THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 397 
The leaf is large. It is a common tree in the Benin district, 
of medium-size. 
It yields a softwood, which has a certain amount of 
resonance. The sapwood is white and the heartwood a mid- 
brown colour. It is not very durable, except under cover. 
It stands a good deal of shade. It sprouts well from the 
stump. It bears fruit irregularly, and seedlings are scarce in 
the forest. The wood has not been exported, and none of its 
qualities so far assure it of finding a good market in Europe. 
Native Use.—The natives use the wood for making drums. 
Verbenacez. 
Avicennia Africana. White Mangrove. Ogbun (Lagos); Ede, 
Eyhrodo (Benin); Odonumon (Efik). 
It is found in the Colony, Ondo, Warri, Owerri and Calabar 
provinces of Nigeria. It is seen partly in pure groups, and 
also mixed more or less in groups with the other areas of 
Red Mangrove and Laguncularia sp. 
It is a small tree, growing up to 2 feet girth and about 
40 feet high. 
The bole appears silvery grey and the branches very slender. 
The leaves are of a lighter green than those of the Red Mangrove. 
The aerial roots are smaller and not so extended as in the case 
of Racemosa. On the whole, it occurs in the quieter and less 
exposed localities, away from the sea, and it seems to appear 
only secondary to R. racemosa, which is the first tree to appear 
in the mangrove formation. The slash is white; the cortex 
is thin. 
The sapwood is white and the heartwood a light brown 
when freshly cut. Is moderately hard, and durable when dry 
and used away from water. It is termite-proof. In structure 
it is similar to teak, being a member of the same family, but 
the grain is more open and the pores are considerably larger and 
longer, giving the wood a more open texture. It planes up 
with a smooth surface, splits well, takes nails moderately well 
and saws easily. 
It is a somewhat slow-growing, at first shade-bearing, and 
later on a light-demanding tree. Natural regeneration is good, 
but it does not appear to be extending as fast as R. racemosa. 
It sprouts from the stump; root suckers and aerial root shoots 
grow in considerable numbers. On the whole, it tends to die 
out sooner when the ground becomes dryer than R. racemosa, 
and its area of distribution from the coast inland is much 
less wide. 
The timber has not been exported, nor has it been sawn 
