Analyse phytogeographique de la flore forestiere du secteur du Kasai au Congo-Kinshasa

Abstract

A phytogeographical analysis of the forest flora of the Kasai Sector (Congo- Kinshasa). For a phytogeographical analysis, 1706 more characteristic and frequent taxa of the climax and subclimax forests of the Kasai sector were chosen. It shows that widespread species from the Guineo-Congolian regional centre of endemism (R.C.E.) represent the major element (79% of the taxa) of the flora of this sector, wherein two groups may be distinguished: taxa from the Lower Guinean and taxa from the Congolian subcentre of endemism. Widespread taxa from other R.C.E. 's represent 14% of the total; they are in general ecologically plastic. Taxa from the Zambezian R.C.E. represent only 7% while only 5% of the species are endemic to the sector; these forests should be considered as a prolongation of the forests of the central Congo basin. The analysis of distribution patterns allows to distinguish widespread, central, northern, western and southern species in the sector. Species with a narrow area seem to be confined to the forest underlayers.