726 



Ancistroj^liyllum (Thompson, Col. Eep. Misc. No. 66, 1910, 



p. 178). It is under similar conditions that the pahn may he 



seen growing in the neighbourhood of the Calabar and Cros 

 Rivers . 



J- 



The cultivation does not appear to have been given much 

 consideration in West Africa, and the only details available, 

 a-s showing the period of development, are from seeds sent out 

 from Kew to Dominica in 1893. It was reported in 1912 that 

 " a considerable number of plants was raised and distributed 

 and an avenue Avas formed in the Botanic Gardens at Dominica ; 

 these have developed into medium sized palms, having leaves 

 of from 6-8 ft. or more in length with spiny' leaflets ; the largest 

 specimens have recently fruited, their large spadices of imbricated 

 shining fruits attracting a good deal of attention " (Agric. News, 

 Barbados, Nov. 23rd, 1912, p. 372). This species obviously 

 reproduces itself more freely than R. Hookeri and that so far 

 there has not been the same need to plant. It is hoped, however, 

 that conservation will not be neglected and that the only class 

 of fibre trade allowed to continue or develop will be that of the 

 " bass "^^ or " Piassava " for brush-making. The production of 

 raffia " fibre — the tying and weaving material, from the young 

 leaves is very destructive to the tree, and the trade in this may 

 very well be left to other countries, as above indicated where 

 it can be obtained from palms that do not yield the brush 

 material. 



-S«/-— " West African Bass Fibre {RapMa vinifera "), Kew 

 Bull. 1891, pp. 1-5.—" Rafia from West Africa," Kew Bull 

 1895, pp. 88-92; pp. 287-288 and in Add. Ser. II. " Veg. Fibres," 



l>p. 232-238. " Le Rafia " Deslandes, in L'Agric. Pratique des 



pays chauds, v. 2, 1905, pp. 22-33 ; pp. 128-141. " African Bass 



or Piassaya {Baphia vinifera)," HiUier, Kew Bull. 1910, pp. 169- 



l^'l- -"Le Palme del Genere Eaphia," Beccari, in Agric. 



Col. Italy, iv. 1910, pp. 137-170, including R. vinifera. "The 



Raffias of French Equatorial Africa," Rouget in Bull, de I'Office 

 Colonial, June 1915, pp. 273-294 and in Bull. Agric. Inst. Rome 



Oct. 1915, pp. 1342-1344. " Piassava Industry of B. w' 



Africa," m Bull. Imp. Inst. xiii. 1915, pp. 55^556. " Raffia 



or Bass : Its Production, Preparation and Utilisation," I.e. xv. 

 1917, pp. 434-440, Madagascar and also W. African Raffia 



a 



Calamus, Linn 



Calamus Barteri, Becc. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. VIII. p. 109. 



Ill— Ann. Bot. Gard. Calcutta, xi. 1908, t. 20. 



Vernac. names .—Erugho or Erogbo (S. Nigeria, Dennett)- 



HoJ 



^ a 



Tembi (Sierra Leone, Scott Elliot). 



land). 



Onitsha and Niger Territory in general; Sierra Leone, &c. 



Stem much used in the Lower Niger river region for making 

 rope (Barter) and the split stems are commonly used in Old 

 Calabar and other parts of the Colony for tying up fences and 



