THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 289 
leaf has two pairs of pinnz, with one end leaflet. The small 
pod containing two or three flat seeds is most typical of this tree ; 
the seeds are ? inch in diameter and of a dark-brown colour ; 
the flowers are- white; the timber is cross-grained and rather 
hard; the sapwood is white and the heartwood of a dark 
brown. The tree is a shade-bearer, soil-protecting and improving. 
It is usually found amongst the undergrowth in the thicker 
parts of the evergreen forest zone. Natural regeneration 
is usually good. The wood is used locally in the Yoruba and 
Benin country for posts; it has not been sawn up for planks, 
nor has it been exported to England. 
Macrolobium stipulacee. 
It was stated it was found in the Calabar province. 
Nr. Macrolobium sp. Ogabeszi (Benin). 
It is found in the Benin province of Nigeria. It is a small 
tree of the evergreen forest zone. The foliage is very dense. 
The tree has a short bole of about 15 feet, and the crown is 
much branched ; the pod is rather larger than Macrolobium 
palisoti. According to the natives, this is the ““Ogaba ”’ of the 
waterside. The timber has not been exported to Europe, nor 
do the natives use this somewhat hard wood to any extent. 
Dialium Guineense. Pulley Wood, Velvet Tamarind. Awin (Ib.) 
(Yoruba); Ohiorme (Benin); Amoyin (Egba). 
It is found in the Ibadan, Abeokuta, Benin, Calabar and 
Ogoja provinces of Nigeria. In the mixed deciduous forests 
it is very prevalent in certain localities. Of medium size, it 
rarely exceeds a girth of 5 feet. Where found, it often com- 
prises over 10 per cent. of the standing stock of the forest. 
The wood is used for small boats in Senegal. It exudes 
a red-coloured sap in small quantities. 
The fruit, with its flat and round, velvety little pods, is most 
typical of this tree. These are of a very dark chocolate colour, 
and in the distance appear almost black. The bole is usually 
silver-grey. The slash is light-red, and the reddish, latex- 
like substance exudes when the bark is cut. The crown is 
dense and compressed, being mainly made up of a number 
of small branches. In proportion the leaves are small and 
make a very dense foliage. The rusty-red slashing marks, 
or other marks caused by damage to the trunk of the tree, 
show up most distinctively, especially against the grey surface 
of the cortex, are one of the most distinguishing features of 
this tree. 
The sapwood is white, the heartwood is dull-red, rather 
larger in proportion than we should suspect, compared with the 
size of the tree. It is hard and tough, and does not split well. 
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