28 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



is known as Ironpost, and is sold for house- building, and, as its name 

 implies, it is used for the uprights of the house. The Public Works 

 Department have a regular schedule of timbers which are used, and 

 this timber is mentioned amongst them, and is bought from native 

 contractors at 3d. per superficial foot for boards, and 3d. to 6d. 

 per linear foot for beams and posts. This timber has been used as 

 a substitute for real African Oak, when it is sold as African Oak. 

 A regular supply of logs could be obtained from the peninsular 

 forest. 



3. Cedar Mahogany {Pseudocedrela sp. ; termed Bissimi by the 

 Mendis). This tree, which grows to a very large size, is not very preva- 

 lent. The largest tree, some 23 feet in girth, was found above the 

 Gumah. The bole is usually very long and straight, which makes 

 it very cylindrical. This last characteristic of the tree is all the more 

 accentuated by its having no root projections at its base. This 

 species appears to be one of the largest trees in the forest. It is appa- 

 rently a very fast-growing tree, forming heartwood comparatively 

 early, though the sap wood is rather wide (up to 10 inches in a 

 tree 7 feet in diameter). This timber has not been exported, 

 but wood from similar trees on the coast has been exported and 

 sold in the European market as mahogany (scented). There is no 

 reason to believe, therefore, that the wood from this tree would not 

 fetch a similar price. Owing to this tree being so fullwooded, a larger 

 proportion of the bole can be converted into logs than is the case 

 with other kinds of mahogany trees which have large root flanges. 



4. African Walnut {Lovoa Klaineana). This is a medium-sized 

 tree of the Mahogany family, which, owing to the brown colour of the 

 wood, has been termed African Walnut in the timber trade. Although 

 not very prevalent, it yields one of the timbers suitable for export. 



5. Satin Mahogany {Guarea sp.) is another medium-sized tree 

 which is prevalent in most parts of the peninsula. The grain of 

 the timber is of course similar to Mahogany, as the tree from 

 which it is obtained belongs to the Mahogany family. The timber 

 when planed has a satiny sheen on it, which may make it valuable 

 in the European market. It has not been cut for local use. 



6. African Pearwood {Mimusops sp.) is a large tree with a good 

 bole of fair length. Only a moderate number of this species were 

 found, but there are at least two, if not three, other species of Mimusops 

 which yield a timber which has been sold as mahogany. The grain 

 of the timber of the first -named tree is more open, sometimes figured, 

 and of a lighter reddish colour than the other species. These other 

 trees yield a dark-red timber of close grain, which is much harder than 

 mahogany. These Mimusops are found at a higher altitude than 

 most timber trees. The forest, therefore, above an elevation of 2,000 

 feet, is much more valuable owing to the presence of this tree. These 



