THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 365 
tree, with several whorls of branches near the top of the tree, 
very much compressed together. The flowers are red sprays, 
which look very pretty at the beginning of the dry season. 
It occurs near the freshwater swamps, comparatively close 
to the sea. In many places it is almost gregarious in habit, 
more especially near Degema. It reaches a height of 100 feet, 
and a girth of 6 feet, often with a bole length of 50 feet. 
Timber.—The sapwood is white and the heartwood is light 
brown; both appear to be equally durable. It is termite- 
resisting. It planes with a smooth surface ; the grain is very 
fine. A red latex exudes when it is cut. 
Utility.—It is chiefly used for door and window frames, and 
does not warp nor crack, even when put in green. It attains 
a large enough size to be used as piles, some of which were 
used in the construction of the temporary railway bridge at 
Imo. The natives do not use the wood, and it has not been 
felled for export. 
Silvicultural Qualities.—It is a shade-bearer and a com- 
paratively slow-growing tree, though on less wet soils it seems 
to grow faster. The more prevalent form of reproduction is 
by seed. Weak stool shoots also come up after the tree is 
cut down. The foliage is dense and persists for several years. 
Bixacee. 
Bixa orellana. 
This tree grows well in the Olokemeji Arboretum. It is 
found up to a height of 10 feet, and is cultivated for the sake 
of its seeds, which yield the orange dye called “ annatto.” 
The tree bears pods very freely. Samples were sent to the 
Imperial Institute in 1906 and were valued at about 5d. a 
pound. 
Flacourtiacez. 
Smeathmannia pubescens. Moyida (Yoruba). 
It is a medium-sized shrub found in the Western Provinces. 
Soyauxia sp. Ogohomeh, Oyohomeh (Benin). 
This tree was found on the mountain slope above Ogabi 
in the Obudu district. The fruit is edible. 
Soyauxia sp. Aye (Yoruba); Owowe, Owawe (Benin). 
It is found in the Ondo, Benin and Ogoja provinces of 
Nigeria, growing at the edge of the evergreen forest. It is 
a medium-sized tree, with a bole length of about 30 feet and 
a girth of 6 feet; on the whole, it is of more slender build and 
habit than the Terminalia, to which it is apparently closely 
allied. The flower is very small, white and spherical, being 
