284 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 
used by the natives. In a few places small plantations have 
been made with this tree. It is very fire-resisting, and ap- 
parently the fruit-bearing capacity of the tree is not reduced 
to any extent by the prevalence of the annual grass-fires in 
the localities where it is found. During the whole of its life 
it is a slow-growing tree. 
The yellow pulp in the pods is eaten by the natives. The 
bark at the base of the tree is chipped off and used for making 
a tonic when infused with water. The tree is occasionally 
used locally as a house-building timber ; for this purpose it is 
used chiefly as uprights in the main buildings. 
The timber has not been tried for export, and it is doubtful 
whether its size warrants its use for this purpose. 
Tetrapleura Thonningii. Angular Pod. Aridan (Yoruba); Ig- 
mikkia (fruit), Ikhememi (tree) (Benin) ; Osshosha (Ibo, Asaba). 
The dark-green feathery foliage on its oval crown is very 
typical of this tree, especially when it is found near a roadside 
in the mixed forests. It is also often found on river banks at 
the edge of the dry zone or in other parts of the mixed forests. 
The indehiscent pods with four edges, leaving practically no 
centre, are most typical of the tree ; they are shiny and have 
a peculiar medicinal smell. The fruit is known as Igmikkia, 
by which name the tree is most usually called by Europeans, 
in the Benin country. 
The tree is prevalent in the Abeokuta, Ondo, Oyo, Benin, 
Onitsha, Owerri, Calabar and Ogoja provinces of Nigeria. 
It is a shade-bearer and thoroughly protects the ground 
all the year round, except for about two weeks when the leaves 
fall. Natural regeneration does not appear to be good, seed- 
lings being rarely found, and no plantations have been made 
with it, though if of more value it might be mixed with teak. 
The seeds always command a ready sale at a low price. 
The wood is hard, brown, and splits badly. No use 
has yet been found for it. It is sometimes cross-grained, the 
sapwood white. 
The natives use the timber for making doors, window-frames 
and benches. The seeds are sold in the Yoruba, Benin and 
Ibo markets ; they are cooked for soup, which acts as a slight 
aperient or is of other medicinal value. 
Millettia Thonningii (Baker). Ito (Yoruba); Ebakwe (Benin). 
It is found in the Benin and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria. 
It is a small tree really, reaching a girth of only 4 feet, with 
a short bole and a few somewhat slender and drooping branches. 
The twigs and new leaves are distinctly of weeping habit. In 
February, in the mixed forest, the bare tree shows up with 
