PTEROCARPUS MARSUPIUM". (Nat. ord. Leguminosee ; Sub-order Papilionaoea ; Tribe Dalbergiese.) 



1 TEKOCARPUS. (Linn.) Gen. PI. p. 5i7. — Calyx turbinato-campanulate, acute at the base, often incurved 5-toothed sub-bilabiate. Corol 

 papilionaceous vexillum orbicular or broadly ovate ; wings obliquely obovate or oblong, keel petals distinct or slightly cohering, stamens 10 all connate into 

 one sheath or equally diadelphous 5-5 or unequally diadelphous 9-1, anthers versatile, ovary stalked or sessile 2-6 ovuled, style filiform slightly incurved, 

 stigma small terminal, legume compressed indehiscent orbicular or ovate more or less oblique or falcate, style lateral or rarely terminal, surrounded by a 

 wing, woody and often rugose in the middle where the seed is lodged, seeds 1-2 separated by hard partitions oblong or subreniform radicle short incurved ; 

 unarmed trees, leaves alternate unequally pinnated, leaflets alternate or irregularly opposite exstipulate, flowers 3'ellow in axillary or terminal racemes or 

 panicles. 



PTEROCARPUS MARSUPIUM. (Roxb.) A large tree, trunk erect very high, but not often straight ■ bark outer-coat 

 brown, spongy, falling off in flakes, inwardly red, fibrous, and astringent, branches spreading horizontal, numerous, leaves alternate 

 unequally pinnate 8-9 inches long, leaflets 5-7 alternate elliptic to oblong or obovate emarginate firm, above shining and deep-green 

 3-5 inches long by 2-3 broad, racemes simple or pauicled axillary or terminal, flowers yellow, stamens 10 monadelphous or at length 

 splitting into equal divisions of 5-5 each (isadelphous) legume stipitate obliquely orbicular, surrounded by a waved veined membranace- 

 ous wing, style lateral. Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 234 ;— W. A. Prod. 266. 



Next to teak and blackwood, our most valuable timber tree, abundant throughout the Madras Presidency and in Mysore, Bengal, 

 .Bombay and Ceylon. Its size and 'manner of growth differ very much under different circumstances : it is often very poor and scraggy, but attains 

 a fine size in our western, forests and in favorable ravines, and subalpine jungles elsewhere ; it is seldom found " of any size" above 4,000 feet eleva- 

 tion, and is generally in flower in July, but 1 have seen it in flower at other seasons. It is most generally known by its Tamil name Vengay, and is 

 called Yeggi in Telugoo , Bengha in South Canara, Hone in Mysore and Coorg, Beejdsa, PeeaSal or Peet Sal in Bengal, Bibla in Bombay, and. 

 Gammalu in Ceylon. The timber is dark colored and strong, and much prized for building purposes, and in some parts of our Presidency fetches as 

 high a price as teak. Mr. Rohde says it is the best timber he knows for exposed Venetians o.nd weather boards ; it gives out a yellovi stain when 

 damp ; it is attacked by the Teredo navalis token used for the bottoms of ships, and is apt to warp if sawn green. A reddish gum resin exudes from 

 wounds in the bark, which is known as Kino or Dragon's blood, and is largely exported from Malabar. 



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