The Liberian Flora 



I 



Amongst other prominent 

 members of the Rubiaceous family 

 in Liberia is the " wild peach " of 

 the coast regions (^Sarcocephalus 

 esculentus). This has large white 

 fragrant flowers, and deep red fruit 

 about the size of a peach and not 

 unlike it in appearance. The fruits 

 are too aromatic for the taste of a 

 European, but are much appreciated 

 by the natives. Some plants of 

 this order yield the natives yellow 

 dyes ; others, like Ixora, exhibit 

 splendid bunches' of rose-coloured 

 flowers. Others again, like the 

 celebrated Coffea or cofi^ee tree, 

 produce berries which are edible 

 for their pleasant sweet pulp, or 

 the seeds of which furnish the 

 material for a stimulating beverage. 

 In addition to the well-known 

 Coffea liberica — the IJberian coffee 

 (which is a taller tree than the 

 common coff"ee, with larger black 

 berries) — there are two other kinds 

 of wild coffee (red berried), both 

 of which apparently might furnish 

 coffee beans for commerce. 



Under the order Apocynacete 

 in the Appendix (p. 6i6 et seq.) will 

 be found set forth all the known 

 sources of rubber in Liberia. Of 



539 



220. AN AKI.STOLOCHIA FLOWER 

 UNOPENED 



P.ile yellow-green, with dark crimson 

 veins (§ nat. size). Also base of 

 corolla to .show sexual parts. 



