294 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



Albizzia Brownii. African Walnut. Ayinre, Ayinre Bona Bona 

 (Yoruba) ; Owe we noleraare, Ikpawudu (Benin). 



It is a large tree, up to 7 feet in girth, with wide fruit 2 inches 

 across, containing four or five seeds. There are three or four 

 pairs of pinnae to each leaf, which is the largest of all the Al- 

 bizzia leaves. The heartwood is more like walnut in colour, 

 though of course softer and with more open grain. It could 

 no doubt, however, be used as a substitute for walnut. 



It is a common tree in the mixed deciduous forests of the 

 Abeokuta, Ibadan, Benin, Owerri, and Ogoja provinces, where 

 it is tending to widen its area of distribution with the spread 

 of cultivation. 



The fruit is very papery and almost transparent. It is 

 rather larger than Albizzia sp., Shemusholoshi, but of about 

 the same length. Its smooth, almost orange-coloured bark 

 in the earlier stages is almost typical of the tree. As it gets 

 older, a somewhat more corky bark forms in large scales which 

 can be stripped off. The lop-sided shape of the pinnae is 

 very typical of the tree, making the leaves look almost like 

 those of a true Gum Copal, The main vein is near the 

 straighter side of the leaf. 



The sapwood is white and the heartwood a mahogany 

 brown. It has rather an open grain, but a good deal of lustre, 

 and is easily worked. It planes well and takes nails easily. It 

 splits fairly well and saws quite easilj'. It is not quite so 

 durable as A. fastigata, but it is more durable than the other 

 Albizzias, except A. sp., Shemusholoshi. It is not termite-proof. 

 It has considerable tensile strength compared to the other 

 species, and a certain amount of elasticity. 



It is the fastest growing of all the Albizzias and a light- 

 loving tree. It scarcely protects the soil, but the leaf fall 

 makes a good humus. It stands a little shade in its youth. 

 Natural regeneration is very prolific. No plantations have 

 been made with this tree. It appears to be a little more 

 exacting as to soil than the other Albizzias, but will grow on 

 almost any soil. 



The timber has not been exported, but deserves a trial 

 as a substitute for walnut. Owing to the fact that there 

 are considerable supplies, and that it reaches a size to produce 

 logs of the requisite dimensions, it appears to offer some pos- 

 sibilities as an export wood. Locally it has often been used 

 for cutting up into planks, and is liked among the Yorubas 

 for this purpose. In other places it has been used as a house- 

 building wood, as well as for firewood. It has also been used 

 for making beams, planks and doors. The roots, leaves and 



