THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 327 



It is one of the most prevalent trees on the banks of the 

 Ogba stream in the Benin province, and it is also found in the 

 Ondo, Abeokuta, Owerri and Calabar provinces of Nigeria. 



This tree grows to a large size, reaching a girth of over 

 12 feet and a bole length of over 60 feet. The root spurns 

 are slight compared to Mahogany, extending onh' from 4 to 

 6 feet up the stem. 



Chief Characteristics. — The small, almost quadrangular-shaped 

 capsule, which splits open with four sides and centre square in 

 section with only eight seeds, two placed on each face, is 

 about the size of a little finger. At its base the bole is not 

 entirely circular in shape, but tends to form four distinct narrow 

 small buttresses, giving it almost a quadrangular shape. The 

 bark is a dark brown colour, which gets rougher with old age 

 and scales off to a small extent. Compared to the size of the 

 tree it is not very thick. In the younger trees it is quite smooth 

 and more of a yellow-brown colour. The leaves are pinnate, 

 with three or four pairs of pinnse. The four-sided capsule is 

 a most typical feature of this tree, and distinguishes it from 

 Entandrophragma. The leaves are of a dark colour. 



The sapwood is white and the heartwood is a good walnut- 

 brown, sometimes with very striking dark-brown or black 

 streaks in it. The sapwood is comparatively narrow and the 

 heartwood forms comparatively early in the life of the tree. 

 The Avood is only moderately hard ; it planes well, and takes 

 nails ; it saws easily, and splits moderately well. It is, however, 

 attacked by termites, but not when used for interior work. 

 It shrinks but little and does not warp very much. The grain 

 is rather finer than that of the ordinary mahogany, but the 

 pores are often much longer. It has a pleasant lustre, but tends 

 to darken a little with age, especially when not exposed to the 

 brightest light. The tree is a moderately fast-growing, shade- 

 bearing species, with soil-protecting and soil -improving qualities. 

 Natural regeneration appears to be moderate. It sprouts 

 slightly from the stump. Seed years are none too frequent. 

 The seeds themselves are soon eaten by boring insects when 

 they lie on the ground ; even when picked up they soon lose 

 their germinative capacity, and should be planted within a month 

 of being gathered, as they are so liable to get dry. The tree 

 is a little exacting in regard to soil, apparently demanding 

 plenty of moisture, depth and a good deal of humus. No 

 plantations have been made with this tree, but a great number 

 of isolated trees have been planted by timber-lease holders 

 in their areas. 



In 1906 samples of this timber were sold in the Liverpool 



