THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 369 
The sapwood is white, tinged with pinkish stripes, and 
the heartwood pinkish-red, with very wide and numerous 
medullary rays, which are most numerous, and in fact more 
so than in any other tree, and are very typical of this 
timber. The wood is soft, splits well, is of somewhat open 
texture and rather fibrous grain. It planes up well with a 
smooth surface, takes nails well, and saws well. It is liable 
to be attacked by white ants. The sapwood is fairly narrow. 
It is a moderately fast-growing, shade-bearing, soil-protecting 
and soil-improving tree. Natural] regeneration only appears to be 
slight, chiefly owing to the fact, perhaps, that most of the nuts 
are gathered and eaten by the natives. It is somewhat exacting 
with regard to soil. It appears to like one that is somewhat 
rich, deep, moist and with good drainage. In waterlogged 
areas it becomes stag-headed. No plantations have been 
made of this tree. 
The timber has not been exported, not has it. been cut for 
local use. It appears, however, to be worthy of a trial as 
a substitute for light cedar or mahogany, especially from wind 
falls, which are not infrequent owing to the way it is left stand- 
ing in the forests. 
Native Use.—The nuts are used by the natives, and are 
considered very valuable, in the most out-of-the-way parts 
of the forest, as a source of food. They used to be sold in 
the Calabar market 250 for 3d. Further notes as to the oil- 
bearing properties of this nut will be found in the section dealing 
with the oil seeds and nuts. 
Combretacee. 
Terminalia sp. Yellow Terminalia, Black-bark Terminalia. Idigbo, 
Opepe, Epepe (Yoruba); Egoyn nebbi, Egoyn nikwi, Egoyn 
lukan (Benin). 
According to the Yorubas this is the Idi of the forest. 
Distribution.—It is found in the Ondo and Benin provinces 
of Nigeria. 
Chief Characteristics —It has a slightly fissured bark, in- 
creasing in age, light-brown in colour in youth, but darkening 
with age, almost appearing black in the distance, rather forming 
a criss-cross pattern. It flowers in May with small spikes or 
thin, stiff racemes, each with little yellow balls of staminate 
flowers. It has a compressed crown of two or three whorls 
of branches, but not so typical as that of 7’. scutifera. It is, 
however, much more widespreading, chiefly due to the fact 
that the tree on the whole is shorter and stouter than 7’. 
scutifera. The trunk is much more cylindrical, and the root 
24 
