250 
F'LORA OF THE SUNDRIBUNS. 
gently than those of Keora, have blunter points and are more rigid 
and less flexible. 
In the case of Sundri the suckers are not so closely set as they 
are in the two Sonneratias ; they are also more rigid and less flexible, 
in this respect resembling the suckers o{ Amoora cucullata. But 
they differ from all the other root-suckers in being somewhat com- 
pressed laterally instead of being cylindric and in arising only at 
points where the true Sundri roots branch instead of arising in lines 
along the upper surface. The suckers nearer the stem are moreover 
wider, i.e , have a greater long diameter, than those more remote ; 
the ones nearest the trunk occasionally coalesce with and ultimately 
form part of the buttresses thrown out at the base of the stem. The 
root-sUckers of Sundri, which prefers to grow on slightly higher ground 
than Pussur and Amur, are rarely so long as in these species.* 
From this fact and from his observations regarding the upper limit 
of their growth in all the species, Heinig concludes that, besides 
serving as mechanical supports, these root-suckers in every instance 
act as respiratory organs. The fact that the roots and suckers of 
Keora which become completely covered by silt die, and have their 
places taken by a new and more superficial series of roots and suckers, 
tends to confirm this conclusion. The conditions under which the 
species that constitute the Sundri-forests exist are such as to render 
the suggestion very probable, and the fact that other species, such as 
Gengwa, are not similarly endowed seems surprising. But in connec- 
tion with this it is remarkable that though the two Sonneratias share 
the habit, the two Carapas do not ; moreover, while Sundri {Heritiera 
minor\ has root-suckers, another maritime species, Heritiera litto- 
ralis^ not present in the Sundribuns but common on many other 
Indian coasts, has none. 
The extent to which the species characteristic of the Sundribuns 
-accommodate themselves to a greater or lesser degree of brackishness 
is rather variable. The Rhizophors are plentiful near the coast but 
some of them, particularly Goria {Kandelia)^ Goran {Ceriops) and 
Kankra [Bruguiera gymnorhiza') are to be found naturally on the 
banks of the larger rivers even up to the northern boundary of the 
forests. Their occurrence so far upstream is, however, quite casual, 
and none of them can be said to extend naturally outside the Sundri- 
buns. Even so near to their natural area as at Calcutta or Chander- 
* For an interesting account of the root-suckers of the Sundribuns 'consult 
a paper by Heinig in Journal^ Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. 62, pt. 2, p. 158 
(1893). In this paper no reference is made to the presence of root- suckers in Hital 
[Phoenix paludosa). 
