THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 277 
On solid land it attains a large size, even larger than that of 
E. Guineense. ‘The pod is a little larger than that of Z. 
Guineense, and the bark smoother. The crown is dense and 
very large, almost spherical in shape, and reaching more than 
one-third down the length of the tree. 
The timber is very similar in its qualities to 2. Guineense, 
but has a straighter grain in the larger specimens. It is very 
durable. 
It is a slow-growing, shade-bearing tree, with soil-protecting 
and soil-improving qualities. Natural regeneration does not 
appear to be very good, though numerous pods are borne on 
the tree almost every year. No plantations have yet been 
made with it. 
For local use, it has not been cut in a similar way to £. 
Guineense. The natives occasionally use this tree for making 
canoes. In the 1906 timber report from the Liverpool 
market it was valued as a species of oak at ls. 9d. per cubic 
foot, and was not considered so good as either red oak, Lophira 
procera, or white oak, Ostryoderris impressa. 
Native Use.—The bark is boiled in water and a beautiful 
red-coloured liquid is produced. It is administered as an 
ordeal trial for witchcraft, and is not poisonous if given in 
large doses. 
Brachystegia spiceformis. Agberigeddi, Ako (Yoruba); Okkwan 
(Benin); Etare (Oban, Ekoi); Ungu (Ibo, Owerri); Mpanju, 
Akpanya, Ikpanya (Efik). 
This tree is found in the Abeokuta, Ibadan (?), Ondo, Benin, 
Warri, Owerri, Calabar and Ogoja provinces of Nigeria. 
It is a rough, scaly-barked tree of huge size (see illustration), 
reaching a girth of 30 feet and a height of 150 feet. The crown 
is flattish, formed by a few wide-spreading limbs and numerous 
small branches. The foliage is moderate for a Leguminous 
tree. The yellowish flowers are almost unseen, being placed 
underneath the leaves. The dark-brown woody pods burst 
with a bang not unlike a gunshot, and release four or five flat 
black, shiny beans about 4 inch across. The foliage goes almost 
black on reaching the ground, killing all the small plants. A 
brownish gum exudes from the tree when cut, and this hardens 
into a reddish, opaque mass similar to Almeidina, and in fact 
is the source of this gutta percha-like substance. 
Timber.—It is a rather hard, light-brown wood with 
pretty, almost evenly distributed streaks of darker brown 
shade in it. It is very durable. The white sapwood soon 
rots on exposure to the weather. It is suitable as a furniture 
wood. 
