October i, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
337 
Wood dark colored, very hard, heavy and strong, 
inch bars bearing 430 to 450 lbs. ; used in house build- 
ing, for boats, canoes &c, &c Wheels for the cars 
of idols are often made from cross sections of this wood. 
— The ashes from its burnt bark produce a kind of 
lime (chuuam) valued as a masticatory with betel leaf 
&c, and I think tbab there can be no doubt that the 
following extract from Buchanan-Hamiltou's travels 
in Mysore &c, vol. 3 p. 202, and referred to by 
Ainslie 2, p. 270, refers to the bark, of this very tree : — 
" The Mviti (Chuncoa Muttia, Buch : M S S.) in 
particular grows to a prodigious size. The natives use 
the ashes of its bark, to eat with Betel, in the same 
manner as in other parts, quick-lime is used."— Must 
I apologise for thus identifying another name with this 
Protean tree ? * 
(3) The full botanical accounts of two supposed spe- 
cies, but all referring to our kumbuk tree, by C. B. 
Clurke, in the " Flora of British India" : — 
"Sect. II. Pentaptera. Fruit with 5 acute subequal 
wings. Spikes usually pauicled. 
"7. T. Arjuna, Bedd. Fl. Sylv. t. 28 ; leaves subop- 
positc oblong or elliptic nearly glabrous beneath when 
adult, spikes usually panicled, fruits 1-2 iD. nearly 
glabrous ovoid- or obovoid-oblong, the wings not very 
broad their striations curving much upwards. Dalz. $ 
QibB. Bomb. FL 91 ; Brand. For. FL 224. T. Berryi, 
W. # A. Prodr. 314 ; Dalz. <U Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 92. T. 
glabra, W. § A. Prodr. 314 ; Thwaites Enum. 104 ; 
Dah $ Gib8, Bomb. Fl. 91 T. ovalifolia, EotU. in 
Herb. Pentaptera Arjuna, Boxb. Hort. Beng. 34 and 
Fl. fad. ii. 438 ; Wall. Cat. 3981 ; DC. Prodr. iii. 14, 
Mem. Combr. t. 2. Pentaptcra glabra, Roxb. Hort. Beng. 
34 and Fl. fad. ii. 4-10 ; Wall. Cat. 3979. P. angusti- 
folia, Roxb. Hurt. Beng. 34 and Fl. 1ml. ii. 437. 
'•Deccan, Ceylon and the sub-Himalayan tr..cts of the 
North W irt Provinces. Very common. 
"AttainsGO 80 ft. Leaves usually 4— G in. (sometimes 
10 in.) suddenly narrowed at the base, often cordate, 
obtuse or very shortly acute at the apex ; petiole 
rarely more than A in., often very short, with two 
glands near its apex. Bracteoles very small. Calyx- 
teeth nearly glabrous both within and without. Young 
Ovary very short, covered with crisped brown or rufous 
hair. Wings of the fruit usually truncate or suddenly 
narrowed at the top —Dr. Brandis states that T. 
Arjuivi is common in. Bengal; it is unknown in east 
and central Bengal but abounds iu Southern Bchar, 
Chota Nagpore and on the Sone— i.e., along ihe whole 
north, in face of the Deccan table-land. 
" Var. 2. angutHJolia (i.e., Pentaptera Boxb and not 
Tcrminuli'i angustifolia Boxb ). Leaves narrow elongate- 
Oblorig suddenly narrowed into the petiole. Southern 
Peninsula and Concan. Wall. Cat 3971. 
" 8- T. tomentosa, Bedd. Fl. Sylv. t. 17; leaves sub- 
opposite or uppermost alternate elliptic or ovate 
glabrous or very hairy beneath when adult, spikes 
pauicled, fruit 1-2 in. glabrous or hoary obovoid-ob- 
long, wings broad striations carried horizontally to the 
edge. Brand. Fur. Fl 225. 
•It appears that where there was no lime to be had, 
the natives used the ashes of the muddi or mutti, 
kumbuk, as the Sinhalese do between Kurunegala 
ami Anuradhapura, 1 quote further from Buchan- 
an'.- Jburwy in Mysore &c. 3 p. 22S-9 : — "In low moist 
vallics lure, a kind of white clay, mixed with bits 
of quartz, if very commonly found under the soil 
of rioo grounds. Its strata aro often several cubits 
in thickness, and when it comes to the surface, 
render the ground very sterile. It is called jaydi 
jnannnl, and is used to whitewash the houses ot tlio 
natives. It is diffused in water to separate the stind 
and stones, and i* then mixed with a little chunam, 
that is to Bay, the ashes of muddi b.irk (Chuncoa 
muddia Buch. MS.) ; for in this vicinity there 
is no l ine." Is this the same as the mo*<e or kaolin 
of IVylo,,? W. V. 
