20 WRIGHT : THE GENUS DIOSPYROS 
montana and D. ovalifolia become partially leafless every 
year in the dry northern districts of Ceylon. 
In Ceylon the leaves of most species of Diospyros drop 
at irregular intervals, and if one tree be selected for observa¬ 
tion there is hardly a week passes without a shedding of a 
few leaves. The leaf-fall in most species is not sufficient to 
render the tree even partially bare, and the nett result of the 
leaf production, which repeatedly occurs, is an increase of 
foliage from year to year. The production of new leaves 
takes place during nearly every month of the year, if one 
considers the whole of the Diospyros species in the Island. 
If, however, one selects a district where the force of each 
monsoon and the intervening lulls is felt, a regularity in the 
leaf production is noticeable. 
In the Peradeniya district there is an annual production 
of leaf in flowering trees of D. Gardneri, D. Embryopteris, 
D. Ebenum, D. afflnis, D. Toposia, D. sylvatica, and D. 
crumenata. In non-flowering trees of D. Embryopteris 
there is a production of new leaf twice yearly, this occurring 
during the months of April to June and October to 
November. 
The production of new leaf on any particular tree may be 
completed within one month, or new foliage may appear 
for several months in succession. The prolonged period of 
active growth occurs in one tree of D. Toposia from Decem¬ 
ber to June, and again in trees of D. Ebenum leaf production 
may commence in December and continue for four or five 
months. Other trees of D. Toposia and D. Ebenum in the 
same and also adjacent districts may not produce any new 
leaves until well on in the months of February and March. 
Respecting other species of Diospyros, particularly D. 
hirsuta and D. Thwaitesii in the wet zone, I have never 
visited the forests without finding some trees in new leaf 
during nearly every month of the year. 
In the wet zone it is impossible to speak of any month as 
being specially noticeable for leaf production within the 
