THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 365 



tree, with several whorls of branches near the top of the tree, 

 very much compressed together. The flowers are red sprays, 

 which look very pretty at the beginning of the dry season. 

 It occurs near the freshwater swamps, comparatively close 

 to the sea. In many places it is almost gregarious in habit, 

 more especially near Degema. It reaches a height of 100 feet, 

 and a girth of 6 feet, often with a bole length of 50 feet. 



Timber. — The sap wood is white and the heart wood is light 

 brown ; both appear to be equally durable. It is termite- 

 resisting. It planes with a smooth surface ; the grain is very 

 fine. A red latex exudes when it is cut. 



Utility. — It is chiefly used for door and window frames, and 

 does not warp nor crack, even when put in green. It attains 

 a large enough size to be used as piles, some of which were 

 used in the construction of the temporary railway bridge at 

 Imo. The natives do not use the wood, and it has not been 

 felled for export. 



Silvicultural Qualities. — It is a shade-bearer and a com- 

 paratively slow-growing tree, though on less wet soils it seems 

 to grow faster. The more prevalent form of reproduction is 

 by seed. Weak stool shoots also come up after the tree is 

 cut down. The foliage is dense and persists for several years. 



Bixaceae. 



Bixa orellana. 



This tree grows well in the Olokemeji Arboretum. It is 

 found up to a height of 10 feet, and is cultivated for the sake 

 of its seeds, which j'ield the orange dye called " annatto." 

 The tree bears pods very freely. Samples were sent to the 

 Imperial Institute in 1900 and were valued at about 5d. a 

 pound. 



Flacourtiaceae. 



Smeatkrnannia pvbescens. Moyida (Yoruba). 



It is a medium-sized shrub found in the Western Provinces. 

 Soyauxia sp. Ogohomeh, Oyohomeh (Benin). 



This tree was found on the mountain slope above Ogabi 

 in the Obudu district. The fruit is edible. 

 Soyauxia sp. Aye (Yoruba) ; Owowe, Owawe (Benin). 



It is found in the Ondo, Benin and Ogoja provinces of 

 Nigeria, growing at the edge of the evergreen forest. It is 

 a medium-sized tree, with a bole length of about 30 feet and 

 a girth of 6 feet ; on the whole, it is of more slender build and 

 habit than the Terminalia, to which it is apparently closely 

 allied. The flower is very small, white and spherical, being 



