GOLt) COAST REPORT ON FORESTS. 87 



tree (Anogeissus leiocarpus), the wood ashes of which are used as 

 a mordant for fixing- dyes, and the roots as chew-sticks in the 

 ftYoruba country; Vitex cuneata and Vitex megaphyUa, the fruits 

 of which are much sought after by elephants; Parinarium cura- 

 tellte folium, with edible fruit; Parinarium inobola; the West 

 African " locust bean " (Parkla filicoidea), the legumes of which 

 are also edible ; the shea butter tree (Butyi-ospermumParkii) ; the 

 baobab (Adansonia digitata), the tamarind (Tamarind u* indica), 

 the Sierra Leone Tamarind (Dialium guineense}, and Ficus platy- 

 phylla. 



Small trees and shrubs are represented by Entada soudanica; 

 Entada abyss inica; Crossopteryx Kotschyana; Bauliinia reticu- 

 lata, the bast fibres from which are used for making ropes and 

 the acid infusion of the leaves for coagulating Funtumia elastica 

 latex; the wild custard apple (Anona senegalensis), the fruits of 

 which are edible; the " dry zone " form of the Kishia (Sarcoce- 

 pliaius esculentus) ; Gardenia sp., probably G. ternifolia, with 

 edible fruit; Eugenia owariensis; Bridelia micrantha, that yields 

 a red dye; Strychnos emarginata; Carissa edulis; a species of 

 Zizyphus; and Cochlospermum tinctorium. 



Amongst herbs we have Cassia mimosoides, and various species 

 of Indigofera, Tephrosia, Desmodium, Oldenlandia, Capparis, 

 &c. 



The orchids are represented by two species of Lissochilus, one 

 of which, L. roseus, has very beautiful flowers. 



Gloriosa superba and another pretty species of the same genus, 

 G. rirescens, and Asparagus a/ricana, are the most conspicuous 

 representatives of the Liliacece, whilst the AmaryllidecB con- 

 tribute various species of Crinum and Hcemanthus to the flora. 



Amongst the palms we have the fan palm, Borassus flabclli- 

 formis var. ostliiopica, which is extremely abundant in tin- 

 vicinity of the Buuda River. The pericarp is edible and the 

 timber very durable. A wild date palm, Phoenix reclinata, and a 

 few dwarfed oil-palms and Raphias, which are usually confined 

 to the neighbourhood of streams, complete the list. 



The belts and patches of evergreen forest clothing the richer 

 and uioister soils are composed of various species of trees, such 

 as Sterculia cordifoUa, S. Barteri, Pterocarpus esculentus, 

 Mimusops multinervis (a good timber tree), Cynometra Mannii, 

 Berlinia acuminata (another timber tree), Ricinodendron afri- 

 canus (seeds rich in vegetable oils), Alstonia congensis (softwood, 

 used for manufacturing native stools), the ebony tree, Diospyros 

 mespiliformis, several species of Ficus, Carapa guianensis (seeds 

 rich in vegetable oils), the silk-cotton tree, Eriodendron anfi-ac- 

 tuosuin, and the camwood (Baphia nitida}. The majority of the 

 species enumerated above are also common to the forest belt of 

 the Gold Coast. Two species, however, the sasswood tree (Ery- 

 throphloeum guineense), and the chew-stick tree (Anogeissus leio- 

 carpus'), which are typical of the dry open forests, often invade 

 these isolated patches of evergreen vegetation. 



Rubber-yielding plants are here represented by Landolphra 

 owariensis, L. Thompsonii, and Carpodinus hirsute, only the 

 first-named species of which furnishes rubber of the first quality. 



