THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 349 



exported. The Yorubas and Benis use the smaller trees as poles 

 for house-building, but it is not considered a good wood. 

 Sterculia cordifolia. Heart-shaped-leaved Sterculia. Okporoporo, 

 (Akure) ; Ogugu, Ogungun or Ogrugru, Oburuburu (Yoruba) ; 

 Idogoho, Okoko, Okokwo (Benin) ; Dikir (Efik) ; Ibitoto 

 (Bembi). 



Distribution. — It is found in the Jebu Ode, Abeokuta, 

 Ibadan, Benin, Onitsha, Owerri, and Calabar provinces of 

 Nigeria. It is one of the most common trees in the mixed 

 deciduous forests. 



Chief Characteristics. — The large heart-shaped leaves and 

 the curious twist to the lower part of the stem, which makes 

 the root protuberances quite angular. It is never quite 

 straight and forms a heavy oval crown. 



The very large, oval, soft, almost fleshy, dehiscent pod, 

 with its large winged seeds, is most typical of this tree. The 

 crown is supported by three or four large limbs with com- 

 paratively few side branches. The foliage is very dense, though 

 even in a tall tree the individual heart-shaped leaves show 

 up quite distinctly. It is almost gregarious in habit, usually 

 groups of four or five being found in one place. It is nearly 

 always found on the banks of small streams which may dry 

 up in the dry season. It is a shade-bearer, though moderately 

 quick in growth. The wood is cross-grained, and emits rather an 

 unpleasant smell when cut. The sap wood and the heartwood 

 are both white, with a reddish tinge through it. It is soft, but 

 becomes much harder when dry. It sprouts from the stump 

 when cut down. Reproduction by seed is moderate. It has 

 not been used locally, nor has it been exported. The 

 natives in the Benin and Yoruba countries use the butt of 

 medium-sized trees, especially those with a fork, for house- 

 building. It is not attacked by white ants. 

 Sterculia nr. ohlonga. Opepe (?) (Yoruba) ; Orodo (Benin). 



It is a common tree of the Benin province of Nigeria, found 

 in the evergreen forest. 



It is a question whether this species is the one with a very 

 hard, leathery, half-dehiscent pod, showing about ten orange- 

 coloured oblong seeds inside it. These seeds have sometimes 

 been termed Okoko by the Benis, but they are, no doubt, 

 not obtained from the fruit of Sterculia cordifolia. These 

 seeds also are not winged, and are comparatively fleshy and 

 soft compared to the dry, rather hard, large winged seeds of 

 Sterculia cordifolia. 

 Sterculia cinerea. Tartar Tree. Lakole (Yoruba) ; Ururata 

 (Benin). 



