40 



15. MALVACE^. 



[Bomhax. 



The bark is covered with conical prickles when the tree is young ; after- 

 wards the trunk is without prickles. The bark is grey, corky, rather 

 smooth between the deep longitudinal fissures and cross-cracks. Wood 

 soft, white, turning dark on exposure, no heartwood, and without annual 

 rings ; fairly durable under water ; decays rapidly on exposure. Used for 

 planking, boxes, tea boxes, lining of wells, and is in good demand along 

 the coast of Kdnara and the Konkan for canoes which are hollowed out of 

 the stems. "Weighs about 25 lbs. to the cubic foot. A light brown gum, 

 used in native medicine, exudes from wounds in the bark. Ihe silk^ 

 cotton which clothes the seeds is used for stuffing pillows and cushions. 



2. B. insigne, Wall. PI. Asiat. Ear. 1. 71. t. 79, 80 ; Fl. Br. I. 1. 349. 



Burma, Pegu, and the Andamans ; common on the ghats of the W. 

 Peninsula from the Konkan southwards. This tree, which is very similar 

 in appearence to B. malahariGum, has at least along the W. Coast been 

 confounded with the latter. It is gregariously common in several situa- 

 tions in N. Kanara from the coast upwards to the crest of the ghats, but 

 does not extend far inland. It appears to require a heavy rainf a 1 and is 

 quite as large a tree as B. malahariGum. It flowers and fruits at the 

 same times as this latter species. Wood (from the Andamans) said to be 

 more durable than that of B. malahanoum. Weighs 31 lbs. to the cubic 

 foot. 



8. ERIODENDRON, DC. 



Trees. Leaves digitate. Flowers tufted at the ends of the branches 

 or axillary, large, white or rose-coloured. Bracteoles 0. Calyx cup- 

 shaped^ truncate or 3-5-fid. Petals oblong. Staminal bundles 5, each 

 bearing 2-3 sinuous or linear anthers. Ovary 5 -celled ; style cylin- 

 drical^ dilated ; stigma obscarely 5-lobed ; ovules many in each cell. 

 Capsule 5-valved, silky within. Seeds with silky hairs ; albumen 

 scanty ; cotyledons much contorted. 



E. anfractuosum, DO. Prod. 1. 479 ; Fl. Br. I. 1. 350 ; Dalz. & Gibs. 

 Bom. Fl. 22 ; Eedd. Fl. Sylv. 30. Shameula, hatsavar, Vern. 



S, America and W. Indies. Forests of the hotter parts of India and 

 Ceylon. Said to be wild in the Khandesh District of the Bombay Presi- 

 dency, also in the Konkan, Guzerat, N. Kanara, Poena, etc. Planted 

 about villages and temples in the Madras Presidency. Timber soft and 

 useless. The floss around the seeds will probably turn out to be a valu- 

 able product (Kapok floss). 



In the Dictionary of Economic Products, Dr. Watt; quoting the 

 Bombay Gazetteer, Kanara Volume, states that he has my authority 

 for the tree being indigenous in that district. I have nevrer seen the 

 tree in Kdnara and the article in the Gazetteer was not written by me. 

 A white-flowered variety of Bomhax malaharicum, was probably con- 

 sidered by the writer of the article to be Eriodendron, an error into 

 which several non-botanical writers have fallen. 



