106 A BOTANICAL TOUR IN THE TIN NEV ELLY HILLS . 
The District is drained by several rivers the chief of them being the 
Tambraparni. All of them have their sources in the Ghats and run east- 
wards into the sea. 
Although there are no distinctly well-marked seasons during the year, 
the hot and the cold seasons are fairly distinct. The hottest months are 
from April to June “ when the temperature is rarely above 95° in the 
shade and the coldest months are December and Januarv when the tern- 
perature seldom falls below 77°.” 
“The rainfall is greatest near the hills and least on the eastern side, but 
even in the hills themselves there are local variations in the rainfall. In 
. . . 1 
the three western taluks above mentioned, “ the maximum is nearly 60 inches 
while the minimum is about 20 inches. In other parts of the district the 
falL varies from between 40 and 50 inches as a maximum to between 10 and 
15 inches as a minimum.” 
The ghat slopes of the Nanguneri Taluk were first explored. Several 
small coffee estates -nestle in the more sheltered valleys of the higher eleva- 
tions on this side. From Tirukarungudi a small bridle path leads into 
these estates. At the foot of the hills the vegetation is somewhat uniform, 
strongly reminding one of the plains at the foot of the Nilgiri hills. Com- 
posites and hill grasses were particularly abundant. Up to 2,000', Steno - 
siphonium Russellianum takes the first place and then several other shrubs 
and herbs belonging to the Natural orders Rubiacece and Composite res- 
pectively. Above 2,000', the herbaceous vegetation on the clearings of the 
coffee estates consisted chiefly of patches of Kalanchoe, Vernonia spp. a 
Barleria , an Asystasia, several shrubs belonging to the Natural orders 
Rubiacece and Acanthacecc and various leguminous herbs. The silver 
oak Grevillea was found largely planted in this area. From 3,000' to 4,000', 
a very heavy evergreen forest occurs. These evergreen forests generally get 
the full force of the S. W. Monsoon as well as heavy showers during the 
N. E. monsoon so that they are exceedingly damp nearly throughout the 
year. The trees composing this forest are very tall and of many different 
species. Amongst the most common and conspicuous are Hopea parvi- 
flora , Balanocarpus utilis, Artocarpus hirsuta, Gordonia obtusa, Bornbax mala - 
baricum , Elceocarpus obtongus, Elceocarpus tuberculatus , Pterocarpus 
Marsupium , Ormosia travancorica , Hardwickia binata, Pithecolobium 
subcoriaceum, Myristica attenuata , Myristica laurijolia, Tectona grandis, 
Litsea sebifera , Villebrunea intergrifolia and others too numerous to men- 
tion — most of them being evergreen. 
Climbing and twining plants are represented by such species as Mucuna 
atropurpurea, Denis scandens, Piper nilghiriamim, Hoya pauciflora, several 
species of Jasminium , Thunbergia fragrans, Dunbaria ferruginea , Rubia 
cordifolia and several species of Yams such as Dioscorea pentaphylla, 
Dioscorea spicata, etc. 
The shrubby undergrowth of this forest was constituted chiefly by several 
species of Leguminosce , , Rubiacece and Acanthacece such as Crotalaria 
albida, Crotalaria verrucosa , Indigofera pulchclla, Indigofera tinctoria , 
