IV. TREES AND RUBBER VINES 
Palme. 
Hlesis Guineensis. Oil Palm. 
The well-known Oil Palm. It does not thrive in the forests 
among taller trees. It grows best near villages. (Found in 
Sierra Leone, too.) Quantities of oil obtained from it. The 
leaves are used for roof coverings. 
Raphia vinifera. Wine Palm. 
The leaves used in weaving, brushes, mats, etc. Grows in 
swampy ground. 
Borassus flabellifer and B. Aithiopium. Fan Palm, Piassave. 
Both most useful trees. The leaves for roofs, fibre for 
ropes. The sap made into a sweet kind of toddy. Wood for 
house and bridge building. The B. Athiopium grows from 
60 to 80 feet high, the leaves 5 to 12 feet long. 
Ancistrophyllum. 
Fibre used for weaving. 
Liliacee. 
Dracena surculosa. Dragon’s Blood. 
A much branched tree, having white flowers and red berries. 
Found in Sino Kim, Kakatown and Monrovia. 
Moracee. 
Chlorophora excelsa. Oroko, Teak, African Oak. 
A large, well-known tree, used for many purposes where 
durability is required. Frequently found; it grows well near 
old farms. It is also found in Sierra Leone. The wood seems 
to be proof against termites and fungoid diseases. It is the 
best wood for railway sleepers. 
Musanga Smithii. Corkwood. 
The first tree to appear after a farm has been abandoned ; 
its thick leaves, when they fall, form a heavy layer of 
humus. 
Antiaris. Fig species. 
Fig-like fruit, used in medicine. 
Ficus Vogelii. Rubber. 
Grows from 20 to 40 feet, yields so-called Balata, or an 
inferior rubber. Found on St. Paul’s River, Grand Basa. 
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