VUl PREFACE. 



celsa, Soymidafebrifuga, Ghloroxylon Swietenia, Pterocarjyiis Marsupium, 

 Hardwickia binata, Cordia Madeodii, Spathodea xylocMrpa, and Tectona 

 grandis. The tJiird remarkable feature of the arboreous vegetation of 

 North-West India is the large number of African and Arabian species, 

 many of which find their eastern limit within the territory of this Flora. 

 Capparis aphylla extends from Timbuktu on the Niger to Bandelkhand, 

 Tamarix articulata from Central Africa to the Jumna, Salvadora oleoides 

 from Aden to Agra, Cordia Eothii from Abyssinia to Eajputana, and 

 Galligonum polygonoides from Algeria to Meywar. Other western trees, 

 which do not, however, extend to Africa, are Acacia rupestris (unless, as 

 seems probable, it should be referred to A. Senegal, in which case it would 

 rival Capparis aphylla in the extent of its range). Acacia modesta, Pro- 

 sopis spicigera, and Diospyrus Lotus. 



The number of indigenous shrubs and trees described is about 700, and 

 about 80 introduced and cultivated plants have been added. Of these, 

 many, such as Michelia Uhampaca, Mangifera indica, Saraca indica, are 

 natives of other parts of India, Burma, or Ceylon ; a few are natives of 

 Western Asia — Prunus Amygdalus, Ficus Carica, Salix iabylonica, S. 

 Caprea, Populus nigra, and Cupressus sempervirens. Africa has furnished 

 Adansonia digitata, Indigofera tinctoria, Sesbania cegyptiaca, Coffea ara- 

 bica. Euphorbia Tirucalli, and (probably) Tamarindits indica. The num- 

 ber of American trees and shrubs introduced into Northern India is 

 remarkable : Anona squamosa, Bixa Orellana, Parldnsonia aculeata, 

 Pithecolobium dulce. Acacia Farnesiana, Psidium Guava, Carica Papaya, 

 Opuntia Dillenii, and Plumeria acutifolia, are old introductions ; while 

 Swietenia Mahagoni and the Cinchonas are of recent date, as also Euca- 

 lyptus, Albizzia, and Acacia, from Australia. 



The selection of the indigenous and cultivated species to be included 

 was to a certain extent arbitrary, and the guiding principles were 

 different from those adopted in the other Forest Floras. The scanty 

 vegetation on the extensive wastes and dry hUls of the arid region 

 often consists of low shrubs, which, in the moister regions of the 

 Peninsula, Burma, and Bengal, would not be noticed by the forester ; 

 while in North- West India they are of great importance for the wellbeLng 

 of the population, and are therefore included. On the other hand, many 

 shrubs of the Himalaya have been omitted. The numerous species of 

 Clematis were excluded, because their admission would have necessitated 

 the addition of the Order Ranunculaceoi, mainly composed of herbaceous 

 plants of no particular interest to the forester. Spirceas are also omitted, 

 though they are showy and conspicuous, and several are considerable 

 shrubs. It would have been a great advantage if the large gregarious 

 grasses Saccharum, Andropogon, Imperata, and others,, which cover 

 extensive areas in the Himalayan Terai, and on the Sailaba land along 



