228 A JOURNEY UP THE RIVER CONGO. 
besides, many West African plants which stretch right 
away from the Gambia, across the Congo, into Angola on 
the south. In short, I have never seen any difference 
between the fauna and flora of the northern and southern 
banks of this great river; nor do I believe that it acts in 
any way as a limitation to the range of species. 
I will conclude this chapter with a slight sketch of the 
Botany of the Western Congo, first noting a few striking 
(not rare) genera which form general features in the land- 
scapes. The Leguminous order is especially prominent, 
as represented by its sub-orders Papilionacee, Coesalpinic, 
and Mimosee. Among the most noticeable genera of 
Papilionacee may be mentioned Lonchocarpus, with its 
eround masses of mauve blossoms (L. sericeus), Rhyncosia, 
with bright red flowers; Cajanus indicus, Baphia, and the 
really beautiful, poetical Camoensia, aptly named, of — 
which an illustration heads this chapter. Among the 
Cesalpinie, the genus Hrythrophleum, represented by a 
towering tree, sometimes 60, 70, and even 100 feet in 
height, is remarkable for its intensely poisonous bark, 
The Mimosee are of course abundant. In this sub-order 
the genera Parkia and Acacia furnish many fine forest 
trees. Another large tree is Parinariwm excelsum, a 
member of the Rosacew, which possesses fruit that are just 
edible. Among the Connaracew, Cnestis stands out 
prominently, with its brilliant scarlet or orange seed- 
vessels. The beautiful Mussenda is a large and well- 
represented genus of Rubiaceous shrubs, and the large 
order of Composite offer many striking floral displays. 
The Mallows can exhibit such’ remarkable genera as the 
far-spread Adansonia, the gaudy-flowered Hztbiscus, and 
the great forest trees, Hriodendron and Bombax, Among — 
the Monocotyledons, the orchid group finds a splendid 
representative in the genus Lussochilus, which grows 
abundantly in the marshy regions of the Lower River, 
and in a modified form over a portion of the cataract 
country. It is the most magnificent member of the 
Congo flora. The Lilies are not very noticeable on the 
Congo, Their most striking example is Crinum zeylan- 
