THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 277 



On solid land it attains a large size, even larger than that of 

 E. Guineense. The pod is a little larger than that of E. 

 Guineense, and the bark smoother. The crown is dense and 

 very large, almost spherical in shape, and reaching more than 

 one-third down the length of the tree. 



The timber is very similar in its qualities to E. Guineense, 

 but has a straighter grain in the larger specimens. It is very 

 durable. 



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

 and soil-improving qualities. Natural regeneration does not 

 appear to be very good, though numerous pods are borne on 

 the tree almost every year. No plantations have yet been 

 made with it. 



For local use, it has not been cut in a similar way to E. 

 Guineense. The natives occasionally use this tree for making 

 canoes. In the 1906 timber report from the Liverpool 

 market it was valued as a species of oak at Is. 9d. per cubic 

 foot, and was not considered so good as either red oak, Lophira 

 procera, or white oak, Ostryoderris impressa. 



Native Use. — The bark is boiled in water and a beautiful 

 red-coloured liquid is produced. It is administered as an 

 ordeal trial for witchcraft, and is not poisonous if given in 

 large doses. 

 Brachystegia spicceformis. Agberigeddi, Ako (Yoruba) ; Okkwan 

 (Benin) ; Etare (Oban, Ekoi) ; Ungu (Ibo, Owerri) ; Mpanju, 

 Akpanya, Ikpanya (Efik). 



This tree is found in the Abeokuta, Ibadan (?), Ondo, Benin, 

 Warri, Owerri, Calabar and Ogoja provinces of Nigeria. 



It is a rough, scaly-barked tree of huge size (see illustration), 

 reaching a girth of 30 feet and a height of 150 feet. The crown 

 is flattish, formed by a few wide-spreading limbs and numerous 

 small branches. The foliage is moderate for a Leguminous 

 tree. The yellowish flowers are almost unseen, being placed 

 underneath the leaves. The dark-brown woody pods burst 

 with a bang not unlike a gunshot, and release four or five flat 

 black, shiny beans about h inch across. The foliage goes almost 

 black on reaching the ground, killing all the small plants. A 

 brownish gum exudes from the tree when cut, and this hardens 

 into a reddish, opaque mass similar to Almeidina, and in fact 

 is the source of this gutta percha-like substance. 



Timber. — It is a rather hard, light-brown wood with 

 pretty, almost evenly distributed streaks of darker brown 

 shade in it. It is very durable. The white sapwood soon 

 rots on exposure to the weather. It is suitable as a furniture 

 wood. 



