370 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



spurns are very slight, and not buttress-shaped as in T. scutifera. 

 The contrast between the light-green foliage and the dark- 

 coloured bole is so great that the tree is quite unmistakable 

 in this respect. The only one at all similar in this is False 

 Shea Butter, Mirmisops Djave, but even the trunk of this one 

 appears lighter than the former. The slash is dark-brown, 

 almost black, on the outer edge and yellow on the inside. The 

 fruit is not unlike a large hazelnut, but the shuck is of looser 

 build, and the interior seed can be more easily seen than in 

 the case of the nut. 



The sapwood is a faint yellow colour and the heartwood 

 a good yellow. It is of the hardness of an ordinary softwood, 

 with a straight, even grain and somewhat open pores. It 

 planes well, takes nails, splits very easily and saws well. For 

 outside work it is not durable unless very thoroughly dried. 

 For interior fittings it is very durable. It is liable to attacks 

 by termites outside. It seasons well, with only a small amount 

 of shrinkage and slight liability to warping. 



It is a fast-growing, slightly shade-bearing tree, with strong 

 soil-protecting and soil-improving qualities. Natural regenera- 

 tion appears to be fair. It sprouts from the stump, but is not 

 very strong. It likes a good soil, with fair drainage but a 

 good deal of moisture. It will stand a certain amount of 

 flooding. It is occasionally almost gregarious. No plantations 

 have been made with this tree. It reaches a girth of over 

 14 feet and a bole length of about 70 feet. 



The timber has not been cut for export, but occasionally 

 it has been sawn up for planks for local use. It deserves, 

 however, a further trial for export as a floor-board and for local 

 use for a similar purpose. There are comparatively large 

 supplies, and the dimensions of the tree are such that large 

 planks and boards could be cut out of it. 



Native Use. — The tree is occasionally felled for making 

 canoes, but it is not taken unless there is a shortage of other 

 harder kinds. 

 Terminalia sp. Orange-barked Terminalia. Ayo, Aiyo (Yoruba) ; 

 Ayo, Ulazo (Benin). 



Distribution. — Ibadan and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria. 

 It is one of the typical trees of the mixed deciduous forest 

 zone, though it appears to be confined to certain localities, 

 such as the Olokemeji Forest Reserve and other places. 



Chief Characteristics. — Moderately thick bark, rather remind- 

 ing one of Triplochiton, but with a certain amount of roughness 

 and slight fissures. The crown is very pointedly oval and 

 long, the leaves appearing only slightly terminal and not 



