The hills on either side of the valley in which the city of Aurangabad is situated are almost bare of trees, containing here and there a Nim, Salai, Saimbal, or some thorny bushes. The soil at the base of the hills is shallow and rocky, and is scattered over with a few stunted trees and shrubs. The centre of the valley is rich and fertile, and the city is covered with a great deal of rank vegetation. In an abortive attempt, made some seventy years back, to rear the Cochineal insect, the chapal-sendh or prickly-pear was introduced as its food; and till recently- the greater portion of the city, which consists of ruined buildings and enclosures, was occupied with bushes of this plant, interspersed among fields of tobacco and other rank vegetation. The prickly-pear is now being rapidly destroyed, but it is still found in great abundance in most of the large towns of the district, especially in A’mbad and Gandapur. Some of the other.plants found in waste places are the ak or swallow-wort, the feringhi datura or American thistle, the gudal, raimunia, kala-maimuda, turwar, babul, and the wild bhair. The munsa-sij or milk-hedge thrives well, and forms an excellent hedge around villages. The larger trees are those common to centres of Mahomedan population, such as the hathi-kattian or baobab, the red tamarind, the asufal, maruf, pipri, kong or silk-cotton tree, nim, bakkan, rita, hadga, and siris. In the burial-grounds, the sitafal, mulsari, khirni, ghul-mohr and sanschaila are common. Then there are numerous groves of mango, guava, orange and other fruit trees; while of the wilder kinds found throughout the district are the kavit, bhair, aunla jamun, karonda, umbar or wild fig, gulair, naruli, and bargondi. The other useful plants seen in gardens are the pangra, bel, chandan, moringa, a’cha’r, ka’ra’nj, harparuri, seuri, tilaki, agathi, guhl-tora or poinciana, bar, pipal, datta-ka-jhar or Indian corktree, and jangli badam. The keura, or fragrant screw-pine, and the common aloe are met with in hedges. Among the palms, the sendhi or small date is plentiful at some distance from the eity, but the palmyra is comparatively rare. The cocoanut and the areca palm are seen in gardens.
