DEGENERATE RÔNIERS

Situated at about 13 m above sea level, this protected forest, between Samba Dia and Fimela, is mainly a rôneraie, but is home to about 20 other species, such as the acacia and the African birch. For the curious, you may notice an almost unique phenomenon: a genetic degeneration of the rôneraie, whose trunk splits into three or four parts. These are called finger-knifed rôniers. Some scientists have looked into the matter (by... raising their heads), but it seems that the exact origin of the phenomenon remains a mystery for the moment.