330 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 
than G. Thompsonii, but it has not so much sheen. On the 
whole the colour is poorer. It is not considered quite so durable 
as G. Thompsonii, nor is it termite-proof. It planes well 
and saws easily, splits moderately well, and takes nails with- 
out difficulty. It is of a very light colour for mahogany. It 
has a good, mellow texture. 
It is at first slightly shade-bearing, but later a light- 
demanding tree. It grows comparatively rapidly. It 
thoroughly protects the soil and enriches it with its leaf fall. 
Natural regeneration appears to be only moderate, perhaps 
owing to the fact that the seeds soon lose their germinative 
capacity or are eaten by animals. It appears to be somewhat 
exacting as to soil, liking one with considerable depth, 
mineral content and a fair degree of moisture. 
In 1906 sample logs of this timber were considered of a 
lower value than mahogany, and were sold as Scented Mahogany 
at 34d. to 32d. per superficial foot. Since that date the timber 
has been regularly shipped from the Benin district and sold 
as Scented Mahogany, and it is usually worth from 2}d. to 6d. 
per superficial foot. Owing to the comparative scarcity of 
large girth mahoganies (Khaya sp.) in some localities, it is being 
felled in increasingly large quantities. 
Trichilia Heudelottii. Rere, Ako Irere, Asana (Yoruba); Ovallo 
(Benin). 
It is found in the Abeokuta and Benin provinces of Nigeria. 
It has a smaller leaf than Trichilia sp., and is rather 
a smaller tree than 7. Prieuriana. The heartwood is brown- 
red and very hard; the sapwood is white. 
It is a slow-growing, shade-bearing, soil-protecting and 
soil-improving tree of the mixed forest zone. 
Occasionally it is used as a house-building timber, when 
there is nothing else available. 
Trichilia sp. Iseko (Yoruba); Ogiovalo (Benin). 
It has a larger leaf than 7'. Heudelotii. It is found in the 
Abeokuta, Ondo and Benin provinces of Nigeria. The heart- 
wood is brownish-red and the sapwood is white. It reaches 
rather a larger size than 7’. Heudelotii, attaining a bole length 
of about 15 feet and a girth of 5 feet. The seeds are very 
similar to those of P. Prieuriana. It is termite-proof. 
It is a somewhat slow-growing, shade-bearing, soil-protecting 
and soil-improving tree. Natural regeneration appears to be 
slight It apparently demands a good soil, and is found in the 
mixed deciduous forest. 
It has not yet been tried as an export timber, but it might 
be useful as a hard mahogany, both for export and for local use. 
