NIGERIA. 309 



coast ; the fruit of the tree is rich in oil. The valuable 

 " piassava fibre " is prepared from the leaves of the 

 bamboo palm. 



(c) The Moist Evergreen Forest contains trees of very lofty 



growth scattered amongst those of more moderate 

 height. Amongst the largest are : The Khayas spp. 

 (Mahoganies), Entandrophragmas (Scented Mahoganies), 

 Chlorophora excelsa (West African Teak), species of 

 Triplochiton, Terminalia, Eriodendron, Bomhax, Mimu- 

 sops and others. Other components are species of 

 Gaurea, Lovoa, Parkia, Alstonia, Funtumia, Pterocarpus, 

 Canarium, Elacis guineensis (the Oil Palm), and many 

 others. This type of forest is the most valuable in the 

 country ; it forms a belt lying 50 to 100 miles from the 

 coast and is confined to the zone of heavy rainfall ; much 

 of it has been destroyed by the natives for agricultural 

 purposes. Many of the trees are also found over extensive 

 tracts which have a smaller rainfall. This type of forest 

 is found in the vicinity of the larger rivers and other 

 collections of water and is then called " Fringing 

 Forest." 



(d) Mixed Deciduous Forest, with a well-marked dry season, is 



rich in plants of economic value. It contains a number 

 of evergreen species from the moist evergreen forest, 

 which are generally found in the moist parts near streams 

 or on northern aspects, while the deciduous species occur 

 mainly on the drier soil and on southern and western 

 aspects. The number of species is large, such as Sterculia 

 spp., Zanthoxylon senegalensis, Afzelia africana, Alhizzia 

 fastigata, Afrormosia laxijlora, Mimusops sp., Ficus, 

 Diospyrus, Terminalia, Funtumia, &c. 



(e) Savannah Forest is a parklike formation, rich in herbs and 



grasses. The number of trees varies with the nature of 

 the soil. On stiff laterite the trees are widely scattered 

 and dwarfed, while alluvial hollows and narrow valleys 

 are well stocked, though not to the same extent as the 

 mixed deciduous forest. Fires occur early in the dry 

 season and do great damage. The average height of the 

 trees is less than in the moist evergreen and deciduous 



