96 THE ARGAN FOREST. oh. t. 



and two or three kinds of Erodium. As the track rises 

 and recedes a little from the coast, the tertiary calcareous 

 rock that underlies the sandhills crops out here and there, 

 and the first Argan trees hegin to show themselves. As 

 we advanced, the trees grew larger and nearer together, 

 and as we approached our intended halt, at a place called 

 Douar Arifi, they formed a continuous forest. 



The Argan tree is in many respects the most remark- 

 able plant of South Marocco ; and it attracts the more 

 attention as it is the only tree that commonly attains a 

 large size, and forms a conspicuous feature of the land- 

 scape in the low country near the coast. In structure and 

 properties it is nearly allied to the tropical genus Sider- 

 oxylon (Iron-wood) ; but there is enough of general re- 

 semblance, both in its mode of growth and its economic 

 uses, to the familiar olive tree of the Mediterranean 

 region to make it the local representative of that plant. 

 Its home is the sub-littoral zone of South-western Marocco, 

 where it is common between the rivers Tensift and Sous. 

 A few scattered trees only are said to be found north of 

 the Tensift ; but it seems to be not infrequent in the hilly 

 district between the Sous and the river of Oued Noun, 

 making the total length of its area about 200 miles. 

 Extending from near the coast for a distance of thirty 

 or forty miles inland, it is absolutely unknown elsewhere 

 in the world. The trunk always divides at a height of 

 eight or ten feet from the ground, and sends out numerous 

 spreading, nearly horizontal branches. The growth is 

 apparently very slow, and the trees that attain a girth of 

 twelve to fifteen feet are probably of great antiquity. 

 The minor branches and young shoots are beset with stiff 

 thick spines, and the leaves are like those of the olive in 

 shape, but of a fuller green, somewhat paler on the under 

 side. Unlike the olive, the wood is of extreme hardness, 

 and seemingly indestructible by insects, as we saw no 

 example of a hollow trunk. The fruit, much like a large 

 olive in appearance, but varying much in size and shape. 



