208 SCIENCE IN AFRICA 



Supplies from wild sources are usually of local importance only, 

 unless they possess some special quality or exist in such abundance 

 as to enable them to compete commercially. 



The Oil Palm [Elaeis guineensis) is indigenous to West Africa and 

 until recently has been the sole source of palm-oil, which is derived 

 from the pericarps of the fruits of the palm, and palm-kernel-oil 

 from the kernels of hard-shelled nuts. The oils are used for making 

 soap, candles, and margarine. Plantation cultivation of the oil- 

 palm, however, is increasing and will therefore be more fully con- 

 sidered with other crop plants in Chapter XII. 



The Shea nut tree {Butjrospermum parkii) grows in rather dry 

 country and is a native of West Africa. This too is now being 

 developed as a plantation crop. 



The most important indigenous rubber tree of Africa is the West 

 African or Lagos rubber [Funtumia elastica), a tall tree of the ever- 

 green forests from Uganda westwards to the coast. There are also 

 various rubber vines [Landolphia species), the collection of rubber 

 from which was once remunerative. At one time the collection of 

 wild rubber from the African forests was an important industry, 

 but under present-day conditions no species of rubber tree can 

 compete with the Para rubber [Hevea brasiliensis) grown extensively 

 in plantations in Malaya and other countries of the Near East, and 

 to some extent in tropical Africa (see Chapter XII). 



The Kola tree {Cola acuminata) grows wild in West Africa, but 

 most of the nuts, which are eaten as a stimulant, are obtained from 

 planted trees (see Chapter XII) . Another nut of commercial value 

 is that of the Dom palm [Hyphaene thebaica) which is composed of 

 a form of vegetable ivory used for button-making. These nuts 

 provide quite an important export of the Sudan. 



Among potential sources of supply of raw materials for paper 

 pulp may be mentioned the East African bamboo {Arundinaria 

 alpina) and certain tall savannah grasses, such as the elephant 

 grass of Uganda {Pennisetum purpureum), and papyrus. Good paper 

 has been made experimentally from these sources, but economic 

 difficulties have yet to be overcome, because the expense of using 

 celluloine material for this purpose is very heavy. In South Africa 

 attempts are being made at present to use thinnings from planta- 

 tions of Pinus patula for paper pulp, and the utilization of some of 



