THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 351 
it into rope, which is used for tying loads of Cola or other 
produce. When freshly made it is soft and pliable, but 
when it is dry the fibre becomes very harsh and rather difficult 
to tie. 
The wood is used for floats for fishing on the Niger. 
Heritiera sp ?. Oviegikwe (Benin). 
It is found in the Benin and Ondo (?) provinces of Nigeria. 
The tree is large, reaching a girth of about 12 feet. The 
seed is papery and full of air, so that when trodden upon it 
collapses. The leaf is of medium size, more or less pinnate. 
The timber is white and soft; termites attack it. It has not 
been exported or used for local buildings. 
Native Use.—The leaf is used medicinally, and the timber 
is used for making drums (the frame) by hollowing out the 
trunk of a tree. It is also used as walls for a temporary house 
(when dried or not) ; for ‘this purpose it is split in pieces. 
Heritiera sp. ?. Igoso (Benin). 
It is an uncommon tree of the Benin province of Nigeria. 
It is found in the evergreen and mixed deciduous forests. 
The fruit is considerably smaller than Oviegikwe. 
The natives apparently have no use for this tree. How- 
ever, timber obtained from trees of this genus has proved so 
useful and durable that a trial of the wood of this species seems 
advisable. 
Triplochiton Johnsoniit (Ch. Wright). African Maple, Bush Maple. 
Arere (Yoruba); Obechi (Benin).. 
This is one of the common trees of the Abeokuta, Ondo 
and Benin provinces of Nigeria; it is found in the mixed 
deciduous forest zone, more especially in the moister regions 
of these forests. Like 7. Nigericum, it is one of the largest 
of all the forest trees, reaching a height of over 120 feet and 
a girth of 25 feet. The leaf has five lobes, and is thus dis- 
tinguishable from J. Nigericum, which has seven. The bole 
is long and clean and most cylindrical in shape ; the buttresses, 
‘as a rule, do not reach such a great height as in the case 
of 7. Nigericum. On the whole the bark is smoother and, 
especially in the younger specimens, almost shiny. The flowers 
and fruit are very similar to 7’. Nigericum. 
The timber is white, both heartwood and sapwood, and 
shows a considerable amount of elasticity ; rather liable to warp 
when seasoned. It works up well and takes a satiny sheen. 
The grain is comparatively fine—in fact, a little finer than that 
of 7. Nigericum; the pores are long and very narrow; it 
works up well with a plane, takes nails easily, does not split 
well ; it saws with great ease ; it is not termite-proof. If freshly 
