268 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



The sapwood is yellowish -white and somewhat broad in 

 proportion to the size of the tree, and the hard wood is 

 mahogany-red coloured, but with more fibrous grain. It planes 

 up with a smooth surface and splits fairly easily, especially 

 when nailed. It is moderately hard and quite durable, and 

 is not supposed to be attacked by white ants (termites). Like 

 most of the Parinariums, the fresh wood smells something like 

 honey, and the timber tends to darken on exposure to the 

 air, thus improving in colour. 



On the whole it is a shade-bearing tree and not very fast- 

 growing. It has soil-protecting and soil-improving qualities. 

 Natural regeneration only appears to be very moderate. Like 

 most of the Parinariums, the kernels of the fruit are pecked 

 out by various birds. No plantations have been made of 

 this tree. 



Quite by accident, in 1906 some logs obtained from this tree 

 were cut and exported, and sold in the Liverpool market as 

 Benin mahogany at 4d. per superficial foot. Since then, how- 

 ever, none has been cut. 



Amongst the Benin natives the timber is occasionally 

 used for house-building. 

 Parinarium excelsum. Essago (Benin). 



It is found in the Ondo, Benin, Owerri and Calabar provinces 

 of Nigeria, in the evergreen forest zone, where in certain 

 localities it is very prevalent. 



In appearance it is like the rough-skin plum of Sierra Leone, 

 but a larger and taller tree. The leaf usually looks dry and 

 grey, especially underneath. The crown is oval and \&vy 

 dense, with a mass of large limbs. The bark is covered with 

 white lenticels, which make it look grey. It usually bears a 

 large crop of fruit each year. 



It reaches a girth of over 12 feet and a bole length of about 

 50. In proportion to the height, the bole is not so long as in 

 the cases of many other forest trees. The fruit is more uneven 

 in surface than that of P. robustum, and the surface is also 

 more or less speckled with little white raised lumps, giving 

 it a roughness to the touch. The fruit inside is yellowish- 

 white, rather hard and not unpleasant to taste. Where it is 

 found, especially in the more swampy parts, it is often almost 

 gregarious in habit. It is an evergreen tree. 



The wood when freshly cut smells like honey. The sap- 

 wood is yellowish-white and the heartwood is brown. On 

 the whole it is much harder than P. robustum. Occasionally 

 it appears cross-grained, and does not plane up with such a 

 smooth finish. It saws less easily, and it is hard to drive nails 



