504 Report on the Turan Mall Hill. [No. 6. 



mango, and the wild plantain. The roots also of a tree resembling 

 the plantain called by the Bheels " kaiel kanda" are also used for 

 food. In common with the lowlands, the fruit trees are numerous : a 

 few may be enumerated, such as the jamun (Eugenia jarabolana) ; 

 amru (Philanthus emblica) ; the tendu or bastard ebony ; the several 

 species of Indian Ficus ; the baer or jujube tree ; the mowa or broad- 

 leaved Bassia ; the imli or tamarind ; and the karonda (Carissa caron- 

 das). The gum trees are the "sale" (Boswellia thurifera) producing 

 olibanum ; the dhaowra, kurik, khaire, and the bhija, the last used 

 medicinally. Besides the above there are many trees and shrubs 

 novel to the resident of the plains and called by the natives, the sew- 

 run, bearing a red flower ; the madul ; gundali (Peederia fcetida) ; 

 sajri; kerow, said to flower only once in 12 years; manja (berries 

 used for intoxicating fish) ; giindi (Cordia myxa) used as a pickle ; 

 kinji, the seeds giving an oil which is used medicinally ; ktimri ; 

 phasi ; sion ; mokha (red nightshade) having edible leaves ; amultas 

 (Cassia fistula), the kherowla, with yellow flowers similar to the amultas ; 

 kharnag with long pendant seed pods like the amultas ; and the 

 khankar, the fruit of which is used for pickles. 



Creepers also are numerous, and almost every tree has its parasite. 

 The hill colocynth (C. Hardwickii) or ruhori indragam is not 

 uncommon ; as also the pawri, growing in a wild state. Here also the 

 grasses grow most luxuriantly ; the rusa grass so noted for the oil 

 extracted from it being most abundant. The trees used for building 

 purposes are very diversified. The principal ones are the teak; tendu 

 or ebony ; jamun ; dhamni, or bastard lance ; sag ; kusum, on which 

 the lac insect is found ; the toon ; sirsa ; bhati sisam, kulum ; anjun ; 

 kear, and the tunch or tausa, the wood of which is particularly hard 

 and tough. 



The geological formation of the Turan Mall hill and those in its 

 vicinity is uniformly of trap and basalt with a red clay, evidently con- 

 taining iron. The summit of the hill is irregular having low hills of 

 100 and 150 feet high rising in different places from the general eleva- 

 tion of the plateau which altogether may include an area of 1 6 square 

 miles. Table-lands are to be met with in several spots ; but are not of 

 great extent. The height of the ulterior ridge which is on almost all 

 sides precipitous and perpendicular may average 400 feet from the 



