THE PALAEOTROPICS 



L65 



south. The delta region of the Congo, is much drier than the 

 Kamerun coast, and in much of Portuguese West Africa, and the 



* 



former German West Africa, desert condition- prevail, even at the 

 coast. North of the Gulf of Guinea, there is a similar diminution in 

 rainfall until in Senegal, and especially in the western Sahara, 



desert conditions are encountered. 



The coastal region of Angola (Portuguese West Africa), from the 



Fig. 51. — Baobab, Mombasa, British East Africa. 



Congo southward, is a dry plain with characteristic xerophytic 

 vegetation, scattered shrubs and stunted trees, with an occasional 

 baobab. The commonest tree is Sterculia tomentosa. With th< 

 are found Aloes, the curious cactus-like Euphorbias, so characteris- 

 tic of South Africa, and Sansevieria qjlindrica, a liliaceous plant 

 with stiff, rush-like leaves. 



The vegetation changes, however, as soon as the hilly country, 

 some 30-40 miles from the coast, is reached. Here there is a 

 forest growth of both deciduous and evergreen specif-. 1 



1 Engler, loc. cit., pp. 623-24. 



