THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 301 



the better-coloured wood, and that Avhich has been more slowly 

 grown, deserve a trial. 



So far, the greatest use of this tree has been the production 

 of the pink-coloured transparent gum which is one of the best 

 of the confectioner's gums in Great Britain. Very large quan- 

 tities are exported everj^ year from the Northern Provinces. 

 Large round tears or lumps form on the stem of the tree 

 when it is cut. Locally the tree is used for house-building, 

 but it is not considered a durable wood. 



Leguminosse (Mimoseae). 



Acacia ataxacantka. Benin Rope Acacia. Ewon (Yoruba) ; 

 Okwenkwen (Benin). 



A common creeper of the mixed deciduous zone. It is 

 found in the Abeokuta, Oyo, Ibadan, Ondo, Benin, Warri, 

 Onitsha, Owerri, Calabar and Ogoja provinces of Nigeria. 



It is usually found growing in large impenetrable masses 

 3 to 4 feet high. It is armed throughout with short but very 

 sharp, bent prickles. 



It often grows up in waste places where the bush has been 

 cleared in the mixed deciduous forest zone. 



Both the Yorubas and Benis use the inside fibres of this 

 creeper for making a very strong kind of rope — in fact, it is 

 the strongest of all native-made ropes. It does not get so stiff 

 or harsh as that made of Eso from the Firmania Barteri. 

 Distemanthus Benthaniami (?) (Baill.). Alinyan (Benin). 



Found in the Benin province. 

 Erythrina suherifera (Kew). Attagbo (Yoruba). 



It is a moderately common tree of the Abeokuta province 

 of Nigeria. Its most distinguishing feature is the size of the 

 leaf, which is similar to the tulip-tree. It reaches a much 

 larger size than E. Senegalensis and has a girth of over 6 feet. 

 The bark is a dark duck-egg-green colour, with a few white, 

 shallow longitudinal fissures. The prickles on the stem are 

 more scattered and much larger than those of E. Senegalensis. 

 The slash is white and the bark thin when compared to the size 

 of the tree. The wood is white and soft, and not durable. 

 It cuts and saws easily, but does not plane well. It is a light- 

 loving tree which does not protect the soil. It has not been 

 cut for local use, nor for export. As a soft whitewood for 

 interior use it ought to find a local market. 



Leguminosse (PapilionacesE). 



Erythrina Senegalensis (D.C.). Coral-flower. Ologun she-she 

 (Yoruba) ; Esanigbakhehe, Ohehe (Benin). 



It is a common tree in the upper part of the Onitsha, Benin, 



