376 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



The sapwood is white and, for the size of the tree, com- 

 paratively narrow. The heartwood is a deep red colour, which 

 it retains even after the wood is dry. In sections from older 

 trees it exhibits isolated white streaks, scattered here and there 

 through the heartwood. This is made of a small mineral 

 deposit which is closely allied to apatite. It is one of the 

 hardest of the African woods and also the most durable ; it 

 splits most satisfactorily ; it saws very cleanly, planes well, 

 but owing to its extreme hardness takes nails with difficulty. 

 It is termite-proof. It is just as durable in, as out of the ground. 

 It burns with a fierce heat and, in fact, makes the hottest fire 

 of any of the West African woods. The grain is very close, 

 though sometimes it shows some figure. The knots in the 

 wood produce some pretty " curl " effects. 



The tree is a shade-bearing, soil-improving species of the 

 mixed deciduous forest. It is very slow-growing, often not 

 showing a greater height-growth than 6 inches per year. In 

 its youth the branches grow more or less in whorls of three or 

 four branches ; these branches are very persistent. Natural 

 generation good ; it demands a good soil, but will stand a great 

 deal of moisture, not to say flooding of the area for several 

 months of the year. It flowers in February ; the roots are 

 comparatively deep-growing and there is a distinct tap-root. 

 Some plantations have been made with this tree. It has been 

 tried as a species to mix with ebony, and for this it seems suit- 

 able. In similar localities this species and ebony are often 

 found. 



Locally it is used as a house-building wood and occasionally 

 for firewood. The timber has been cut up into sleepers and 

 found to be most durable. When it was used in an unseasoned 

 state, and in very dry territory, it was found to split — but 

 this was scarcely a fair test of the wood. It has also been used 

 as joists and for the framework of buildings, for which purposes 

 it has proved very useful. Local carpenters have complained 

 about its hardness, but usually the tools used have not been 

 of such high quality necessary to give the best results when 

 working on this wood. 



The timber has not been used for export, but it deserves 

 a trial, especially for railway sleepers. 

 Mimusops Djave. African Pearwood, False Shea Butter Nut, 

 Cross River Nut. Aganokwi No. I. (Benin), Nyam (Efik). 



It is found in the Benin, Owerri, Calabar and Ogoja 

 provinces of Nigeria. It is also known as Cherry Mahogany. 

 It is a moderately common tree in the evergreen forest zone, 

 up to the end of the mixed deciduous forest zone. It is 



