THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 829 
The tree is a fast-growing one, at first shade-bearing, and 
later a more light-demanding species, with soil-improving 
and soil-protecting qualities. Natural regeneration appears 
to be fair, though the seeds are eaten by insects, and they do 
not appear to keep their generative capacity for a great length 
of time. It appears to be rather exacting as to soil, liking 
one with a fair degree of moisture, mineral content and of 
considerable depth. No plantations have yet been made of this 
tree, but isolated specimens have been planted by the timber- 
lease holders. It bears good crops of seed every few years. 
Owing to the comparative shortage of mahogany trees 
on some areas, this tree is now felled as a timber for export, 
and is sold as Scented Mahogany at 3d. to 6d. per superficial 
foot. Locally it has been cut for planks. 
Guarea sp. Cedar Mahogany, Scented Mahogany. Sida, Sendar, 
Odogbo, Akokogbo (Yoruba) ; Obobonufwa (Benin); Akpaku 
(Ibo Asaba). 
It is a large forest tree of the evergreen zone, attaining 
a girth of over 12 feet, which is most commonly met with in 
the Benin district of Nigeria. 
Chief Characteristics.—The bole is covered with smooth 
grey bark, which peels off very gradually in large pieces more 
like a plane ; it is sometimes relieved by patches of yellow or 
red lichens. It has tufts of pinnate leaves at the end of the 
branches. 
The fruit is a greyish-brown coloured, dehiscent capsule, 
which contains three large seeds covered with orange-coloured 
flesh. The seed is black, and wider and thicker than the G. 
Thompsonti, though the length is about the same ; this makes 
it flatly ovate. The seed is covered with white streaks in the 
same way as Guarea Thompsonii. The root spurns are narrow 
and extend further up the stem than in the case of G. 
Thompsonii, though in the younger trees the stem is very 
cylindrical. The silvery-coloured bark is most typical of this 
tree, thus distinguishing it most clearly from G. Thompsonii. 
It is very similar in appearance to Siderorylon Aylmeri of 
Sierra Leone, so that indeed it may be a species of Sideroxylon, 
or even the same. 
It is found in the Ondo, Abeokuta and Benin provinces 
of Nigeria. 
The sapwood is white and narrow and the heartwood 
light-brown, rapidly darkening to a more mahogany brown. 
When freshly cut it has a strong cedar scent, which goes off to 
a certain extent when it is dry, but on planing the wood up 
again there is always a slight cedar scent. It is closer grained 
