INTRODUCTION ix 



wHcli will I trust be facilitated by the present book, can be enlarged so as to 

 deal with those questions which are of real importance to the forester, viz.^ the 

 internal structure of the different species, their mode of life, sjlvicultural 

 requirements and treatment, as well as their protection against enemies in the 

 shape of insects and fungi. The number of species is too large in India ; it ifc^ 

 essential that these local handbooks should be small and easily portable. 

 The authors of future local forest floras must try to facilitate the identification 

 of their principal timbers by means of keys to their structure and be content 

 with the humble task which I have set before me in the present book, 

 to make the work of determining the names of the species constituting their 

 forests easier than it is at present. This, it is true, is not forestry, but it is. 

 the first step towards the systematic treatment of forests. This first step 

 is singularly difficult in India, owing to the enormous number of species. 



It may possibly be said that the present work as well as the local Porest 

 Floras of the future should be limited to the more important trees. When I 

 commenced the present work at Bonn about eight years ago, I had this intention,, 

 I proposed to limit myself to the more important kinds, and Mr. Gamble,, 

 with whom at that time I discussed the subject in the hope that we might 

 perhaps undertake the work together, kindly drew up for me a list of what 

 he regarded as the more important species. As the work progressed, I found 

 the selection oi the species that might be omitted exceedingly difficult, and 

 I came to the conclusion that the nsefulness of the book would be sfreatly 

 impaired by such limitation. I pictured to myself one of my young colleagues 

 in Burma who had come across a large tree, which from the wings on the 

 fruit he recognized as a JDzpferocarp. If this book only contained a descrip- 

 tion of the more important species, such as Dipferocarpus alatus^ 1). 

 tuherculatus, Hopea odorafa^ Pentacme suavis, and Shorea rohusta, it would 

 not help him, for there are upwards of 20 similar species in Burma, and he would 

 have to study Kurz's Forest Flora of Burma^ the Flora of British India 

 and the' numerous subsequent publications. He would meet the same- 

 difficulty with species of other orders and genera. A book on this plan would 

 be no real help to him. 



My ambition has been to publish a path-finder through the bewildering 

 variety of trees, shrubs, climbers, bamboos and palms, which constitute the- 

 forests in the different provinces of India. I do not maintain that foresters 

 ought to know them all, bu.t they ought to have the means of making them- 

 selves acquainted with them without undue loss of time. If my book 

 accomplishes this, I shall be much gratified. Quite unexpectedly a shrub, a 

 climber, a bamboo or a tree may be found to be of considerable importance 

 from a forester's point of view, and he should then have easy means of 

 identifying the species in question. 



Though I have not limited myself to a selected number of species, I have 

 given fuller descriptions in larger type of all common species and of those which 

 at present are recognized as important. With the others I have dealt in 

 small type * in a very summary manner. From the point of view of the 

 botanist all species are of equal importance and ought to be treated alike. 

 This book however is not intended for botanists, it is written for the use of 

 foresters and of practical men, and for these classes of readers species which 

 are common or valuable, obviously are at present infinitely more important 

 than the others. Species which are doubtful or which are imperfectly known 

 I have as a rule omitted altogether. 



Many genera and species, in which some readers of this book are likely to 

 take a special interest, I have to my great regret been compelled to leave out. 

 I have n,ot been able to deal with the species of Dioscorea, though the roota 

 are most valuable in times of famine, nor have I seen my way to include the- 



* All species are numbered, though in some cases I have refrained from giving a 

 name. It must not he thought that the species in small type are regarded as 

 sub-species. 



