241 



Exudes a red gum in very small quantity (Muriel I.e.). 



A tree with habit of P. erinaceus, but pods narrower and nearly 

 smooth ; common in the Yola Province and in the forest south of 

 Sa-o-leil village, Blue Nile. 



Pterocarpus Osun, Grail) in Kew Bull. 1910, p. 329. 



A large tree, young parts brown tomentellous, branchlets aculeate. 

 Leaves imparipinnate 8-12 in. long, petiole lf-2 in. long ; leaflets 

 13-15, petioled, mostly oblong, acuminate at the apex, rounded or 

 truncate at the base, up to 5^ in. long., 2 in. broad, pilulose on the 

 under surface in a young state, glabrous when mature, coriaceous, 

 lateral nerves about 10 pairs. Fruit pale brown, rotundate, If in. in 

 diameter, wings 2 in. broad, chartaceous, pilulose and sparingly aculeate, 

 umbo densely aculeate ; stipe \ in. long. Seeds solitary, oblong, f in. 

 long, testa brown, shining, smooth. 



Vernac. names, — Ewe-Osun-Pupa (Ibadan, No. 1, S. N. iv. Imp. 

 Inst. 8th June 1909, Herb. Kew) ; Osun or Irosun (Ibadan, Punch) ; 

 Osun (S. Nigeria, Dodd) ; Osun (Yoruba, Umvin) ; Ume (Benin, 

 Thompson, Unwin). — Red Camwood. 



Ibadan (Punch, No. 114; Imp. Inst, No. 1, 1909, Herb. Kew): 

 S. Nigeria (Dodd, No. 405, Herb. Kew) ; Mamu (Qnwin, 1910, Herb. 

 Kew) ; Ekom or Ikum, Cross River (Holland, No. 198, Herb. Kew). 



The camwood of Lagos (Punch, Herb. Kew) ; one of the two 

 kinds of camwood recognised among the Yorubas. They are known 

 by the names of " Iro-usun-pupa," implying that the colour of the 

 wood is red, and " Iro-usun-dudu," meaning black camwood. 



The preparation for the local market is described as follows ; " A 

 large tree is felled and the stump which is left in the ground is 

 killed by means of cutting through the lateral roots, which are laid 

 bare in the first instance, the heart-wood of the stump is at this time 

 a dark red, but the sap-wood is white ; the dead stump is left in the 

 ground to allow the white ants to destroy all the sap-wood, which 

 they will do in a year or more. The remaining heart-wood is care- 

 fully collected and washed to remove all dirt, after which it is 

 pounded in a mortar to a moderately fine powder, and sold in this 

 form, to be subsequently ground between stones and mixed with 

 water to form a paste or balls, in which state it is usually purchased 

 for colouring the human skin" (Dudgeon, N. Nigeria Gaz. July 31st 

 1909, p. 161). 



See also Barwood {Pterocarpus Soyauxh). 



u Osun " when newly cut is said not to yield the required dye, and 

 in order to develop the colour the trunk is allowed to lie in water 

 for from 5 to 10 vears. The wood of this tree (Ume) is similarlv 

 treated in the Central Province (Kew Bull. 1908, p. 192). 



The dried heart-wood, bark and root are used at Fiditi (Ibadan) 

 in the preparation of the dye for native purposes. 



Red camwood " Osun Pupa " is said to occur at Grenya on the 

 Guarara River. It has large lateral roots extending for some distance 

 from the trunk along the surface of the ground ; on these roots 

 transverse cuts are made from which a blood-red liquid exudes, which 

 dries after being carefully covered with leaves and earth, and in due 

 time the bark with the dry red substance upon it is scraped off and 

 pounded (Dudgeon, N. Nigeria Gaz. July 31st 1909, p. 161). 



A Kino similar to that of Pterocarjms erinaceus is obtained from 

 the bark. 



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