250 MADRAS EXHIBITION. 



scribed by Wight as a wood not known, though the tree is not 

 uncommon, and attains a considerable size among the Alpine 

 jungles. 



Conocarpus latifolius. Vella-naga or Vekali, Tam. Coimbatore, 

 Palghat. — The wood is heavy, light-coloured, and close-grained. 

 The tree is tall and handsome, furnishing an excellent and very 

 strong timber. The ashes of this tree are in demand, as an 

 article of diet, among certain wild tribes, inhabiting the forests 

 about the Nilgiri Hills. The demand for it has been attributed 

 to the large proportion of pure carbonate of potash which it 

 yields — the diet of the same people including a large quantity of 

 tamarinds. A handsome specimen is to be seen near the gate in 

 front of the house known as Muneapillay's Garden, at Sydapet.* 

 It is found abundantly in the N. Circars, where Eoxburgh de- 

 scribes it as universally esteemed for every economical purpose ; 

 towards the centre it is of a chocolate colour, and is exceedingly 

 durable. For house and ship-building the natives reckon- it ;; 

 superior to every other sort except Pentaptera tomentosa and ; *" 

 teak (" Flora Indica," vol. ii. p. 444) ; merits further inquiry. 



Nerium (Wrightia) antidysentericum. Veppala-maram. Coim-- 

 batore, Palghat, Madura, Mysore. — This wood is said by Wight 

 to be excellent for cabinet-making purposes. It is found also to 

 answer for wood-engraving in the School of Arts. Ainslie, after 

 describing the medicinal properties of the bark, speaks of the tree 

 as being' prized in Cochin China for its beautiful white wood, 

 which is of a fine grain, and fit for making furniture. The spe- 

 cimen before the jury seems to be taken from a young tree, and 

 does not therefore well represent the timber. 



Pondicherry. — The jury have to notice a very full and care- 

 fully prepared collection of specimens of wood from Pondicherry. 

 These are all small pieces well adapted for exhibiting the grain, 

 colour, and specific gravity of the several woods, but not furnish- 

 ing pieces of sufficient dimensions for experiments on their 

 strength. The exhibitor, M. H. de Querret, engineer, has en- 

 hanced the value of his collection by a brief account of each 

 tree, the purposes to which it is applied, the medicinal proper- 

 * C. amminatus' (Roxb.) 



