306 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



and may yet be found in the Onitsha and northern part of 

 the Benin provinces. On the whole, it is not common, and is 

 seen singh'. Two typical specimens of this tree stand in the 

 Olokenieji Reserve Arboretum. It has small, pinnate leaves, 

 very much like tamarind, but they are almost silvery-grey and 

 hang down, instead of being green and rigid, as the tamarind. 

 The twigs and branches are very slight, compared to the thick 

 ones of the tamarind. The bark of the trunk is grey, too, with 

 thin cortex, which becomes slightly fissured in old age. The 

 trunk is straight and tall, compared to tamarind. The crown 

 is longish and thin, with a few small branches. It is somewhat 

 feathery in habit and is delicate in build compared to most 

 dry-zone trees. It is one of the most typical of dry-zone 

 trees. The seed is small, about the size of apple-pips, contained 

 in a papery pod, from 1 inch to I| inches long. It stands the 

 annual grass-fires comparatively well, despite the fact that 

 the bark is none too thick. 



Timber. — Hard, white wood, termite-proof and very durable. 

 The bark is thin but rough, and small pieces can be pulled 

 off with the fingers. It is a deciduous tree, though it does 

 not lose its leaves for a long period. It is a light-loving tree, 

 which does not protect the soil, though the leaves (few as they 

 are) make a good leaf -mould. It is slow-growing, and does 

 not reach a girth exceeding 5 feet. Natural regeneration 

 appears to be poor, but further observations on this point 

 may disclose more. No plantations have been made with this 

 tree, though, with its desirable qualities, some experiments 

 seem to be indicated. It does not sprout well from the stump, 

 nor do any root shoots appear before or after it is cut down. 



It has not been exported, and has only been used occa- 

 sionally locally. 



Use. — The timber has been used for sleepers in Togo, where 

 it has proved the most durable of all timbers for that purpose. 

 In the Yoruba country it has been used for making charcoal 

 of the best kind for iron-smelting. 

 Detarium Senegalense. Hard Mahogany. Ogwega (Benin). 



This is none too prevalent a tree of the Benin and Ogoja 

 provinces, where it is found in the mixed forests. It reaches 

 a girth of over 12 feet and a bole length of over 40 feet, but 

 in proportion to its height, the crown usually occupies more 

 than half of it. The crown is usually widespreading and 

 spherical in shape. The fruit is like a mango in form, but 

 after the surface begins to decay, the fibres, instead of being 

 fine and all coming out from the central nut, as in the mango, 

 spread out vein-shaped all round the nut, starting more or 



