Chapter IX: The Nigerian Timber Trees (9)

It is a large tree, attaining a girth of 15 feet and a height of 150
feet. Nearly always found on swampy ground, or anyhow where the
rainfall is high, as, for instance, in the Oban district. One of the
first trees to be seen in the forest immediately behind the mangrove
swamps. The bark is roughly fissured like elm, but more regularly, and
the slash is red. The fruit is an indehiscent nut with small nodules
on it, about the size of a walnut, which exudes a liquid not unlike
honey. Bees often frequent the tree for that reason. A reddish sap
exudes when the tree is cut.

It is found in the Benin, Warri, Owerri and Calabar provinces of
Nigeria.

The wood is hard and dark-red, with a fairly close grain, though easy
to work. The sapwood is usually very narrow and yellowish-red.

It is evidently a shade-bearer, and stands a good deal of shade in its
youth. Natural regeneration is fairly good where the rainfall is high.
It seems a moderately fast grower, though no actual measurements have
yet been taken. It is almost gregarious, especially in Oban. In 1906
it was valued in the Liverpool market at 3d. to 6d. a superficial foot
as a mahogany of mild texture and fairly good colour. It has, however,
not been used by the Public Works Department.

_Native Use._—In the Benin, Warri and Calabar provinces the bark is
stripped off in rolls about 3 feet long and sold for making gin
bitter, by placing it in the liquid. A bundle of bark is sold for 5s.
at Calabar. In the Degema and Brass districts it is one of the common
canoe trees.

_Mitragyne macrophyllum_. False Opepe. Burokossa, Bulokossa, Ugbodokossa (Benin); Ebar (Brass); Ebar (New Calabar); Ubuen (Efik).

It is found in the Abeokuta, Ondo, Benin, Warri, Owerri and Calabar
provinces of Nigeria.

It is a large tree, attaining a girth of over 12 feet and a height of
over 100 feet. It has a very large leaf. The tree is often more or
less gregarious, more especially in the moister or almost swampy parts
of the evergreen forest zone. The bark is of a dull-green colour,
comparatively thin, and only slightly fissured in a large tree.

The sapwood is yellowish-white and the heartwood of a pale yellow
colour. It is almost a hardwood, does not split well, planes up
smoothly and saws comparatively easily. It hardens considerably on
seasoning and is very durable under cover, but not so much on exposure
to the air. The dense foliage makes a thick layer of humus under the
trees, as a few of the leaves fall off each year. It is thus a soil-
improving and soil-protecting tree. It would probably be found to make
a good mixture, in groups of about half an acre in extent, with
mahogany in the evergreen forest zone. In the Brass district it is one
of the commonest trees which is used for making canoes; it has also
occasionally been sawn up for planks. It has not yet been exported to
England, but at any rate locally it should command a wider use in
house-building of all kinds.

_Mitragyne Africanum_. Akpakossa (Benin).

It is found in the Benin, Ondo, Warri and Calabar provinces of
Nigeria.

It is a somewhat common tree on the borderland of the mixed deciduous
forest and the dry-zone vegetation. The tree is of small size,
attaining a girth of about 6 feet and a bole length of 25 feet; the
leaf is very large, but does not reach the size of _M. macrophyllum_.
It is most frequently found in the swampy places at the edge of the
deciduous forest; like the sister tree, it is more or less gregarious,
though the groups are usually not very large.

The timber is of a dull yellowish-white colour, and planes well; it
does not split very easily and is very durable.

This species is a shade-bearing tree of soil-protecting and soil-
improving qualities, owing to the dense bed of leaves, which in turn
makes a bed of humus at the base of the tree, and thus grass-fires are
very much hindered in spreading. The timber has not been exported to
Europe and the natives scarcely ever use this wood.

_Randia malleifera_. Buje nla (Yoruba).

Found in the Olokemeji Reserve.

_Randia octomera_ (Hook.). Buje (Yoruba); Assun (Benin).

It is found in the Benin province. It is a shrub with spherical-shaped
fruit like an apple, with the sepals projecting from the top. The
fruits yield a black dye which is used by the natives.

