THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 303 



LoncJiocarpus sji. Mamu Lonchocarpus. 



Found in the Mamu Forest. 

 Lonchocarpus cyanescens. Yoruba Indigo. Elu or Ela (Yoruba). 



This is one of the intermediate forest climbing shrubs, 

 but has been cultivated throughout the country. 



Uses. — The well-known Yoruba blue dye is made from the 

 leaves. The stem is sometimes used for house-building posts. 

 It is a shade -bearing, soil-improving tree. Natural regeneration 

 appears to be poor. 

 CcEsalpina Bonducella. Shayo (Yoruba). 



The bean of this creeper is used in games amongst the 

 Yoruba boys. 

 Mundulia suberosa (Benth.). Lakuta (Yoruba) ; Ugbehen (Benin). 



It is rather an uncommon tree, found in the Olokemeji 

 Reserve of the Abeokuta province of Nigeria. It is a small 

 tree, a part of which is used for killing fish. 

 Indigofera hirsuta. Indigo. Epa ile (Yoruba). 



It is found in the Mamu Reserve of the Ibadan province 

 of Nigeria. 

 Indigofera stenophylla. Indigo. Aro Boro (Yoruba). 



It is found in the Olokemeji Reserve of the Abeokuta 

 province of Nigeria. 

 Pentaclethra macrophylla. The Oil Bean. Apara (Yoruba) ; Opagga, 

 Ukpagga (Benin) ; Ataka (Ibo, Asaba) ; Opochala (Ibo, Niger). 



It is a large-sized tree, reaching a girth of about 12 feet 

 and a bole length of 40 feet. The root spurns are very extensive 

 and often reach 4 or 5 feet up the stem, thus quite breaking 

 up the base of the bole. The bark at first is a light yellow- 

 broAvn, darkening in old age to a deep brown, and scaling off 

 somewhat. 



Chief Characteristics. — It has dense foliage and a heavy, 

 branched crown, and very flat pods about 1 foot long and up 

 to 2i inches broad, containing seven or eight large, flat brown 

 beans about 1 inch in diameter and \ inch thick. The pods 

 open with a loud report not unlike the sound of a 12-bore gun. 



Distribution. — It is found in the Lower Province of Nigeria, 

 near the watercourses outside Abeokuta, Jebu, Ode, Benin, 

 Onitsha, Owerri, Calabar and Ogoja. 



Silvicultural Qualities. — The tree grows readily from self- 

 sown or artificially sown beans, as is seen in the Avenue at 

 Benin City, which was sown at stake in 1904. It bears pods 

 in the twelfth year in the open, but later in the forest. It 

 is usually very prolific, bearing at least some pods every year. 

 The bole is not always very straight, and it has a distinct 

 tendency to form strong side branches, and the crown is there- 



