40 GUIDE TO TIMBERS OF NIGERIA 



BARK: "Drops off in large scales towards middle age, in 

 a similar fashion to the European Plane. However, they do 

 not leave the stem as smooth, though the lighter patches where 

 the bark falls off brighten the bole up and make it quite dis- 

 tinctive " (Unwin, p. 293). " Bark greyish-brown " (Comte 

 de Briey, ex. de Wild, 1920, p. 145). 



USES." Mortars " (Unwin, p. 159). " One of the most 

 durable of the African timbers " (p. 292). 



Jumelle and Pierre (p. Ill) say, "the wood was exploited 

 in the Cameroons, and its light colour was the cause of the 

 fall in price of the common Mahoganies on the Liverpool 

 market." 



Density, No. 3102, 0-891, or about 55| Ib. per cu. ft. 

 3095, 0-825 51j 



Conservator's note. " A large tree plentiful in the intermedi- 

 ate forest and found in the evergreen forests. Timber hard and 

 durable, suitable for solid doors, stair-treads and general 

 joinery." 



Alternative description, from a specimen, No. 2823 " Opepeh ; 

 Opepea," from the Gold Coast, received as Afzelia africana, Sm. 



GENERAL CHARACTERS. A rather hard and heavy wood of 

 a colour rather resembling that of Red Pine, being reddish 

 striated and striped with hoary parenchyma. Surface clear 

 and dull by bands ; dry, rather cool to the touch, rather liable 

 to soil. Grain, very coarse, open ; the pores are very large 

 and very few. Shade of the transverse section darker than 

 that of the other sections. Smell, none. 



STRUCTURE. Very characteristic and evident. 



Transverse section. (Prepared with glass-paper.) 



Parenchyma of one kind only : (a) in broad, conspicuous, 

 concentric, light-coloured bands embedding and uniting the 

 pores, often anastomosing ; colour buff ; width about 1 mm. ; 

 at intervals of about their own breadth, or rather more ; pro- 

 portion of the wood about two-fifths to one-half. The paren- 

 chyma has the appearance of having been roved out or combed 

 into the ground tissue. Vessels readily visible as perforations, 

 large, not dimishing in size (except in the groups) ; simple and 

 in groups of two to five, rarely the latter ; distribution indefi- 

 nite ; very few, 0-5 per sq. mm., widely isolated, as much as 

 3 sq. mm. being without a vessel ; oval ; contents, a few p;il< 