_Randia cladantha_ (K. Sch.).

It is found in the Benin province of Nigeria. It is a woody shrub
having a hard wood, and rather pretty red flowers in the autumn, which
brighten the evergreen forest very much.

_Randia maculata_ (Kew). Buje, Buji dudu (Yoruba).

A shrub having large, trumpet-shaped flowers. It is very ornamental.

_Randia caudata_. Blue Dye. Buje (Yoruba).

It is a small tree, 15 to 20 feet high. Found in the Olokemeji
Reserve.

_Randia macrantha_. Kan Kan (Yoruba).

Found in the Ondo province.

_Nr. Randia_. Ukape (Benin).

Found in the Benin province.

_Mussænda erythrophylla_ (Sch. and Thonn.). Kamatete (Ibo, Owerri).

Found in Obudu, Ogoja province.

_Mussænda tenuiflora_ (Benth.). Mamu (Yoruba).

Found in the Mamu Reserve.

_Mussænda Isertiana_. Igi Ira (Lagos) (Benin).

Lagos.

_Pavetta Baconia_ (Hiern). Idofun, Igbo (Yoruba); Akapano Iyokheze (Benin).

It is a common tree in the Calabar, Warri, Benin, Ondo and Abeokuta
provinces of Nigeria. A small, shrub-like tree, reaching about 3
inches in diameter, most common as an undergrowth plant in the
evergreen forest zone. Many specimens are found in the Obagie Forest
Reserve. It stands the shade well, is moderately hard, and sprouts
well from the stump. The natives of the Benin country cut young
specimens very largely for use as yam-sticks.

_Hymenodictyon bracteatum_. Obadon (Benin).

Found in the Benin province of Nigeria.

_Corynanthe paniculata_ (Welw.). Olikiba Anikiba (Benin).

So far it has been found in the Benin province of Nigeria, but either
this species or Johimbe should be found in the Calabar and Ogoja
provinces.

It is a medium-sized tree of the mixed forest zone, which is
moderately prevalent in certain localities.

The timber is brown, hard and durable. It planes well and splits
moderately well. It takes nails and saws moderately easily for hard
wood. It is considered termite-proof by the natives.

It is a somewhat slow-growing tree, a shade-bearer, a soil-protecting
and soil-improving tree. Natural regeneration only appears to be
slight. It does not sprout very prolifically from the stump. No
experimental plantations have yet been made.

This is a sister species to _C. Johimbe_, which yields the bark
containing the very useful alkaloid Johimbin, but as yet the bark of
this tree has not been tested for a similar substance.

In the timber report of 1906 it is valued at 2½d. to 3½d. a foot as a
species of gummy mahogany, and in another case as fancy wood at 1d.
per superficial foot or 1s. 6d. to 1s. 9d. a cubic foot.

Amongst the Benin natives it is used for wall-plates, for which
purpose it is highly esteemed.

_Crossopteryx Kotschyana_. Ayeye (Yoruba).

A small tree found in the dry-zone forests, of no special value. The
fruit is leathery; the flowers grow in panicles.

_Native Use._—Parts of the tree are used in medicine by the natives.

_Sabicea calycina_ (Benth.). Agan Aparo (Yoruba).

Found in Iro.

_Canthium glabriflorum_ (Hiern). Attan (Benin).

It is a common tree in the Calabar, Ogoja, Warri, Benin and Ondo
provinces of Nigeria, also in the Cameroons.

It is a medium-sized tree, reaching a girth of 9 feet, but with a bole
length of about 60 feet, rather longer in proportion to the girth. The
flat, wide crown is typical of this tree, as are also the large
tripinnate leaves and the brown, stringy bark with slight fissures.
The branches spread out almost in two or three whorls near the top of
the tree. The light can be seen through the crown. The flower is
white, in large, umbel-like masses of small flowers, borne on the
upper side of the branches. It flowers in November.

The sapwood is white and fairly broad and the heartwood is brown, like
cedar. Termites attack in the open.

