NYASALAND. 297 



2. Main Types of Forest Growth. 



The local authorities divide the forest vegetation according to 

 elevation into three main groups : — 



On the black cotton soil flats at elevations under 2,000 feet, 

 Acacias are found in abundance, namely, A. nigrescens, -pennata, 

 Kirkii, arabica, albida, lasiopetala and suma. In the Shire 

 valley fairly large stretches of almost pure Copaifera mopana 

 forests are met with on sandy soils ; also Borassus palm and 

 Hijphcene crinata on the sandy flats at the south end of Lake 

 Nyasa. Other conspicuous trees of the hot dry country are 

 Adansonia digitata, Cordgla africana, Prosopis Kirkii, Dalbergia 

 Melanoxylmi, Odina Wodier, Kirkia acuminata, Tamarindus 

 indica, and several species of Sterculia. 



At all elevations between 1,000 and 4,000 feet, chiefly in the 

 vicinity of streams, the more important timber trees are Khaya 

 senegalensis , Adina microcephala, Piptadenia Buchanania and 

 Erythrophloeum guineense. In the woods away from the banks of 

 streams, the trees are mostly small, the most abundant kinds 

 being Uapaca Kirkiana and several species of Brachystegia. Other 

 trees appearing in this section are Pterocarpus angolensis, Albizia 

 spp., Terminalia sericia and others. There are also thickets of 

 useful bamboos. 



Between 4,000 and 7,000 feet elevation on the Mlanje mountain, 

 patches of cypress {Widdringfonia Whytei) are the only bits of 

 really heavy timber forest, scattered through which Podocarpus 

 milanjiana, a small tree, is found. The more open patches 

 between those of cypress are usually covered with a thick growth 

 of tall shrubs. 



The most important timbers are the Cypress, African Mahogany 

 {Khaya senegalensis), Adina microcephala, Piptadenia Btichanania 

 and Pterocarpus angolensis. Rubber-yielding plants are repre- 

 sented by species of Landolphia. 



3. The Area and Ownership of the Forests. 



This is not known ; that of the cypress patches amounts to 

 about 4 square miles. 



Ownership of Forests. — The area of the land privately owned by 

 Europeans is roughly 5,900 square miles ; all the rest is Crown 



