RUBBER PLANTING 33 



Landolphias are widely distributed over the whole of 

 tropical Africa, extending from 16" degrees North 

 latitude to 23 degrees South latitude. They are found 

 in almost all the forest regions of this area, and include 

 at least ten species of valuable rubber-yielding plants. 

 Among the most important are Landolphia owariensis, 

 which occurs throughout West Africa and the Sudan, 

 L. Heudelotii in West Africa, and L. Kirkii and 

 L. Dawei in East Africa. Landolphia florida^ which 

 has also an extensive range, was known as a handsome 

 and sweet-scented flowering plant long before its com- 

 mercial value was recognised. 



The rubber is exported in a great variety of forms, 

 often as small balls or sausages. These are formed by 

 winding up the strings of rubber which dry upon the 

 plants, when the latter are gashed with a knife. 



Ficus Vogelii is another rubber plant widely dis- 

 tributed in West Africa and the Sudan. There have 

 been varying reports upon its produce, and it appears to 

 deserve further attention. 



In all the above-named species the source of the 

 rubber is the stem. The so-called root rubbers of the 

 Congo and Angola are derived from the Rhizomes of 

 two semi-herbaceous plants Carpodinus lanceolatus and 

 Clitandra henriquesiana. The creeping underground 

 stems of these plants are about an inch in diameter. 

 The natives extract the rubber by rasping and then 

 boiling them in water. 



In Madagascar rubber is obtained from other species 



L. 3 