It is a light-lover and grows quickly, in old farms especially. It
sprouts well from the stump, but there are no root shoots. Seed
production is good, and seedlings appear in near open spaces.

It has not been cut for local use or exported to Europe.

The branch is used. It has to be placed on a boy’s head and is said to
make him grow. The boys do it themselves in the Benin country. The
wood is also a firewood in Benin.

To face p. 408.

=Compositæ.=

_Vernonia conferta_. Big-leaf African Cabbage Tree. Onimagugun, Shapo (Yoruba); Orimagugu, Oriweni, Onamagungun (Benin).

It is found in the Abeokuta, Ibadan, Benin, Onitsha and Ogoja
provinces of Nigeria, in clearings at the edge of the mixed deciduous
and dry-zone forests. It is a very common small tree or large shrub,
springing up in all old farms. The very large bright-green leaves, set
opposite to each other on a small, comparatively, stout, green,
succulent stem, are most typical of this plant. The fresh leaf,
especially on the smaller plants, is not unlike a very open cabbage
leaf, but of a lighter green hue. As the plant gets older the leaves
do not attain such a size. The flowers are small, but grow on large,
open and much-branched spikes. The stem is comparatively soft and
pithy, scarcely forming a real woody tissue. When dried they can be
used for firewood and kindle easily. Occasionally it is used for
making live fences.

_Vernonia Nigritana_ (O. and H.). Bitter Leaf. Ewuru or Oko (Yoruba); Ihagobo (Benin).

This is found in the upper part of the Benin province of Nigeria, near
Sabongida, in the deciduous zone. A small shrub-like tree, the leaves
of which are used for soup. The dried stem is used for kindling wood.
The roots are sometimes used as chew-sticks.

_Vernonia amygdalina_. (Del.). The Bitter Leaf. Ewuru (Yoruba), Oriwu (Benin).

Yoruba Chew-stick, also known as the Chew-stick of Ewuro, thereby
clearly showing the Yoruba origin of some of the inhabitants of Sierra
Leone, as Ewuro is also the name of it in the Sierra Leone country.

It is found in the Abeokuta, Ibadan and Benin provinces, where it
grows in openings in the mixed forests.

It is a small shrub, reaching a height of about 5 feet, having soft
leaves, with rather a greyish tint, which are covered with very fine
silvery hairs. It is commonly found in old farms and by the side of
the roads, usually in small bushes or clumps.

It sprouts up when cut down, and thoroughly shades the ground.
However, it is sometimes so thick that it rather hinders plantation
operations, though once the other plants are established it acts as a
useful little “nurse.” The leaves are picked off by the natives and
cooked in water for making soup. They have a distinctly bitter
flavour, but make a very healthy vegetable soup. The leaves are often
sold in the local markets. This shrub is occasionally left more or
less in line as a small living fence.

_Vernonia cinerea_ (Les.). Ash-coloured Fleabane. Elegbe Oju (Yoruba).

It is found in the Olokemeji Reserve of the Abeokuta province of
Nigeria. A large, woody shrub, one of the chewstick family, the leaves
of which are sometimes used for making soup.

=Lycopodaceæ.=

_Lycopodium phlegmaria_ (Linn.).

This is a small Lycopodium found in the Benin province of Nigeria. It
was obtained from the uppermost branches of a very tall tree, growing
at the edge of a deep valley about 8 miles north of Benin City.

NON-INDIGENOUS TREES OF NIGERIA

=Myrtaceæ.=

_Eucalyptus amygdalina_.

A specimen of this tree stands on the old beach at Akassa, Warri
province.

_Eucalyptus tereticornis_.

Lagos Island.

_Eucalyptus rudis_.

Lagos Island.

_Eucalyptus tesselaris_.

Lagos Island.

_Eucalyptus citriodora_.

A specimen of this tree stands in the Botanical Gardens at Calabar.

NOTES ON NIGERIAN TREES OF WHICH THE BOTANICAL NAMES ARE NOT KNOWN

_Itufiak_ or _Etufiak_ (Efik). Essunwoi (Yoruba); Ilako (Benin).

