Tree Species of the Rabi Forest Monitoring Plot, Gabon

Abstract

The Rabi Forest Monitoring Plot (RFMP) in Gabon is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s ForestGEO network and is managed through a collaboration between Gabonese national scientific institutions, private industry, and the Smithsonian. Located within government-allocated logging and hydrocarbon concessions in the Gamba Complex of Protected Areas in southwest Gabon, the RFMP lies in a previously logged forest, making it particularly well-suited for studies on forest regeneration and a valuable site for multidisciplinary research. Tree Species of the Rabi Forest Monitoring Plot, Gabon is designed as a field guide to the trees found in this representative Guineo-Congolian rainforest. Based on data from a single census, the authors document 340 tree taxa from 55 families and 193 genera recorded in the plot—including 310 fully described species and 30 incompletely identified taxa, several of which may be new to science. Each taxon description includes information on size, vegetative and reproductive characteristics, taxonomic notes, distinguishing features, geographical distribution, and uses. Descriptions are illustrated with photographs of leaves, flowers, and fruits, as well as maps showing the spatial distribution of individual trees in the RFMP and histograms illustrating their size distribution.