THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 295 
bark have been used amongst the Yorubas for medicinal 
purposes. 
Albizzia sp. Walnut. Owewe nolemare (Benin); Ayinre 
(Yoruba) ; Semusholoshi (Jebu) ; Akkihien, also Owewe lagebon 
(Benin). 
According to Mr. H. N. Thompson, Chief Conservator of 
Forests in Nigeria, who has seen the fruit of this tree, it is 
most certainly an Albizzia. 
Chief Characteristics.—It has been described by a German 
as not unlike a solitary-standing pine, with its dark foliage 
of small pinnate leaves, which are larger than Piptadenia 
Africana and yet smaller than Cylicodiscus Gabunensis. In 
the above description it is very similar in habit to Piptadenia 
Kerstingii. The dark brown bark, which is roughish, is light- 
brown on the upper part of the stem. The crown is flat, con- 
sisting of two or three wide, outspreading branches. It has 
the usual flat, papery pod. The leaves are used by the Benin 
people for soup. 
Distribution.—It is found in the Abeokuta province of 
Nigeria. : 
Timber.—It is fairly close-grained, though not nearly so 
hard as either Piptadenia Africana or Cylicodiscus Gabunensis. 
Use.—The Yorubas use the bark medicinally as a stomachic, 
and the trunk is usually swollen at the base owing to the cortex 
being removed so often. 
Albizzia rhombifolia. Walnut. Ayinre, Ayinre langara, Ayinre 
ogo (Yoruba) ; Owowe (Benin). 
It is found in the Ibadan and Benin provinces of Nigeria, 
in the mixed deciduous forests, where it is quite prevalent. 
It is a medium-sized tree, attaining a girth of about 6 feet 
and a bole length of 30 feet. It is commonly seen in old farms, 
and usually more than one is found in the same locality. The 
thin, yellow, spiky flowers are rather pretty. The fruit is 
rather smaller than that of the other species. 
The sapwood is white, and the heartwood is a light yellow- 
green. It is soft and not very durable; it is attacked by 
white ants (termites). However, it saws well, planes well, 
takes nails easily and splits moderately well. It can be cut 
into good-sized planks. 
Timber, yellowish-green, and yields large planks. 
It is a fast-growing, light-loving tree, which scarcely protects 
the soil, and only slightly improves it with its leaf fall. Natural 
regeneration is good, the seedlings growing up rapidly in any 
open place in the mixed deciduous forests. 
The timber has not been tried for export, nor has it been 
