174 COLONIAL REPORTS MISCELLANEOUS. 



(3.) A profusion of woody lianes, including several species of 

 climbing palms (canes, rattans). 



(4.) A large contingent of woody and herbaceous epiphytes 

 that attach themselves to the trunks, branches, and even the 

 extreme tips of the twigs of the forest trees. 



(5.) The not infrequent development in several species of trees 

 of " plank buttresses " on the stems, and the formation of cylin- 

 drical aerial roots that arise from the stems at some distance 

 from the ground. 



(G.) The occurrence of canliflory, i.e., the formation of flowers 

 from dormant buds in the old wood. 



(1 .) The presence of numerous epiphytous epiphytes, such as 

 small mosses, ferns, algas, &c., on the leaves of woody plants. 



The features described above are common to a greater or less 

 degree to all tropical rain-forests. 



In the West African forests of this type, such as those found 

 in Southern Nigeria and on the Gold Coast, the woody lianes 

 are represented by various species of Landolphia (L. owariensis, 

 L. Klainei, and many others), Carpodinus, Clitandra, Strophan- 

 tlms, Entada scandens, Artobotrys Thomsonii, species of Triaspis, 

 Hippocratea, Loncliocarpus, Combretum, Musscenda, and scandent 

 palms such as Calamus and Ancistrophyllum. 



The feebler and more succulent climbers are represented by 

 Aroids of the genera Culcasia, Cercestis, and JRaphidophom; they, 

 however, are confined to the stems and larger branches of the 

 trees. 



Woody epiphytes are represented by various species of Ficus, 

 and the smaller herbaceous ones by several genera of orchids, the 

 most conspicuous of which are species of Angraecum and 

 Megaclinium. 



Several species of ferns are also epiphytic in habit in these 

 forests; the most noticeable belong to the genus Platycerium. 



A fairly large number of the forest trees are provided with 

 ' plank buttresses." They include all the Khayas (mahoganies), 

 with the exception of Kliaya senegalensis from the savannah 

 forests, most of the Pseitdocedrelas, the silk-cotton trees 

 Eriodendron anfractuosum and Bombay brevicuspe, Trip- 

 lochiton Jolinsonii, Heritiera utilis, Piptadenia africana, 

 Antiaris toxicaria, the Offrgnn (Terminalia superba), and 

 many others. The plank buttresses of Heritiera utilis 

 have the peculiarity of separating from the stem of the 

 tree shortly below the level from which they are given off, and in 

 this respect represent an intermediate stage between the cylin- 

 drical, aerial " prop roots," and the typical plank buttresses. 



The former type of root is developed by the umbrella tree 

 (Musanga Smithii), species of Garcinia, and an unidentified 

 species of small tree known to the natives as the N'Kotan, from 

 the wood of which they prepare charcoal. 



Cauliflory occurs in the case of many species of Ficus, Cola 

 canliflora, and the huge trees of the genus Omphalocarpum, as 

 well as amongst other species. 



