IN CEYLON. 
497 
the 14th to 20th December, during very windy weather, there 
was a very heavy fall of old leaf. The tree had dropped 
nearly all its old leaves on January 24, but new leaves had 
already appeared on many twigs, and by the 15th February 
the tree was in full foliage. On the 20th June there was 
again a conspicuous fall of old leaf, many twigs becoming 
quite leafless ; the tree remained in this condition until 
the end of October ; after that month the leaf-fall again 
commenced, and a conspicuous defoliation was effected in 
November. 
1 .—Ceylon and India . 
Leaf-fall. 
New Leaves 
Leafless 
Commenced. 
Finished. 
appeared. 
Period. 
Gardenia 
latifolia, Ait. ; 
Peradeni} a. 
1903 * ... Mar. 22 
... May 18 
... Mar. 28 
... None 
1904 ... Mar. 26 
... May 19 
... Mar. 30 
... None 
1905 ... Mar. 2 
May 
... Mar. 16 
... None 
The leaves fell from individual twigs, and new leaf buds 
appeared almost immediately afterwards. 
Litsea tomentosa , Heyne \ Peradeniya, 1901-1904. —This 
tree is usually regarded as an evergreen. It undergoes 
complete defoliation annually during the months of April 
and May. Leaf production commences in the early or 
latter part of April, and the tree is in possession of full new 
foliage before the end of May. 
Polyalthia coffeoid.es , Bent.; Peradeniy a, 1902. —This tree 
commenced to shed its leaves on the 14th January, but up 
to the 7th April only one-quarter of the old leaves had 
dropped. On this date the leafless twigs showed a develop¬ 
ment of new leaf. The dropping of old and production of 
new leaf continued throughout the month of April, and this 
species is therefore on the border land of the deciduous and 
evergreen classes. It is the only member of the Anonaceæ 
in which this phenomenon has been observed, and is com¬ 
parable to the partially deciduous character of Diospyros 
montana, Roxb., a dry zone member of the Ebenaceæ. 
