THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 287 



sapwood, however, rots in the open, and the heartwood softens 

 very considerably. It is somewhat fibrous, but it planes up 

 well, with a smooth surface. It does not take nails, saws well, 

 and splits moderately well. It has considerable elasticity. 

 It makes a very hot-burning firewood, but is inclined to crackle 

 and make sparks. 



It is a moderately fast-growing, shade-bearing, soil-protecting 

 and soil-improving tree. Natural regeneration appears to be fair, 

 but the seeds are often eaten by little boring insects, soon 

 after they fall to the ground. It appears to be rather exacting 

 as to soil, liking a deep, moist loam sand with good drainage. 

 It is scarcely a fire-resisting tree, but very storm firm — in fact, 

 one of the safest trees. 



In 1906 sample logs of this tree were sold in the Liverpool 

 market as African Greenheart at Is. 8d. per cubic foot, and 

 were stated to be good greenheart. Since then none has been 

 cut or shipped to England. With the exception of its use for 

 verandah-posts for a public building in Benin city, it has not 

 been cut or sawn up in planks for local use. Considering the 

 comparatively large quantity available, it deserves a fair trial 

 both for export and local use, more especially for heavy con- 

 structional work, such as bridges, piles, uprights. 



Amongst the Benis it is sometimes a " Ju-ju " tree, and is 

 said to impart strength. 

 Leptoderris. 



Owerri province of Nigeria. It is a medium-sized tree 

 found growing near the Imo River, but not very common. It 

 has a hard wood. 

 Baphia nitida (Afz.). Awenu or Irosun. Borri Borri (Yoruba) ; 

 Otwa (Benin) ; Ubara (Efik). 



Is a small tree, which is usually found near villages, being 

 left by the natives when land is cleared. The white flowers 

 are almost of pea shape. It has a small leaf, and does not 

 usually get any larger than about four inches in diameter. 



It is found in the Ondo, Abeokuta, Benin and Calabar 

 provinces of Nigeria. 



The real Camwood of commerce. 



It is very slow-growing, and is not a hard wood, with dark- 

 red heartwood of small size in proportion to the size of tree. 

 It forms late, too. If the stem is wounded, even the sapwood 

 becomes a rich red colour like the heartwood. 



The probable origin of the word " Camwood " is taken from 

 the Timani name, Cam, of the Baphia nitida tree in Sierra Leone. 

 From another point of view this is all the more interesting, 

 as the original exports of Camwood were made from Sierra 



