358 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



found again on the upper edge of the mangrove forest where 

 the first solid land begins. 



The seeds have not been tested as to the proportion of 

 oil contained in them, but no doubt they contain a similar 

 quantity, in proportion to the size, as those of L. alata. 



In 1906 samples of this timber in the round were sent to 

 the Liverpool market, where it was valued as red oak at 2s. 

 to 3s. per cubic foot. It was also stated to be worth shipping 

 in good lengths. Owing to its weight and the hardness of the 

 wood, and thus the extra cost of squaring logs, little or none 

 has been shipped to Liverpool since this report was made. 

 Locally it has been used for piles for wharves and bridges, 

 decking for bridges, wall-plates for bungalows, and occa- 

 sionally as verandah-posts. It can be floated with Musanga 

 logs or those of Hannoa undulata. Canoes made of this wood 

 are of the most durable kind, so that perhaps it might be tried 

 for boat-building. 



The people of Benin use the wood for making pestles for 

 their Fufu mortars, and occasionally it is used as wall-plates. 

 Amongst the Brass people it is sometimes used for making 

 canoes, and amongst many tribes for making food-mortars. 

 Near Lagos it is used for house-building. 

 Lophira alata. Niarn Fat, Small Red Ironwood, Meni Oil, African 

 Oak. Ipawhaw, Ponhon, Ipahan (Yoruba) ; Awigbi, Ugbeberi, 

 Ishan (Benin). 



Small or dry-zone Red Ironwood. 



It is found in the Ogoja, Owerri, Onitsha, Benin, Ibadan 

 and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria. 



It is a very common tree in the open deciduous forest 

 of the drj'-zone form of vegetation. Often found in groups, 

 but it anyhow is the most prevalent tree wherever found. It 

 does not usually grow straight, but the stem is gnarled and 

 crooked, reaching a girth of about 5 feet. The tree itself only 

 grows to a height of about 30 feet. In appearance it looks like 

 a small oak, but the Shea Butter Tree, Butyrospermum Parkii, 

 is still more like it. However, with its reddish-green tongue- 

 like leaves with wavy edges, it is in reality quite different. 

 The branches spring out of the stem in a more upward direction 

 than B. Parkii, and are more irregular in growth. The bark 

 is orange-coloured and almost scaly on the younger trees, 

 though it goes a grey or black colour when exposed to the 

 light or the annual grass-fires. The flowers are white, sweet- 

 smelling and much more conspicuous than on L. procera. The 

 seed is placed between two wings, one nearly three times 

 the width of the other. The smaller wing is more pointed 



