THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 401 
durable. The natives use it for fences, and the roots are mashed 
and used by Benis for cuts in the fingers. The bark and fruit 
are also used medicinally by the Yorubas. 
Markhamia tomentosa. Iru, Aya, Iwe (Yoruba). 
It is found in the Abeokuta province of Nigeria, in the 
mixed deciduous forest zone. 
It is a tree 4 to 6 feet in girth, with a large leaf having five 
pairs of pinne, the lowest being very small, like stipules. A 
deciduous tree bearing small fruit. A very common tree. 
The timber is a soft, white wood, which is not used. It 
is attacked by white ants, and is not durable except under 
cover. 
The tree is a light-lover, quick-growing, and non-soil-im- 
proving. Natural regeneration is moderate, so that it does 
not spread too much. The tree has not been felled for export 
timber, nor has it been cut for local use. 
Newbouldia levis. Benin Ju-ju Tree. Akkoko (Yoruba) ; Ikhimi 
(Benin). 
It is found in the Calabar, Ogoja, Owerri, Warri, Onitsha, 
Ondo, Benin, Ibadan and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria. 
It is a small tree, scarcely exceeding 4 feet in girth. It 
has a large, oblong, dark leaf. It is most commonly seen in 
the middle of a compound with a pot at the base of it. The 
flowers are trumpet-shaped, white-coloured at the base and 
rose-red at the mouth. The fruit is a long, thin black pod, 
which opens releasing many flat, winged seeds. The seed is 
yellow and in the middle of the wing. 
The timber is white and soft. 
It has not been exported or cut for local use. 
Native Use.—The tree is used to mark boundaries. It is 
a “‘ Ju-ju” tree, both in and outside the compound. It is some- 
times used for fences. It is used by the Yorubas for rafters. 
Acanthacee. 
Thunbergia Vogeliana (Benth.). Blue Benin Thunbergia. Ohwohiro 
(Benin). 
This is a shrub with handsome blue flowers ; it is moderately 
common in the Central Circle. 
Rubiacee. 
Sarcocephalus eu-esculentus. Sierra Leone Peach. Egbesi (Yoruba) ; 
Aragbaihi (Benin); Amellaky or Egbessye of Sierra Leone. 
It is found in the Abeokuta, Ibadan, Benin, Onitsha, Owerri 
and Ogoja provinces of Nigeria, where it is common in the open 
deciduous forest. 
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