250 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



rays, more especially in the root. In cross section the root 

 looks almost porous. 



Native Use. — Amongst the Yorubas the bark is used medi- 

 cinally and the wood for doors, benches and matchet handles. 



It grows very fast and likes light. Scale insects like to 

 make their nests in a junction of a branch with the stem, 

 where there is quite a hollow. In youth the firm and almost 

 horizontal branches are quite a contrast to the long, up-shoot- 

 ing or drooping branches of Oroko. It has not been cut 

 either for local use or for export. 



The roots are used for making corks in the Calabar district. 



It is used often as a " Ju-ju " tree, like the Iroko, chiefly in 

 the Calabar Division. The hunters sit near the tree, when 

 in fruit, because the Maxwell's Duika, Yellow-backed Duika, 

 Red-headed Duika, etc., eat the fruit. The bark is used in 

 sections for making bags by sewing the two ends together, 

 as well as one side. 

 Antiaris sp. Ovu (Benin). 



It is a common tree in the Benin and Ondo provinces of 

 Nigeria. It is medium-sized, reaching a girth of 9 feet and 

 a bole length of about 50 feet. The leaf is larger, but the 

 crown appears thicker and heavier than Antiaris toxiaria. 

 The seed is the same size as Antiaris T., but the root spurns 

 are very slight, even less than Antiaris T. The branches spread 

 out from the stem, thus making the crown longer and narrower 

 than Antiaris T. In this respect the Antiaris sp. is more like 

 the Oroko than the Antiaris T. 



The timber is white and soft. No proper heart wood. It 

 splits well. 



It is a shade- bearer and is often found in the thick forest. 

 It grows much slower than Antiaris T. 



It has not been cut for local use or exported to Europe. 

 PerhajDs it could be tried for wood pulp. 



In Benin the branches of this tree are used for making 

 figures of their ancestors, which are placed outside the house. 

 The bark is used for making bags in a similar way to that of 

 Antiaris T. It is also used for making rope or string for 

 tying bags. 

 Antiarus sp. Cedar-like Lauro. Oregbon I (Yoruba) ; Opputtu 

 (Benin). 



It is a common tree found in the Benin and Abeokuta 

 provinces of Nigeria. It is very similar in habit and shape 

 to the Antiarus toxiaria, but it does not attain nearly such a 

 large size. The tree exudes very fine, white latex in a very 

 small quantity. The timber is soft and white and not durable. 