It is a medium-sized tree of the freshwater swamps, with heavy dark-
green foliage; it grows quite gregariously in stands of one to ten
acres in extent. The trunk reaches a girth of about 7 feet and a bole
length of about 30 feet. The roots spurns are comparatively slight,
and do not extend much over a foot up the bole. The foliage is very
heavy and it casts a most dense shade, making patches of this forest
the darkest of almost any in Africa.

It is common on the banks of the Itunkpe Creek, a tributary of the Kwa
River, near Calabar, in the same named province, and also in the
Owerri province of Nigeria. It belongs to the evergreen forest zone.

The timber is a reddish-brown hardwood of close grain, which would saw
into sizeable planks. It is a somewhat slow-growing, shade-bearing,
soil-protecting and soil-improving tree. The leaves yield a thick bed
of humus. It appears to be one of the most valuable trees in this
respect. It is moderately hard, with even, close-textured grain. It
planes well, saws fairly easily, takes nails, but does not split well.
Natural regeneration appears to be good. It also sprouts from the
stump.

The timber has not been exported, nor has it been cut for planks for
local use. It appears to deserve a trial as a local timber for floor-
boards or for the making of boxes. Considering that so often many
trees are found in the same place, it should not be difficult to
obtain adequate supplies.

_Native Use._—Building, but it is attacked by the insect called Efiak.

_Musk Tree_. Owi (Benin).

It is found in the Benin province of Nigeria, in the evergreen
forests. It is a medium-sized tree, reaching a girth of about 8 feet
with a short bole of about 10 feet. The crown is large but rather
elongated, and reaches down two-thirds of the height of the tree. The
fruit is large and more like an avocado pear in shape and colour. The
leaf is very large and wide, more like a teak leaf, but of stronger
texture, the midrib especially being very thick.

The timber is hard, with white sapwood and green heartwood. It splits
well and takes nails fairly well. It is a little fibrous in texture,
but can be planed; it saws fairly easily.

It is a somewhat slow-growing, shade-bearing, soil-protecting and
soil-improving tree. The leaves make a rich humus. Natural
regeneration is none too good. Stump sprouts do not appear to be very
strong.

It has not been exported or cut for local use, but would be worth
trying for house-building.

_Native Use._—The fruit is kept for four days and then the inside
large kernel is eaten. The young leaves are used for curing boils, as
an external plaster to draw the poison.

_Ekkiowa_ (Benin).

It is a small shrub which is found in the Benin district of the same
named province. It is not very common.

_Native Use._—The seed is used medicinally for the hands in case of
sores which are red or raw.

_Satinwood_. Okwaba (Benin).

This tree is found in the mixed forests of the Benin province of
Nigeria.

In 1906 sample logs of this timber were sold in the Liverpool market
as satinwood, but were not considered worth shipping. Since then,
however, none has been cut for export or for local use. Perhaps owing
to the increased demands for all kinds of timber a further trial
should be made with this one for satinwood. Natural regeneration is
poor. It is a somewhat slow-growing, shade-bearing, soil-protecting
and soil-improving tree. It reaches a large size.

_Ubellu_, genus? Annamamilla (Benin).

It is found in the Benin province, Nigeria.

It is a small tree, the name often confused with the mahogany-walnut,
_Lovoa Klaineana_, which is also sometimes known as Annamamilla in the
Benin country. The leaves are imparipinnate. It is a softwood with
light-brown heartwood and little black, spherically-shaped fruit,
unarmed.

_Native Use._—Firewood of good quality. Not used otherwise.

_Big Hardwood_. Arugbo (Yoruba); Eto (Benin).

It is a very large tree with a wide crown. The timber is of a brown
colour, but the sapwood is white. It is extremely hard and durable;
even when felled in the farms it will be six years before it has
rotted away. The bark is a dark-green with white lenticels scattered
over it.

It is rather a rare tree in the Benin province of Nigeria. Standing a
good deal of shade, it is a soil improver and protector. Natural
regeneration does not appear to be very plentiful.

It does not sprout up when coppiced.

_Native Use._—None.

