212 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



Trichilia retusa, Oliv. 



A large timber tree with tall, straight stems, found in the Benue 

 region. The flowers are white, appearing about January, in axillary 

 racemes or below the leaves ; the leaflets are generally five or three, 

 with wide, shallow indentation at the tip. 



Odina Barteri (Anacardiacese). Faru. 



A fair-sized deciduous tree of the savannah forests, with pinnate 

 pubescent leaves and inconspicuous flowers in pendulous, clustered 

 racemes. It yields a sort of resin, and the small fruits, tipped with 

 four sharp points, are eaten by birds. 



? Spondias sp. Danya. 



A very common tree of the drier savannah forests, very abundant 

 in the North ; it has light foliage of pinnate leaves with small 

 leaflets and a yellow, very pleasantly flavoured fruit, with a tough rind 

 like that of the mango. The fruits litter the ground in the months 

 of May and June. The wood is very hard and used for making a heavy 

 kind of basin known as akushi. 



Anogeissus leiocarpus, G. et P. (Combretaceae). Marike. 



This is one of the " Chew-sticks " of Yoruba, and while occurring 

 in fringing forests and evergreen patches, it is very common in the open 

 savannah regions, but probably does not extend beyond the northern 

 boundary. It may be 50 feet in height, and possesses light, graceful 

 foliage, pale bark and small yellowish flowers in globose heads, forming 

 tiny dry two-winged fruits. It affords an inferior gum and is much 

 used medicinally. 



Terminalia sp., near T. macropiera, G. et P. Baushe. 



A fairly large tree, 40 feet or more in height, with the oval winged 

 and embossed fruits of the genus, along with its congeners, e.g. T. 

 ElUotii, Engl, and Diels, T. Baumanii, Engl, and Diels, etc., very 

 abundant and typical of the savannahs of Northern Nigeria. Bows 

 and sticks are made from the roots. 



Terminalia macroptera, G. et P. Kandari. 



A smaller tree with much broader leaves, typical of open park- 

 like formations. 



Combretum spp. 



Several arborescent species of Combretum are truly characteristic 

 of the open and bush savannahs, and are well represented even in the 

 northern parts, where, however, in some districts, they are replaced 

 by Acacias. They are practically all gum-bearing ; the flowers are 

 small and yellowish in axillary spikes, but the genus is generally 



