248 



A specimen of the wood (including bark) in the Museum at Kew, 

 from the Gold Coast has sp. gr. 0*967 = 60*5 lbs. per cubic foot. 



Ormosia, Jacks. 



Ormosia laxiflora, Benth. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. II. p. 255. [A/rormosia 

 laxiflora, Harms.], 



Ill— Engl. & Drude, Veg. Erde, ix. f. 675. 



Vernac.names. — Shedun (Yoruba, Thompson ; Oloke-Meji, Foster) ; 

 Makarfo (Hausa, Dalziel) ; Kobin (Gold Coast, Thompson) ; M'banga 

 (Golo, Sudan, Bull. Imp. Inst. vii. 1909, p. 23) ; Simbach, Dobole, 

 Koulou-Koulou, and Fa (various localities in French W. Africa, 

 Chevalier). 



Nupe ; Jeba ; Lokoja ; Lagos. 



The wood is described as being of walnut colour, and striking 

 figure where curly, hard, cross-grained and aromatic. The sapwood 

 is \ in. wide light yellow and sharply defined from the heartwood. 

 The bark is about \ in. thick, nearly smooth and of reddish brown 

 colour, scaling in small fragments ; weight 57 j lb. per cubic foot ; 

 suggested as a substitute for Walnut (juglans regia) (Bull. Imp. 

 Inst. I.e.), and an excellent wood for cabinet work and turnery 

 (Chevalier, seq. p. 113) ; used for house posts in S. Nigeria (Thompson, 

 List of For. Trees, S. Nig. 1910, p. 5, Druosia laxiflora) ; and for axe- 

 handles in Yola (Dalziel, Herb. Kew). 



An infusion of the leaves is used in French West Africa to facili- 

 tate the teething of infants, and for the cure of lumbago (seq. p. 111). 



Re/. — " Ormosia laxiflora, Benth." in Les Veg. Utiles de 

 L'Afrique Trop. Franc. Chevalier, Perrot & Gerard, Fasc. iii. pp. 

 110-111 (Challamel, Paris, 1907). 



Swartzia, Schreb. 



Swartzia madagascariensis, Desv. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. II. p. 257. 



III.— Sim, For. Fl. & For. Res. Port. E. Afr. t. 52. 



Vernac. names. — M'nyembeh (Madi, Grant) ; Mucombe (Pungo 

 Andongo Welwitsch) ; Mucombe (Angola, De Wildeman) ; Chin- 

 yenye (Nyasaland, Purves) ; Naquada (Echuabo, Quelimane, Sim) ; 

 N'dota (Rhodesia, Allen). 



Nupe ; Banks of Lake Chad ; Kilba Country, Yola Province ; and 

 extending across Tropical Africa to Nyasaland, Mozambique, 

 Rhodesia, &c. 



Wood hard and very heavy, deep red in colour (Barter, Herb. 

 Kew) ; of medium quality (De Wildeman, PI. Util. Congo, Art. xxvi. 

 1904, p. 369) ; weight over 60 lbs. per cubic foot, very dense, rings 

 and rays absent, pores minute, excellent for piano manufacture, good 

 for all high class furniture work, suitable for any heavy hard-wood 

 work, and in general a very valuable timber, durable and not liable 

 to damage by white ants (Sim, For. Fl. & For. Res. Port. E. Afr. 

 p. 119). The natives of French West Africa use it for piles and 

 stockades (Chevalier, seq. p. 126). The specific gravity of the heart- 

 wood is given at 1*03, that of the sapwood 0*919 (I.e.). 



Pods used as rattles and for ornamental purposes, Batoka country 

 (Kirk, Herb. Kew). 



Propagated by seeds. Found as a tree from 12-30 ft. high, Nupe ; 

 in Rhodesia growing in sandy soil at 4500 ft. 



Ref.— U Swartzia madagascariensis, Desv," in Les Veg. Utiles de 

 L'Afrique, Trop. Franc. Chevalier, Perrot & Gerard, iii. pp. 124-127. 