"Deccan, Ceylon, aud the sub-Himalayan tracts of 
the North West Piovinces, Nipal, and Sikkim, as- 
cending to 4,000 ft. ; very common. Burma : Bran- 
dis, Kurz. 
" Attains 80-100 ft. Leaves 4-8 in., petiole 4 in. 
Flowers often attacked by a Cyuips producing numerous 
galls which simulate fruit. Bracteoles very small. 
Ca///.i.-teeth without tomeutose villous or glabrescent. 
"Var. 1. lypica ; leaves cordate or suddenly narrowed 
into the petiole, adult more or less hairy beneath 
often very hairy, petiole «ith two glands near the 
base of the leaf, young ovary villous, fruit glabrous. 
T. tomentosa, W. § A. Prodr. 314; Wight Jr.. t. 195. 
T. glabra, var. tomentosa, l/al;. .\ < libs. Bomb. Fl '.){': 
T. nlata, Both Nov. Sp. 379 ; A'ur.:. For. Fl. Brit. Burma 
i. 453. T. ovata, Herb. Bottler. T. Chebula, Belt /3. 
minor Ilmrclc cf Muell. Arg. Obs Bot. 219. Pentaptera 
tomentosa, Boxb. Hort. Beng. 34. Fl, Ind. ii. 440 ; 
DC. Prodr. iii. 14,, Mem. Combr. t. 1 ; Wall. Cat. 
3978. — Common throughout India. 
" Var. 2. cremdata; leaves i arrowed into the petiole 
often obovate-elliptic adult nearly glabrous beneath, 
young ovary glabrous. T. creuulata, Both Nov. Sp. 
380; W. & A. Prodr. 314. Pentaptera crenulata, 
Boxb. Hart. Beng. 34, Fl. Ind. ii. 438 ; DC. Prodr. iii. 
15 ; Wall. Cat. 3978. P. macrocarpa, Wall. Cat. 39*2. 
— Deccan and the •sub-Himalaya ; common. Burma ; 
Kurx. Kurz For, FL Brit. Burma i. 458 states T. 
crenulata, Roth, to be T. Arjuna of Beddome aud 
Brandis. But both Beddome aud Brandis have stated 
that T. cremdata, W. & A . is a variety included 
under tbeir T. tomentosa. Kurz has not communicated 
any example of his T. crenulata, nor in his descrip- 
tion r'oes he notice the character of the venation of 
the fruit by which Dr. Brandis has separated Ti 
Arjuna and T. tomentosa. The synonym T. cremdata 
Kurz remains therefore doubtful. Perhaps as Mr. 
Thwaites hints T. Arjuna (T. glabra, Enum. 104) and 
T. tomentosa should be made one species. 
" Var. 3. coriacea ; le ivts as iu T. tomentosa typica, 
but beneath with a close hard fulvous tomentum 
rather than villous, fruit pubescent with minute 
fulvous hairs. T. coriacea, W. & A. Prodr. 315. Penta- 
ptera co'iacea, Boxb. Hort. Beng. 34, Fl. Ind. ii. 
43S. — Mountains of the Coromandel Coast ; Boxburgh, 
Deccan, Herb. Bottler. Malabar Hills ; Dr. Bitchie." 
Notes on the Botanical DEscitxrriONs above 
quoted, t 
It will be observed that tt. 28 and 17 of Bed- 
dome's " Flora Sylvatica of Southern India'- 1 are the 
first quotations made here for these two supposed 
species. Table 17 is evidently partly a reproduction 
ofWight's "lcones" tab. 195, also quoted, and Beddome 
in his description unhesitatingly gives the T. tomentosa 
as the Ceylon tree. InBeddom-'s discriptiou of t. 28, T. 
Arjuna, he has no reference to this tree being a native of 
Ceylon, whilst Mr. Clarke quotes it as the undoubted 
tree given in Thwaites' "Knuin." p. 104, as theCejlon 
one. Of T. tomentosa, t. 17. Beddome says, " bark 
i deeply cracked (or in one variety without any cracks)," 
tN. B., that in any remarks made by mo on any of 
' the descriptions in Ihe " Flora of British India," I 
do not mean to disparage the writers responsible lor 
] that work, or to say anything that can convey a 
want of creat appreciation of their labors. Bach .nd 
■ all of them deserve the grateful thanks of c» e,y one 
who is possessed of this work, for the concise and 
lurid description generally given, of I he orders, genera, 
and species. Residents in India andCejIon. With the 
living plants and frith llower- and fruits before ihem. 
may Ik able lo add notes to the descriptions which 
. may appear to differ much from those given in the 
" Flora of British India," and for which tbo con- 
ductors w ill no doubt be gri»t< ful iustiad of tho 
reverse. — W. F. 
