162 THE AFRICAN RUBBER TREE 



districts of the Sierra Leone Protectorate, and in the 

 East Africa Protectorate. 



Until 1903 it was thought that Funtumia elastica was 

 restricted to western Africa, but in that year the tree 

 was discovered in Uganda by Dawe in the Mabira Forest 

 near the Victoria Nyanza, and in 1911 it was also found 

 by Battiscombe in the East Africa Protectorate in the 

 forests bordering the Victoria Nyanza. 



Climatic Conditions. — Funtumia elastica is essentially a 

 forest tree, and in West Africa it occurs naturally in both 

 the " rain forests " (the moist tropical evergreen forests) 

 and in the " monsoon forests " (the mixed deciduous 

 forests). It is, however, most abundant m the monsoon 

 forests, which have alternating wet and dry seasons and 

 the trees of which are more or less leafless diu:mg the 

 dry season. The conditions of rainfall under which 

 the Funtumia tree occm's vary considerably in different 

 countries. In West Africa it is stated to do best in 

 districts which have a ramfall of 60 to 100 in. per 

 annum ; in the Belgian Congo it appears to thrive in 

 districts where the rauifall averages from 48 to 60 in. 

 and where the dry season sometimes lasts for six 

 months ; whilst in Uganda the tree grows in the drier 

 forests which liave an annual ramfall of about 58 in. 



In West Africa Funtumia elastica is found prmcipally 

 at low elevations, but in the Cameroons it occurs up to 

 altitudes of 1,500 to 2,000 ft., and in Uganda up to 4,000 

 or 5,000 ft., whilst in the East Africa Protectorate it is 

 found between 5,000 and 6,000 ft. above sea-level. 



Soil. — The Funtumia tree appears to grow best on red 

 clay soUs and it is seldom found on sandy soils or on 

 swampy land. The following analysis by Schidrowitz 

 shows the composition of a sample of red soil from tlie 

 Chagwe Forest in Uganda, which was collected by Christy 

 as representative of the soil upon which Funtumia elastica 

 is usually found growing wild : 



Physical Analysis 



Per cent. 



Fine soil passhig 90 mesh . . . 9' 71 



Fine soil passing 60 mesh . . . 686 



Medium soil passmg 30 mesh . . 17" 14 



Coarse material and stones . . . 66" 29 



