276 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



It is a large tree, reaching a girth of over 10 feet and a 

 bole length of over 30 feet. The crown, however, is large 

 and wide-spreading, but generally spherical in shape. Com- 

 paratively low down, the bole divides up into three or four 

 main limbs. The trunk is seldom very straight, usually having 

 a twist in one direction or another. The root spurns are 

 moderately large, but are rounded in shape. The bark is dark- 

 brown and thick, scaling off to a slight extent in old age. The 

 fruit is a pod about 3 inches long and an inch wide, containing 

 six or eight flattish black beans, black to brown. These burst 

 when ripe, but the seeds only gradually fall to the ground. 

 The fine pinnate leaves are close together and open out into 

 dense foliage most typical of the Leguminoseae. The upper 

 part of the limbs and trunk is light-brown. The flowers are 

 minute and not often seen. 



The sapwood is dull yellow and the heartwood a dull 

 red-brown. It is very heavy and hard, but not as hard as red 

 ironwood or the Yoruba ironwood. It is very durable and 

 quite termite-proof ; although sometimes a little cross-grained, 

 with good tools it can be worked up to a smooth finish by 

 planing. Holes have to be made in it for nails. It saws well, 

 but splits only moderately easily. In the saw mill it was found 

 that the hardness of the wood blunted the saws, which needed 

 constantly sharpening. 



It is a slow-growing, shade-bearing, soil-protecting, soil- 

 improving tree. Natural regeneration appears to be good, 

 and it is moderately resistant to fire. Tends to condense dew 

 in the dry season. It suppresses most other trees by shade. 

 Amongst the dry-zone vegetation it clings to the banks of 

 rivers, and is common on the upper banks of the upper reaches 

 of the Ogun. No plantations have been made with this tree. 



In 1906 sample logs of the sister tree, E. micranthum, were 

 exported and sold in the Liverpool market as a species of oak, 

 so that this timber deserves a trial as a substitute for teak 

 or oak. 



It was cut for the Public Works Department at Onitsha 

 and found very suitable for decking of bridges. The small 

 bridge over the Nkissi, near Onitsha, was built entirely with 

 this timber. 

 Erythrophloeum micranthum. Sasswood or Ordeal Bark. Ovinni 

 (Benin) ; Erinji (Ijor) ; Ihi (Ibo, Owerri). 



It is found in the Warri, Benin and Calabar provinces of 

 Nigeria. 



As a small tree, one of the first to appear when the mangrove 

 swamp gives way to the evergreen rain forest near the coast. 



