516 REPORT OF THE HARVARD AFRICAN EXPEDITION 
underlaid with laterite which on weathering gives rise to the typical red lateritic 
soil. The southern side of the peninsula, however, slopes to a sand plain which 
reaches to the shore and there forms the beach. Little need be said of the flora 
of the lateritic soil since the types that were found there, also persist well into 
the interior. The sand plain, however, gives an interesting example of floral 
succession. Immediately back from the sloping sands bordering the sea, there 
is a flat or slightly depressed zone in which grow one or two sedges, among them 
Remirea maritima. These plants spread by extensive underground stolons and 
appear to be useful as sand binders. Further up on the beach, spreading by 
octopus-like repent vines is [pomaea Pes-caprae, the leaves of which, as is true 
of many plants living in such xerophytic conditions, are thick and fleshy. The 
flowers, pure white, are produced singly on short erect pedicels that arise from 
the underground stolon-like stems. According to the native boys who gather 
around the curious scientists, the leaves of this plant are used as a green to which 
is given the Vai name of ‘‘hoonov.”’ ! 
The summit of the sloping beach is bordered by dense hedges of Phoenix 
reclinata, a palm which is out of keeping with one’s conception of what a palm 
of the tropics should be, since it is only three to seldom more than five feet tall 
or barely reaching one’s chin. In spite of its small size, it makes a formidable 
hedge which is difficult of penetration without the aid of a machete. Growing 
along with the palm or forming extensive patches by itself, is the fiber plant, San- 
sevieria sp., related to the species grown so frequently as a pot plant in American 
homes where it is known as ‘‘old maid’s tongue.”’ Here also, creeping over the 
sand or climbing over the low bushes is Stenotaphrum secundatum, a grass well 
adapted to this habitat by the leathery nature of its leaves. Further along the 
border are clusters of bushes ten to sixteen inches high of Chrysobalanus orbicu- 
laris which produce small red fruits that, although of rather insipid and slightly 
acid flavor, are highly rated by the boys who eagerly seek them out. Continuing 
along the beach almost to the rocks that form the picturesque headland of the 
peninsula and where the soil conditions are apparently altered by their presence, 
one comes across low trees of Anona senegalensis, the oval, somewhat rough, 
dark red fruits of which are also enjoyed by the natives. 
Back of the beach, the land becomes almost level, but is still composed mostly 
of sand. This zone is rather densely populated with bushes, the height of which 
seldom exceeds ten feet. In the open spaces one sees the beautiful purplish 
flowers of Vigna gracilis, a plant strongly resembling the sweet pea. Of the 
bushes, one of the more conspicuous ones is Dodonaea viscosa. It is four to six 
feet tall, with inconspicuous yellow flowers. It is not the flowers that are so 
striking but rather the seemingly delicate leaves which are sticky from glandular 
secretions. Along with Dodonaea grows Hibiscus surattensis. The large showy 
yellow flowers, the throats of which are colored claret brown, immediately draw 
one’s attention to the plant. Examination of the plant, and it need not be too 
close, immediately shows that the leaves are covered with very stiff bristles, a 
' All native names are spelled as they sounded to the writer, since it was impossible to obtain the 
same spelling from any two individuals. 
