^^ The Liberian Flora 



oi-ange-colourcd fruits of the size of a child's head and enclosing 

 3 seeds ; very common in the coast region, Sir H. H. JoJuistou 

 (from photographs.)— A pahn of manifold use, the stems serving 

 as timber, the leaves furnishing thatch and fibre for ropes, sieves, 

 and other similar articles, and the sap a kind of sweetish toddy, 

 whilst the outer fibrous part of the fruit is sucked on account 

 of its pleasant taste ; known to the Liberians as the " Fan palm." 

 This palm was, by Martius, separated as a distinct species 

 from the Indian Borassus flabellifer on account of the thickening 

 of the stem below the leaf, a character which is said to be absent 

 in Indian specimens. 



Elaeis guineensis, Jacq. : the well-known " Oil palm " of West Africa ; 

 Monrovia and Grand Basa, Vogcl \ Cape Palmas, Vogel, 65 ! 



Cocos nucifera, L. : the well-known coconut palm, the uses of which 

 are innumerable; everywhere in the coast region. Sir H. H. 

 Johnston (from photographs). 



PANDANACE/E 

 Pandanus candelabrum, Bcauv. : a branched tree supported by aerial 

 roots with the spinous leaves in dense spirals (hence the 

 generic name " Screw-pine ") ; in swamps near Grand Basa 

 and on " dry ground " at Cape Palmas, according to Vogel. 



ARACE^ 



Anchomanes dubius, Scliott : a tuberous-rooted heib with a solitaiy 

 prickly leaf, 2-3^ ft. long, having 3 pinnatisect or dichoto- 

 mously divided divisions and a long-peduncled boat-shaped pale 

 purplish or (within) cream-coloured spathe, 6 — 12 in. long, and 

 a slender spadix (up to 8 in. long) ; Liberia (from cultivated 

 specimens). 



Rhektophyllum mirabile, Baker: a climbing aroid ; in Liberian forests 

 (from drawing b}' Sir H. H. Jo/instou). 



Nephthytis afzelii, Scliott: a herb with a creeping root-stock and 

 -~3 sagittate long-peduncled leaves (with the basal lobes \ 

 to I ft. long), and broad obtuse green spathes (2 — 2\ in. 

 long), with a slender cylindric spadix {\ in. by if in.); 

 Monrovia, Nauuiann. 



*Culcasia liberica, N. E. Broivn : a climbing herb with lanceolate 

 to elliptic leaves 8 — 9 in. long, and fascicled (7 — 8) more or 



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