3-18 Bcport on the Tea Plant of Upper Assam, [Oct- 



IX. — Report on the Tea Plant of Upper Assam — By William Grif- 

 fith, Esq. Ass' sta7it Surgeon, Madras Estahlishment — late Member of 

 the Assam Deputation. 



In the 17th No. of this Journal we were enabled through the kind- 

 ness of Mr. McClelland, who accompp.nied the Scientific Deputation as 

 Geologist, to present to our readers an account of the geographical dis- 

 tribution of the Tea plant in Upper Assam; a geological description of 

 the country: the nature of the soil which favours the production of the 

 plant, aiid the character of the climate of Assam. 



The distinguished botanist, William Griffth, has favoured us with a 

 copy of his Report to the Supreme Government, Avhich has been pub- 

 lished in the Transactions of the Agri- Horticultural Society of India ; 

 from which we now give the more strictly botanical history of this 

 interesting and important plant. 



General remarks on the extent of the Localities, their natures, and the 

 ap2oearance of the plants. 

 In all its localities, to which the term patches is perhaps most appli- 

 cable, the Tea plant is distinctly limited in extent. This is the m^ore 

 worthy of notice as pointing out the absolute similarity in the habits of 

 the Assamese and of the Chinese plants, which to use Ellis's own words 

 always occur " in small patches." But although the localities are limit- 

 ed in extent, it does not appear that they are so in number. At the time 

 of the visit of the deputation, the plant was known to exist at Borhath 

 on the Disung Nuddee, and on the banks of the Debroo, between Ran- 

 gagurrah and Debroo Mookh, at a place called Cherabei ; and since that 

 time Mr. Bruce has ascertained the existence of several more sites, chief- 

 ly along the Booree Dihing and about Tingrei ; he has likewise received 

 information of the existence of others. The Tea plant may, therefore, 

 be looked upon as one of the common plants of a large portion of Upper 

 Assam. Almost all the Tea localities occur within very short distances 

 of each other, the only gap of any extent being that between Borhath and 

 Gubroo Purbut, which is nearly 60 miles in length. Now, although I 

 am not aware that it is even reported to exist in this direction, yet the 

 Tea plant is one so ill adapted for even moderately interrupted disper- 

 sion, both on account of the structure and weight of the seeds, as well 

 as the ease with which the germinating principle is destroyed, that I 

 have no doubt that connecting patches will be found between the points 

 alluded to, and that in forming the abovementioned and necessary con- 

 nection, the plant will follow throughout nearly two-thirds of the gap, 

 the Disung Nuddee. 



