and it has often given me intense pleasure to witness the 

 keen interest in general botanical questions on the part of young Indian 

 foresters at home on leave, who had the privilege of his teaching. I feel 

 assmvd that at the Dehra Dun Forest School also, the necessity of studying 

 the general branches of b itany is fully understood. 



Under these circumstances I thought myself justified in introducing here 

 and there a few very brief remarks on such points in regard to the anatomical 

 structure, chiefly of the timber, and on important biological features, which I 

 thought might be useful to foresters. Our knowledge of the structure of the 

 stem, chiefly of climbing shrubs in India, is as yet very incomplete. Whal 1 



have incidentally ntioned in this book may perhaps induce some, foresters 



or others, to pay more attention to this subject. Equally important is the 

 study of anomalous wood structure in the case of trees, such as Coccul us 

 laurifolius, most Combrctacece, Dcdbergia paniculata, Strychnos, the 

 woody species of Plumbaginacece, ifyctaginacece, Amarantacece and Cheno- 

 podiacece. 



The bright colouring of the young shoots of evergreen trees, which delights 

 the eye in Mesua ferrea, Acer oblong urn, Amherstia nobiliu, Quercus incana, 



is well known, but lias I u fully described in the ease of a \,'\v species only. 



The autumn colouring of decidtiius s[iecies, which is so marked a feature in 

 the temperate zone and which is not uncommon in the Himalaya \'itis 

 semicordata, formerly known as V. himalayana, leer Campbellii is rare in 

 the rest of India, yet there are noteworthy exceptions, such as Terminalia 

 Gatappa, Anogeissus latifolia, A. pendula and Antidesma diandrum. 

 Doubtless there are others besides. The study of gregarious species at 

 such as have the tendency t form pure forests naturally interests foresters, 

 The factors, however, which enable Shorea robusta, Dipterocarpus tuber* 



