CHAPTER III 



WOODLAND CLIMATE AND GRASSLAND CLIMATEJ 



IN THE TROPICS 



I. The Kinds of Climatic Formations in the Tropics. 2. High-Forest Climate 

 in the Tropics. Climate of the Malay Archipelago according to Woeikof. Conditions 

 of rainfall in other tropical high-forest districts. Rain-forest and monsoon-forest in 

 Cis-gangetic India. Atmospheric humidity and temperature. Climatic tables taken from 

 tropical high-forest districts. 3. Thorn-Forest Climate in Cis-gangetic India 

 4. Woodland Climate and Savannah Climate in Brazil. Coast mountain-ranges anc 

 campos of Sao Paulo. Campos and forests in Minas Geraes. Xerophilous woodland 

 climate of the Sertiio. 5. Climate of Northern South America and of the Antilles 

 6. Climate of Tropical Africa. West coast. Savannah of the central Africar 

 plateau. Summary. 



I. THE KINDS OF CLIMATIC FORMATIOXS IN THE 



TROPICS. 



Tropical ivoodland, so far as its character depends on climate and noi 

 on definite effects of the soil, may be divided into four kinds — Rain-foresr\ 

 Monsooii-forcst, Savannah-forest, Tlwrn-forcsi. Close shrub-formation 

 are rare under favourable physical and chemical conditions of the soi 

 wherever the climate is too dry for forests, they are replaced by open 

 half-desert and desert-like formations, in which xerophilous shrubs pla} 

 the chief part, but trees are not always absent. 



The Raiu-forcst (Fig. 1 24) is evergreen, hygrophilous in charactei 

 at least thirty meters high, but usually much taller, rich in thick-stemmei 

 lianes, and in woody as well as herbaceous epiphytes. 



The Monsoon-forest (Fig. 125) is more or less leafless during the dr 

 season, especially towards its termination, is tropophilous in characte: 

 usually less lofty than the rain-forest, rich in woody lianes, rich in herba 

 ceous but poor in woody epiphytes. 



The Savannah-forest (Fig. 127) is more or less leafless during the dr 

 season, rarely evergreen, is xerophilous in character, usually, often muclj 

 less than twenty meters high, park-like, very poor in underwood, liane' 

 and epiphytes, rich in terrestrial herbs, especially in grasses. 



The Thorn-forest (Fig. 1 28), as regards foliageand average height, resemble 

 savannah-forest, but it is more xerophilous, is very rich in underwoo 

 and in slender-stemmed lianes, poor in terrestrial herbs, especially i 

 grasses, and usually has no epiphytes. Thorn-plants are always plentiful. 



The different types of forest are connected by intermediate forms, an 



