44 GUIDE TO TIMBERS OF NIGERIA 



Arhone or Aronhe ; Atiema ; Bangi ; Bourane ; Casca-bark- 

 tree ; Ebondo ; Elegue-mouani ; Ellondo ; Ellong ; Erhone ; 

 Erum obo ; Eriii or Erui ; Erun (or Obo) ; Eyo ; Gli ; Gouda ; 

 Guie ; Hay a ; Ibo (Unwin, 1920, p. 275) ; Inyi ; Kasa ; 

 Kbande ; Kura ; Kekeu ; Lo ; Meli ; Mwavi-bark ; Nguie ; 

 N'kassa ; Obo ; Oginyi ; Omuvumvu ; Ordeal-bark ; Poison 

 d'epreuve ; Potrodon or Protodon ; Red- water-tree ; Sassa ; 

 Sasswood; Talli ; Tali; Tia ; Tsa ; Tele, Tele or Teli ; 

 Sassy-bark ; Eloun ; Elondo ; Eyo. 



Description of the wood from specimens Nos. 3292 " Erun " 

 and 3264 both from Oni, received from the Government of 

 Nigeria. Our specimen No. 3336 " Mwabwi " from Nyasaland, 

 sent as being this species, does not agree, nor does No. 2199 HS. 

 " Omuvumvu " from Uganda. Inasmuch as all differ from 

 each other we accept the first mentioned provisionally, more 

 especially as the last is nearly allied. (See also p. 46.) 



GENERAL CHARACTERS. A very heavy and hard wood of a 

 light brown colour with paler, somewhat hoary bands or 

 stripes. Unwin (I.e. p. 276) says, " dull red-brown." Harms 

 (1911, p. 34) says, " at first white, afterwards brownish-red." 

 Colour deepens a little on exposure. Surface bright, cold to 

 the touch, not likely to soil. Grain, coarse, open, exceedingly 

 cross-grained. Smell, none. 



STRUCTURE. Recalls that of Af-zelia (see p. 37). 



Transverse section. (Prepared with glass-paper.) See PI. 

 Ill, fig. 3. 



Parenchyma of one kind only : (a) vasicentric, visible to the 

 unaided eye, sheathing the pores and extending laterally to 

 wings. Rarely joining up adjacent groups except in the denser 

 tissue, where it may join as many as five groups or even 

 long series of pores concentrically ; colour, oatmeal. Patches 

 apparently unconnected with a vessel occur in the dense 

 wood, and the amount of this tissue decreases materially as the 

 tree ages. 



Vessels visible as perforations, large, diminishing slightly in 

 si/,c outwards towards the ring-boundary, but they apparently 

 decrease in size as the tree ages ; not decreasing in numbers ; 

 3-4 per sq. mm. A strong tendency to oblique lines, but by 

 no means everywhere. Simple or in groups of 2-4 pores, 

 mostly threes, but fours not uncommon ; shape, roundish ; 



