316 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 
Circle, especially north of Calabar, in the mixed deciduous 
forest zone, and to lesser extent in the evergreen forest zone. 
It is a large forest tree, with a girth of over 12 feet and a 
bole length of about 90 feet. Being more or less preserved 
by the natives when found in the forests, in clearing for their 
farms, it is often now seen on the roadsides. The slash is 
white, and as the roots beside the road are often cut by the 
natives, the yellowish-white gum exudes, forming a small 
white layer on the surface of the root. This has a most 
pleasant smell, and is not unpleasant to taste. It is closely 
allied to, if not much the same character as, the “‘ Balsam of 
Tolu.” The leaf is comparatively small, with three or four 
pairs of pinne, and growing more or less in tufts, this being 
reminiscent of the Mahogany family. The root spurns are 
very slight, and in this respect it is more like the European Ash, 
and usually there are one or two main roots which spread 
out, down the slightly enlarged bole at the base. Other- 
wise the tree is one of the most cylindrical in shape, falling 
away with the increasing height less than almost any other. 
It is a deciduous tree. The pores are very fine and rather 
longer than in the ordinary mahogany, and the wood is not 
so sheeny. 
The sapwood is white, and in fast-grown trees often 6 inches 
through. The heartwood is of a delicately pink mahogany 
colour, darkening to a light-brown mahogany on exposure 
to the air and sunlight. It is not very hard, and splits fairly 
well. It planes up with a smooth surface. It saws well and 
also takes nails fairly well. It has very considerable elasticity. 
It is lighter than most kinds of mahogany. The logs will 
float as soon as at all dry. 
In youth it stands a good deal of shade, but later on it is 
on the whole a light-demanding tree. It is a fairly quick- 
growing tree, but tends to become very slow when left alone 
in the open. It needs a rich soil, but is also found on poorer 
land. It needs more moisture than many others. Although 
not a soil-protecting tree, the leaves yield a fair amount of 
humus in their annual fall. Natural regeneration is fair, but 
it is rather susceptible to fire, and much of it is thus killed. 
No plantations have been made of this tree. 
In 1906 a sample was sold in the Liverpool market as 
Gaboon Mahogany at 1s. 6d. per cubic foot full measure, and in 
1907 sample logs of this tree were exported to the Liverpool 
market, where they were sold as light Benin Mahogany at 2d. 
per superficial foot. Since then none has been felled. 
The natives occasionally cut the tree for planks, and use 
