GOLD COAST REPORT ON FOKESTS. 30 



coiues to a subsidiary range of low hills which are clothed with 

 irregular tropical evergreen forest of good age. Here the under- 

 growth is much thinner, and is comparatively free of climbing 

 plants; the over-wood consists of the usual type in which 

 Piptadenias, Pai-l-ias, Waw-ivaws, &c., are the most conspicuous; 

 a few Khayas are also to be seen there. The low country on the 

 other side of these hills has been much cultivated, and contains a 

 few small villages, the older farm sites of which are now over- 

 grown with Muxanya Smithii, numerous Odotimt, E-nwil, 11 air- 

 ivaw, Bo/nha.f buonoijozenxe, some Albizzia Bruwnei, &c. The 

 undergrowth is again exceedingly dense, and considerable diffi- 

 culty was experienced in pushing our way through it. 



To the westward of this valley is situated the main water-part- 

 ing between the Ankobra River and its tributary the Sibiri. It is 

 a well-defined range and of considerably greater altitude than the 

 hills lying to the east of the small villages mentioned above. 

 Dense tropical evergreen high forest clothes the greater portion of 

 the range. The trees are of lofty growth, nicely shaped, and the 

 forest contains a fair proportion of useful timber trees. The 

 undergrowth is straight, thin, and comparatively poor in climb- 

 ing plants, a characteristic of some of the oldest forests in tropical 

 West Africa. The more valuable species were represented by the 

 Odouin, Khayas (which were bearing imit),Pseiidocedrelas(sL\KO in 

 fruit), and the Baku. Others of less importance noticed were two 

 species of Piptadenia (P. africana and another gigantic species), 

 Tetrapleura Tlionningii; a species of Parkia, enormous specimens 

 of Antiaris toxicaria, and several species of Ficus that also 

 attain huge dimensions in this forest. 



The latter is well worth reserving, both on account of its com- 

 parative richness in valuable species of timber trees, and also in 

 order to protect the water-supply of the Ankobra River. There is 

 ample land, covered with younger forests, available for native 

 farms in the valleys both to the east and west of the divide. The 

 Sibiri stream is quite an important feeder of the Ankobra ; it is 

 apparently subjected to very heavy floods in the rainy season, and 

 overflows its banks to a large extent. When the water falls at the 

 end of the w r et season the overflow remains in the hollows and gives 

 rise to a succession of swamps that are occupied by a dense growth 

 of the Tonibo Palm (Raplna vinifcra} and scandent palms belong- 

 ing to the genera Calamus and AncistropliyHum. The forest 

 along this stream has been leased to an American firm represented 

 by a Mr. Payne, I think, who was, however, absent on leave at the 

 time of our visit. Large numbers of mahogany logs were seen 

 lying in the bed of the stream awaiting the next floods to take 

 them down to the Ankobra and thence to Axim. 



The forests along the lower course of the Sibiri have been cleared 

 for farms, and the secondary growth that has sprung up on the 

 older clearings is formed by species such as the Emril, Odon-in, 

 Waw-waiv, Off ram, Albizzia Brownei, &c., that are generally the 

 first amongst trees to occupy such lands. As the locality looked a 

 promising one, a day was devoted to a thorough exploration of the 

 forest vegetation on the north bank opposite Mr. Payne's camp. 



