316 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



Circle, especially north of Calabar, in the mixed deciduous 

 forest zone, and to lesser extent in the evergreen forest zone. 



It is a large forest tree, with a girth of over 12 feet and a 

 bole length of about 90 feet. Being more or less preserved 

 by the natives when found in the forests, in clearing for their 

 farms, it is often now seen on the roadsides. The slash is 

 white, and as the roots beside the road are often cut by the 

 natives, the yellowish-white gum exudes, forming a small 

 white layer on the surface of the root. This has a most 

 pleasant smell, and is not unpleasant to taste. It is closely 

 allied to, if not much the same character as, the " Balsam of 

 Tolu." The leaf is comparatively small, with three or four 

 pairs of pinnce, and growing more or less in tufts, this being 

 reminiscent of the Mahogany famih^ The root spurns are 

 very slight, and in this respect it is more like the European Ash, 

 and usually there are one or two main roots which spread 

 out, down the slightly enlarged bole at the base. Other- 

 wise the tree is one of the most cjiindrical in shape, falling 

 away with the increasing height less than almost any other. 

 It is a deciduous tree. The pores are very fine and rather 

 longer than in the ordinar}^ mahogany, and the wood is not 

 so sheeny. 



The sapwood is white, and in fast-grown trees often 6 inches 

 through. The heartwood is of a delicately pink mahogany 

 colour, darkening to a light-brown mahogany on exposure 

 to the air and sunlight. It is not very hard, and splits fairly 

 well. It planes up with a smooth surface. It saws well and 

 also takes nails fairly well. It has very considerable elasticity. 

 It is lighter than most kinds of mahogany. The logs will 

 float as soon as at all dry. 



In youth it stands a good deal of shade, but later on it is 

 on the whole a light-demanding tree. It is a fairly quick- 

 growing tree, but tends to become very slow when left alone 

 in the open. It needs a rich soil, but is also found on poorer 

 land. It needs more moisture than many others. Although 

 not a soil-protecting tree, the leaves yield a fair amount of 

 humus in their annual fall. Natural regeneration is fair, but 

 it is rather susceptible to fire, and much of it is thus killed. 

 No plantations have been made of this tree. 



In 1906 a sample was sold in the Liverpool market as 

 Gaboon Mahogany at Is. 6d. per cubic foot full measure, and in 

 1907 sample logs of this tree were exported to the Liverpool 

 market, where they were sold as light Benin Mahogany at 2d. 

 per superficial foot. Since then none has been felled. 



The natives occasionally cut the tree for planks, and use 



