172 REPORT OF THE HARVARD AFRICAN EXPEDITION 
of this palm are frequently used as twine, as well as in weaving and in thatching. 
The coconut palm, which of course is not indigenous, and which probably was 
imported from the Pacific regions, is found only in a few places along the coast, 
and never in great abundance. 
Another striking botanical difference between the flora along the South 
American rivers and those of Liberia is the absence of Cecropia trees. The 
myrmecophilous trumpet trees, particularly Cecropia robusta Huber, and 
Cecropia palmata Willd., with their bare white trunks often form groves in 
the secondary forests and clearings in parts of Brazil. In Liberia, one meets 
with a very striking plant or tree which is also especially characteristic of 
secondary forest, and rarely seen in virgin forest except near the borders. This 
is the Musanga smithi, a tree which is usually not more than from twenty to 
forty feet high. Maughan has described it under the name of the ‘“‘umbrella 
tree,’ — a name suggested by the disposition of the leaves. 
In Liberia, as in tropical South America, the Ceiba pentandra is one of the 
largest and most striking of the forest trees, and when in blossom, with its 
scarlet, bell-shaped flowers, it makes a beautiful and imposing appearance. Its 
trunk is sometimes used in Liberia for making dugouts. However, the silk 
cotton, or ‘‘kapok,”’ that it produces is apparently not collected there or made 
use of commercially for stuffing sofa cushions as it is In parts of South America. 
Among the most striking of the larger trees of the Liberian forest are Dialium 
dinklagei and D. guineense, with light, cream-white flowers. According to 
Dr. Linder, they reach a height of from one hundred and seventy-five to two 
hundred feet. Brachystegia leonensis, Macrolobium macrophyllum, and Ptero- 
carpus santalinoides reach a height of approximately one hundred and twenty- 
five feet. Another of the larger and more abundant trees is Xylopia africana, 
which grows to a height of one hundred and fifty feet, and which apparently 
has a long, indeed an almost continuous, fruiting season (No. 417). 
In the virgin forest there are also many leguminous trees and many species 
of Ficus of less, though of considerable size, besides numerous examples of 
Apocynaceae, among which the rubber-producing varieties are classified. One 
of the most important of the rubber-producing trees commercially, and the 
largest is Funtumia elastica. Johnston says that this tree is one of the tallest in 
the African forest, and intimates that in Liberia it may grow to two hundred feet 
in height. We, however, did not observe trees of this species of such great size. 
Among: other particularly striking trees in Liberia is the Dracaena of the 
order Liliaceae. It has glossy dark green leaves, white aloe-like flowers, and 
bright red berries. Some grow to a good size. They are prominent not only 
in the forest but around the villages and towns, where on account of their 
striking appearance they are planted to mark boundaries. In some places they 
are set out for stockades and hedges. The natives sometimes call them the 
‘““soap tree” (No. 129). 
Bamboo is found in small thickets near the coast and also for some thirty 
or forty miles inland along some of the rivers. It is apparently not indigenous, 
but was imported earlier from the West Indies. It is well known that Oxytenan- 
