GUIDE TO TIMBERS OF NIGERIA 23 



Chevalier says (1917, p. 87), " Bark reddish-grey, wrinkled 

 scaling in long flakes ; thickness about 8-10 mm." Elsewhere 

 (1909, p. 238) he describes it as being reddish-grey, deeply 

 fissured and cut, scoriaceous and very thick " (1909, p. 168). 

 Unwin (1920, p. 238) says, " used to put in wine to give it a 

 bitter taste," and p. 405, " for making gin bitter." " It strips 

 off cleanly from the tree and is sold in Calabar in rolls 30 inches 

 long by 18 inches diameter " (p. 49). " Roughly fissured like 

 that of Elm but more regularly" "a reddish sap exudes 

 when the tree is cut " (p. 405). 



USES, ETC. " Much prized by the native canoe-makers " 

 (Empire Timber Ex. Cat., 1920, p. 250). 



Density, No. 3608, 0'86 or about 54lb. per cu. ft. 



Chevalier gives (1917, p. 87) 0-874. 



Klainedoxa gabonensis, Pierre. Simarubaceae (Thonner 

 says Irvingiaceae). Gen. No. llllA. 



LOCALITIES. Nigeria, British sphere Cameroons, Equatorial 

 West Africa, Gaboon. 



VERNACULAR NAMES. Alukon-raba ; Ifainaki ; Odudu ; 

 Zembi ; N'Kondjo. Salesses, p. 22, under " Klaineodoxa ? " 

 gives the following : Adioumkue ; Aquabo ; and Kroma. 



Description of the wood from two specimen, Nos. 3014 

 (Empire Timber Ex., 1920) and 3629 (from Oni) " Alukon raba," 

 sent by the Government of Nigeria at different times and prob- 

 ably from different sources. 



GENERAL CHARACTERS. A hard and heavy wood of a light 

 golden-brown colour striped with hoary patches of soft-tissue 

 (parenchyma). Colour deepens but little on exposure. The 

 wood has a distinct resemblance to the old-fashioned Partridge- 

 wood (Andira inermis). Surface bright, the little lustre being 

 due to the ground-tissue. Grain, fairly coarse and open, 

 inclined, some pronounced zigzag tracery here and there. 

 Cool and slightly greasy to the touch, but hardly likely to 

 soil much. Shade of the transverse section a little darker than 

 that of the other sections. Smell, none. 



STRUCTURE. Recalls that of Lophira (see p. 14), but on a 

 smaller scale. 



Transverse section. (Prepared with glass-paper.) 



Parenchyma of two kinds : (a) easily visible to the unaided 



