THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 375 



Eugenia Owariensis. Isinren (Yoruba). 



This tree is found in the dry-zone forests — a spreading 

 tree which flowers in February. 



It yields timber, edible fruits and medicaments. 



Melastomaceae. 



Memecylon sp., nr. Barterii. 



It is found in the Olokemeji Reserve in the Abeokuta 

 province of Nigeria. 



Araliaceae. 



Cussonia Nigerica (Hutch.). Elephant Sugar-cane. Sigo (Yoruba). 

 This is an evenly and rather deeply fissured small tree of 

 the dry-zone forest, which has in the main only a great tuft 

 of large digitate leaves at the top of the stem. It is occasionally 

 branched, when it gives an appearance of bearing all the leaves 

 at the end of the stem. It is fairly common in the Olokemeji 

 Forest Reserve of the Abeokuta province. This tree is one 

 of the few digitate-leaved trees of the dry zone, and is certainly 

 one with the largest ; it is a fire-resisting tree. The natives 

 occasionally use the stem for house and verandah posts. 



Umbelliferae. 



Heptapleura Mannii. Found in the Oban Reserve. 



Sapotaceae. 



Mimusops multinervis. Emido or Sleeper Wood. Ako Emido 

 (Yoruba) ; Aganokwi (Benin). 



This species is found in the Abeokuta and Oyo provinces 

 of Nigeria ; it is most common, and, in fact, forms almost 

 half the crop in the belt of forest just on the south side of the 

 railway four to six miles east and west of Olokemeji Station. 

 The most distinguishing feature of this tree is the grey, thick, 

 deeply-fissured bark. With its comparatively short bole and 

 stout, crooked branches, it is not unlike an oak. It reaches 

 a height of about 80 feet and a girth of about 15 feet. The 

 root spurns are practically non-existent. The trunk tapers 

 off quite abruptly after each series of branches. The crown 

 is rather long and sometimes almost pear-shaped. The foliage 

 is dense, and, for the size of the tree, the leaves are small. 

 The flowers are small and white and conspicuous. The fruit 

 is a small round nut, about half an inch in diameter. The 

 leaves are a very dark green colour, but on the upper surface 

 are often shiny. 



