THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 329 



The tree is a fast-growing one, at first shade-bearing, and 

 later a more light-demanding species, with soil-improving 

 and soil -protecting qualities. Natural regeneration appears 

 to be fair, though the seeds are eaten by insects, and they do 

 not appear to keep their generative capacity for a great length 

 of time. It appears to be rather exacting as to soil, liking 

 one with a fair degree of moisture, mineral content and of 

 considerable depth. No plantations have yet been made of this 

 tree, but isolated specimens have been planted by the timber- 

 lease holders. It bears good crops of seed every few years. 



Owing to the comparative shortage of mahogany trees 

 on some areas, this tree is now felled as a timber for export, 

 and is sold as Scented Mahogany at 3d. to 6d. per superficial 

 foot. Locally it has been cut for planks. 

 Guarea sp. Cedar Mahogany, Scented Mahogany. Sida, Sendar, 

 Odogbo, Akokogbo (Yoruba) ; Obobonufwa (Benin) ; Akpaku 

 (Ibo Asaba). 



It is a large forest tree of the evergreen zone, attaining 

 a girth of over 12 feet, which is most commonly met with in 

 the Benin district of Nigeria. 



Chief Characteristics. —The bole is covered with smooth 

 grey bark, which peels off very gradually in large pieces more 

 like a plane ; it is sometimes relieved by patches of yellow or 

 red lichens. It has tufts of pinnate leaves at the end of the 

 branches. 



The fruit is a greyish-brown coloured, dehiscent capsule, 

 which contains three large seeds covered with orange-coloured 

 flesh. The seed is black, and wider and thicker than the G. 

 Thompsonii, though the length is about the same ; this makes 

 it flatly ovate. The seed is covered with white streaks in the 

 same way as Guarea Thompsonii. The root spurns are narrow 

 and extend further up the stem than in the case of G. 

 Thompsonii, though in the younger trees the stem is very 

 cylindrical. The silvery-coloured bark is most typical of this 

 tree, thus distinguishing it most clearly from G. Thompsonii. 

 It is very similar in appearance to Sideroxylon Aylmeri of 

 Sierra Leone, so that indeed it ma}^ be a species of Sideroxylon, 

 or even the same. 



It is found in the Ondo, Abeokuta and Benin provinces 

 of Nigeria. 



The sapwood is white and narrow and the heartwood 

 light-brown, rapidly darkening to a more mahogany brown. 

 When freshly cut it has a strong cedar scent, which goes off to 

 a certain extent when it is dry, but on planing the wood up 

 again there is always a slight cedar scent. It is closer grained 



