Flowering Plants in West Africa

About this book

This volume is an account of the flowering plant flora of West Africa south of the Sahara (Gambia-Nigeria inclusive) with the emphasis upon species of ecological or economic importance. The vegetative and reproductive morphological characters, pollination and dispersal mechanisms of representatives of 38 families are described, and these families appear in the same order as in the Flora of West Tropical Africa.

The first chapter deals with interspecific relationships (between flowering plant species, and between these and bacteria, fungi and animals), while the second chapter describes the vegetation formed by the flowering plant species of West Africa. Then follow the family chapters, each one ending with a section on the field recognition of its most important species, and a bibliography of the literature, so that further studies may be pursued.

This flora should prove to be of value to teachers and students of tropical biology, agriculture, forestry and economic botany.

Paperback re-issue; originally published in 1988.

Contents

Introduction; List of symbols and abbreviations; 1. Species associations; 2. Vegetation in West Africa; 3. Annonaceae - soursop family; 4. Amaranthaceae - amaranth family; 5. Cucurbitaceae - gourd family; 6. Ochnaceae - ironwood family; 7. Combretaceae - afara family; 8. Guttiferae (clusiaceae) - butter tree family; 9. Sterculiaceae - cocoa family; 10. Bombacaceae - silk cotton family; 11. Malvaceae - cotton family; 12. Euphorbiaceae - cassava family; 13. Caesalpiniaceae - pride of Barbados family; 14. Mimosaceae - Acacia family; 15. Papilionaceae - cowpea family; 16. Ulmaceae - afefe family; 17. Moraceae - mulberry family; 18. Meliaceae - mahogany family; 19. Sapindaceae - akee apple family; 20. Anacardiaceae - cashew nut family; 21. Sapotaceae - sheabutternut family; 22. Apocynaceae - frangipani family; 23. Asclepiadaceae - blood flower or milkweed family; 24. Rubiaceae - abura family; 25. Compositae (asteraceae) - tridax family; 26. Solanaceae - tomato family; 27. Concolvulaceae - sweet potato family; 28. Bignoniaceae - jacaranda family; 29. Acanthaceae - thunbergia family; 30. Verbenaceae - teak family; 31. Labiatae (lamiaceae) - hausa potato family; 32. Commelinaceae - day flower family; 33. Zingiberaceae - ginger family; 34. Marantaceae - (West Indian) arrowroot family; 35. Liliaceae - lily family; 36. Araceae - cocoyam family; 37. Palma (arecaceae) - palm family; 38. Orchidaceae - orchid family; 39. Cyperaceae - sedge family; 40. Gramineae (poaceae) - grass family; General bibliography; Index of family, generic and common names.

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