76 BIPTEBOCARPE^. [Shore a. 



unilateral on the racemose branches of axillary panicles. Calyx and 

 outside of petals clothed with soft grey pubescence. CaZyaj- segments (in 

 fruit) enlarged into five unequal oblong or spathulate wings 3-4 in. long, 

 contracted above the base. Petals (at the flowering time) four times as 

 long as the calyx, orange-coloured inside. Stamens 25-30 or more ; 

 anthers pilose at the apex. Ovary pubescent; style subulate ; stigma, 

 3-denticulate. Fruit uvoid, acuminate, ^ in. long, hoary. 



The distribution of sal forests in India takes the form of two irregular 

 belts separated by the Gangetic Valley. The northern or Sub-Himalayan 

 tract extends from Assam, skirting the base of the hills through Northern 

 Oudh, Rohilkhand, Dehra Dun and the Siwalik range as far as the 

 Kangra Valley in the Punjab, ascending here and there to 3,000 ft. The 

 second or Central Indian belt extends from the Western Bengal hills to 

 the Pachmarhi plateau and southward to the Godavery and Northern 

 Oircars. The average height of this tree is from 60-90 ft., with a girth of 

 6-8 ft. ; but under favourable conditions, as in the Nepal Terai, a height 

 of 100-150 ft. is sometimes reached, and with a girth of 20-25 ft. The 

 flowers appear in March with the young foliage, and the seeds ripen in 

 June. As a timber tree the sdl is extremely valuable, the wood being 

 strong, elastic and durable. Large quantities|of a whitish aromatic resin 

 exude from this tree when tapped ; it is used foi caulking boats, and 

 also in the form of incense. Eegarding other useful properties 

 Dr. Watt's Dictionary should be consulted. 



XXI.-MALVACEiE. 



Hbrbs, shrubs, or soft-wooded trees, with tenacious inner bark, 

 and usually mucilaginous juice ; herbaceous portions generally stel- 

 late-hairy. Leaves alternate, palminerved, rarely compound. Sti- 

 pules free, often caducous. Bracteoles 3 or more, rarely 0, scattered 

 or in a whorl, free or combined. Flowers axillary or terminal, 

 solitary fascicled or cymose-paniculate, regular, hermaphrodite or 

 1-sexual, (polygamous in Kydia). Sepals 5, valvate? free or connate. 

 Petals 5, twisted, imbricate. Stamens many, rarely definite, adnate 

 to the base of the petals; filaments monadelphous rarely 5-adelphous, 

 usually forming a tube ; anthers ultimately 1-celled, bursting longi- 

 tudinally. Ovary 2-manycelled, entire or lobed, of 2-5 or more 

 carpels surrounding a central axis ; styles connate below or for their 

 whole length ; stigmas linear or capitate ; ovules 1 or more, attached 

 to the inner angle of each carpel. Fruit of dry indehiscent or dehis- 

 cent cocci, or capsular and loculicidal. Seeds reniform or obovoid, 

 glabrous hairy or woolly ; albumen scanty or ; embryo curved ; 

 cotyledons folded or crumpled. — This family, which contains over 700 

 species, is largely represented in India. 

 Many of the species, by reason of their mucilaginous properties, afford 



wholesome food-products, and are also used medicinally. The inner 



