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The only real annuals during the dry season are TJrena lobata 3 Blumea 
virens and Blumea myriocephala , which, however, are too rare to need consi¬ 
deration here. The soil during this season is everywhere exposed, and looks 
quite barren along the eastern coasts, wTiere few plants, except seedlings of the 
surrounding trees, are found. 
During the hot season, tracts of forests may be observed principally along 
„ , „ , the coasts, which are quite leafless, and, therefore, 
B,—-Leaf-shedding Forests. ,. • t 1. . ml - , 
presenting a greyish sterile aspect. They consist, 
for the greatest part, of large sized and straight trees, mostly of small utility. 
The principal species, which more or less prevail, are Bombax Malabaricum 
in abundance; several kinds of Sterculia , Ncmclea sp ., Odina wodier, Caloscmthes 
Indie Pajanelia multijug a , plentiful, Terminalia grocer a and bialcita , Albizzia 
Lebbeh common; Ficus infect oria rare, Gyrocarpus Asiacicus , Canarium 
euphyllum , Cordia sp ., and others. 
In June, when all these trees begin to put out their leaves, such forests 
are still peculiar in their aspect from the different tints of brown, yellow and 
red which are produced by their young leaves. Later in the season, the trees 
may be recognized by their hemispherical large crowns, and the bright 
green of their foliage. Owing to the little shade they give during the hot 
season, climbers are much scarcer in these forests, and even disappear 
altogether in some localities; the shrubs are confined to a small number 
of wide range, and the herbaceous plants are reduced nearly to Franthemum , 
and sometimes Dcedalcicanthus and Bragantia . No climbing Aroidece grow 
here save Bothos scandens in a stunted condition. 
During the rains, however, and especially along the western coasts, a 
number of small herbs, as Begonia Andamanensis , Fbermayera velutma , Leea , 
Ophiorrhiza , &c., develop themselves. 
Here and there some evergreen tree may be observed belonging to Sapin - 
dacece , or even Dipterocarpece ; also Artocarpus chaplasha , Ficus laccifera % 
and Erioglossum edule are not uncommon. 
The immense buttressing of the stems is noteworthy. Trees of 12 feet 
girth, a short distance above the ground, may have a girth of nearly 40 feet 
near the surface of the ground. 
C.—Bamboo Jungles. 
Such leaf-shedding forests occur principally south of South Corbyn’s Cove, 
north of Chatham Island, at Mangrove Bay, around Port Mouat, and in 
greater extent at Shoal Bay and on Middlle Andaman. 
The bamboo jungles occupy principally both shores of Middle Straits, 
the lands north of Watering Cove, Shoal Bay, &c., 
only here or there interrupted by forests of the 
other classes. They occur, however, in all parts of South Andaman and 
Labyrinth Archipelago to a greater or less extent. 
It is highly interesting to observe the connection of the bamboo jungles 
with the indurated chloritic rocks. I observed everywhere on these islands 
that, wherever bamboo jungles exclusively covered tracts of land, I could 
conclude with certainty that chloritic rock or serpentine was present, often only 
indicated by the many quartz pebbles in the soil. 
The mean height of these bamboos may be about 30 to 35 feet, and they 
consist nearly entirely of a single species, Bambusa Andamanica . 
They are very easy to penetrate, as climbers and shrubs are comparatively 
scarce. Lofty forest trees occur only at great distances from each other (on 
an. average perhaps from 90 to 100 feet), and belong generally to the same 
species as of the other forests, Dillenia aurea , Carey a spheerica; several 
Acacias , Bterocarpus dalbergioides , are those which I noted as most abundant. 
All these trees, when seen afar from the sea, stand out from the bamboos 
like slender palm trees from a low jungle. 
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