THE PALAEOTROPICS 161 



interior of the forest is so densely shaded that very little under- 

 growth is developed, and such species as occur are able to exist 

 with a minimum of light. 



This forest interior has been very graphically described by 

 Miss Kingsley. 1 The giant, smooth gray or red trunks form 

 huge pillars, sometimes a hundred feet high, or more, before 

 branching to form the roof of this great temple. There are few 

 epiphytic growths, except high up in the crowns of the tr< 

 and the huge lianas which swing from tree to tree are quite bare 

 until they reach the light above the dense canopy of foliage. 



The most important of these lianas are several species of Lan- 

 dolphia (Apocynaceae) which yield most of the West African 



rubber. 



Where light is admitted, as when trees are blown down by 

 tornadoes, which often devastate these regions, or in clearings 

 made by the lumberman, or along the banks of the rivers, the 

 forest presents a very different aspect. In such situations there 

 is an amazing luxuriance of vegetation, the lofty trees being clothed 

 from top to bottom with epiphytes and a great variety of lianas. 



Some of these vines, e. g., QuisquaUs indica, Clerodendron 

 splendens, Solatium sp., as well as certain trees, have showy 

 flowers, which in their season relieve the monotony of the uniform 

 green of the rain-forest. 



The number of species of trees in this great forest is very lai e 

 and only a few of the more characteristic ones can be mentioned. 2 



As in most tropical forests, the Leguminosae are abundant, and 

 some of them reach enormous size. Giant figs are also a feature 

 of the forest. The latter often begin life as epiphytes perched on 

 a branch, or in a crotch of some tall tree, near the light. The 

 young fig sends its roots downward, and these completely encircle 

 the parent tree, which is finally strangled, leaving the fig with 

 its crown supported by a huge hollow trunk formed of the <•< .ales- 

 cent roots. These "strangling figs" occur in the rain-forests of 

 both hemispheres. 



Some of the giant trees of West Africa are of great value for 

 their timber. These include several species of mahogany and 



1 Mary H. KinRsloy, Travels in West Africa, pp. 26] 262, 1897. 



2 For a very full account of the vegetation of tin* region aee Engler, loe. cit., 



Vol. I, Pt. II. 



