3876 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 
The sapwood is white and, for the size of the tree, com- 
paratively narrow. The heartwood is a deep red colour, which 
it retains even after the wood is dry. In sections from older 
trees it exhibits isolated white streaks, scattered here and there 
through the heartwood. This is made of a small mineral 
deposit which is closely allied to apatite. It is one of the 
hardest of the African woods and also the most durable; it 
splits most satisfactorily ; it saws very cleanly, planes well, 
but owing to its extreme hardness takes nails with difficulty. 
It is termite-proof. It is just as durable in, as out of the ground. 
It burns with a fierce heat and, in fact, makes the hottest fire 
of any of the West African woods. The grain is very close, 
though sometimes it shows some figure. The knots in the 
wood produce some pretty “curl” effects. 
The tree is a shade-bearing, soil-improving species of the 
mixed deciduous forest. It is very slow-growing, often not 
showing a greater height-growth than 6 inches per year. In 
its youth the branches grow more or less in whorls of three or 
four branches; these branches are very persistent. Natural 
generation good ; it demands a good soil, but will stand a great 
deal of moisture, not to say flooding of the area for several 
months of the year. It flowers in February; the roots are 
comparatively deep-growing and there is a distinct tap-root. 
Some plantations have been made with this tree. It has been 
tried as a species to mix with ebony, and for this it seems suit- 
able. In similar localities this species and ebony are often 
found. 
Locally it is used as a house-building wood and occasionally 
for firewood. The timber has been cut up into sleepers and 
found to be most durable. When it was used in an unseasoned 
state, and in very dry territory, it was found to split—but 
this was scarcely a fair test of the wood. It has also been used 
as joists and for the framework of buildings, for which purposes 
it has proved very useful. Local carpenters have complained 
about its hardness, but usually the tools used have not been 
of such high quality necessary to give the best results when 
working on this wood. 
The timber has not been used for export, but it deserves 
a trial, especially for railway sleepers. 
Mimusops Djave. African Pearwood, False Shea Butter Nut, 
Cross River Nut. Aganokwi No. I. (Benin), Nyam (Efik). 
It is found in the Benin, Owerri, Calabar and Ogoja 
provinces of Nigeria. It is also known as Cherry Mahogany. 
It is a moderately common tree in the evergreen forest zone, 
up to the end of the mixed deciduous forest zone. It is 
