MAI TAKIEN. 21 
section, short and broad, joined by numerous faint trans- 
verse lines. 
This tree grows mostly along streams all over Siam, 
especially East of Srimaharacha chiefly in damp forests. 
The wood is valuable on account of its durability. It is 
much used for boat building, ships’ blocks, capstan bars, 
carriages and oars. It can be used as bridge timber. It 
‘is very elastic and is moderately hard to saw. Some natives 
are too superstitious to use the wood for house building, 
they make, however boats out of it, especially hull boats, 
Fishing boats have been seen which have been 60 yeurs 
in use. At Ayuthia a delapidated house has been found, 
the Mai Takien parts of which are not rotten. The royal 
barges are mostly built of Takien. Some of them are 
more than hundred years old. The resin can be used for 
the manufacture of varnish. The Siamese make medicine 
out of it. The fruits are chewn by them together with 
betel. An analysis of the heartwood by R. Romanis has 
_ given the following result.- Potash 29.64 Soda 0.37 , Lime 
44.30, Magnesia 18.49, Oxide of iron 2.23, Phosphoric acid 
1.97, Sulphuric acid 0.80, Silicic acid 2.20. 