_Ifon_ (Yoruba). Owehe (Benin).

Is a small tree which has scented wood. It reaches a girth of 20
inches only. Before going to market, according to the natives, the
feet, hands and body should be washed with a solution prepared from
the bark of this tree mixed with soap. The object of this operation is
to effect quick sales at the market.

_Ewayron_ (Yoruba).

A leaf for wrapping up food, found in the Yoruba country, also used in
Benin for roofing houses.

_Mahogany_. Alode (Benin).

This tree is found in the mixed deciduous forests of the Benin
province of Nigeria.

In 1906 samples of this timber were sold in the Liverpool market as a
species of mahogany of a soft nature. Since that date none has been
felled. Perhaps with the changed conditions with regard to the demand
for all timbers similar to mahogany a further trial with the timber of
this tree should be made. Natural regeneration is not very good. It is
a rather slow-growing, soil-protecting and soil-improving tree.

_Spiny Tree_. Oaha (Benin).

It is a small tree found in the Benin, Ondo and Abeokuta provinces of
Nigeria. The small, rather thin and longish spines on the stem are the
most typical feature of this tree. It usually grows with aerial roots.
It reaches about 3 feet in girth, and on the whole is more common in
the secondary forest than in the primeval. The wood is moderately
durable, especially when used for inside work, such as verandah-posts.

_Native Use._—It is sometimes used for small poles for hut-building.

_House Post_. Ewai (Benin).

A common tree in the Benin and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria. It is a
slow-growing tree which has a very hard brown wood; it is a shade-
bearer. The seed is a small nut. The wood is used by the natives of
Benin for building-posts, rafters and small planks.

It is found in the moist evergreen forest zone and is somewhat common
in the Obagie Reserve of the Benin district.

_Ussehin Chew-stick_. Okuta (Yoruba); Okuta, Opahan (Benin).

It is rather a rare tree of the Benin, Ondo and Abeokuta provinces of
Nigeria. The name means “a stone,” and has apparently been given
because of the hardness of the wood. It is a medium-sized tree,
reaching a girth of about 5 feet. The wood is almost white, and there
is little difference between sapwood and heartwood. In the Ussehin
country of Benin it is used as a chew-stick. The Yoruba states that it
is the hardest of all native woods.

_Akpo_ (Benin). Hardwood.

It is rather an uncommon tree of the Benin province of Nigeria, also a
very hard wood, a medium-sized tree. The brown heartwood is used by
the natives for planks. It is thought rather highly of by the Benin
natives, especially for wall-plates and joists. In the past it has
been only hewn by them, but not sawn.

_Ukpaigwi, Okpaigwi_ (Benin).

Rather an uncommon tree of the Benin province of Nigeria. It grows to
10 feet in girth and yields a soft wood which is attacked by white
ants. It is a shade-bearer and soil-protecting tree. The roots are
used by the natives for medicinal purposes.

_Oruru_ (Benin).

It is a tree found in the Benin province of Nigeria.

It is a small tree, reaching a girth of 2 feet. After three years it
comes up in an old farm. The slash is red and a little red sap exudes
slowly. It is usual to find thirty small ones in one place, from root
suckers, but also from stool shoots if a tree has been cut down
before. It is similar to Eranpata in this respect. The fruit is round
and small and like peas, only a little larger. The flower, which is
white and quite small, grows in small clusters.

The wood is not hard and white all through. It is attacked by
termites, except when placed in the house, where it is more or less
protected.

Reproduction by stool shoot is the best method.

It is a shade-bearer and grows slowly. It grows in good soil of some
depth and also in the evergreen forests. When it appears in old farms,
it stands the fires well.

It is a soil-improving and soil-protecting tree, and tends to spread
with the extension of cultivation, especially in the evergreen and
mixed deciduous forest zone.

As it does not reach timber size, it is not worth trying as a building
timber.

The fruit is edible; after eating it the tongue becomes almost of a
blue colour. The root is used medicinally. The branches are used as
pegs in the top of the walls of the houses in Benin, partly for fixing
the roof.

To face p. 414.