THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 271 



the soil properly, though the foliage is comparatively dense 

 for that type of tree. It is slow-growing. No plantations 

 have been made. 



It does not attain sufficient size for export, but it might 

 be tried for local turnery work. It is useful for local hut- 

 building. 



Native Use. — House-building, and the roots when boiled 

 are used in medicine as a tonic. 

 Afrormosia elata. African Satinwood, Yellow Satinwood. Ayin 

 (Yoruba) ; Anyeran, Anyesan, Ehranobapotineddo (Benin) ; 

 Egbi (Ibadan) ; Elo Uta (Ibo, Owerri). 



A very conspicuous tree, with its orange-red trunk near 

 the base, gradually shading off to yellow higher up, and towards 

 the branches a light-green colour. Large, irregular-shaped 

 pieces of bark fall off from time to time, in a similar way to 

 the plane-tree of Europe, though with its reddish trunk it is 

 not so much like the plane as Afzelia Africana. The root 

 flanges or spurns are very thin and do not extend beyond about 

 three feet up the stem of the tree. In plate No. 82 one of 

 these trees, growing near Benin, shows the open, rather narrow 

 crown with its few main limbs supporting it. 



It is commonest in the Benin, but also found in the Ondo, 

 Owerri and Calabar provinces in the moist evergreen forests. 

 It is also seen in secondary forests of the same zone. 



The timber planes well, but does not split. It saws easily, 

 but takes nails with difficulty. It is sometimes figured, espe- 

 cially logs from the base of the tree. 



It is pretty easily killed by fire at the roots, though other- 

 wise it tends to spread with cultivation. The sapwood is 

 almost white and the heartwood a yellowish-green, when 

 fresh, but a dull yellow when dry. It is very hard and with- 

 stands the attacks of white ants (termites). Even the sap- 

 wood of a young tree had not rotted after six years near the 

 bank of the Ogba, Benin province. It grows moderatelj^ 

 quickly. 



The flower is inconspicuous and small, and the pod is also 

 small, being about 2| inches long and h inch broad, containing 

 two or three flat seeds. The tree does not bear very heavih', 

 and in consequence natural regeneration is not very good, 

 though such seeds as actually form properly seem to germinate 

 well. In youth it bears some shade, but in middle age seems 

 to be almost a light-demander. 



Although when freshly cut the wood does not float, when 

 thoroughly dry it would not be difficult to float it with a lighter 

 species. 



