Chapter IX: The Nigerian Timber Trees (1)

INDIGENOUS TREES OF NIGERIA

B. SOUTHERN PROVINCES.

=Palmæ.=

_Raphia Hookeriana_. Hooker’s Palm or the Piassava Palm. Aiko (Yoruba); Iya (Efik); Angor (Benin); Ori (Oban, Ekoi).

It is found chiefly in the Calabar, Warri, and Ondo provinces of
Nigeria, mixed with _R. vinifera_ at the edges of estuaries and rivers
in the evergreen forest zone.

One of the main differences between this palm and _R. vinifera_ is
that the fruit is much shorter (at the most 1½ inches long and ¾ inch
in diameter) and more stumpy in shape, coming abruptly to a point at
the tip. _R. vinifera_, on the other hand, is much longer, reaching 2½
to 3 inches in length and ¾ inch to an inch in diameter, and it is
very elliptical in shape. The bunches of fruit of this palm, _R.
Hookeriana_, are much smaller, rarely exceeding more than a foot in
length, and containing 50 to 75 nuts, whereas _R. vinifera_ may have
bunches 3 feet long, each containing 500 nuts or more. In the stem,
too, this palm is smaller, often not reaching more than 6 to 9 inches
in diameter, with a total height of 20 feet, whereas _R. vinifera_
will reach over a foot in diameter and a total height of over 60 feet.
The natural cleaning of the stem begins much later in this palm, and
does not reach anything like the height of that of _R. vinifera_. In
many specimens, in fact, the stem remains always more or less covered
with the very upward tending branches. In this respect it reminds one
a little of _R. Ruffia_. The leaves, however, are more similar to _R.
vinifera_, but only about half the size, especially in length; they
are not quite so wide, nor are the leaf stalks quite so large.

The timber is very similar, but more fibrous and of a looser texture
than that of _R. vinifera_. It is a little easier to cut. In the older
specimens the foliage still retains its dark green colour compared
with the dry, yellowish hue which _R. vinifera_ takes on as it gets
older. It is a somewhat slow-growing, shade-bearing tree. It likes a
somewhat rich soil, but can, however, stand in water, and apparently
withstands floods. Natural regeneration appears to be good.

The timber has not been cut for export nor for local use. The fronds
are occasionally used for a similar purpose as that of _R. vinifera_,
and sometimes the leaves also.

_Native Use_.—The fronds and leaves are used in a similar way to those
of _R. vinifera_. The base of the leaf stalk is cut off into lengths
up to 6 feet (it almost encircles the tree and extends much further up
than in the case of _R. vinifera_) and laid in stagnant water. After
the intervening substance between the fibres has got more or less soft
and partly rotted away, the whole is taken out and the fibres cleaned
with a kind of comb. These are then dried, and packed together in
bundles of 20 pounds upwards, and sold to the European factory as
Piassava. This industry is more widespread in the Eket district of the
Calabar province, but it has taken a great number of years of thought
and careful attention to bring it up to its present dimensions. The
cutting of the leaves is undertaken mostly by the men and the rotting
and cleaning of the fibre mostly by the women. Before the war Piassava
fibre was rarely worth more than £28 per ton. It is now worth over
£70. Unless, however, a price of at least £20 per ton is offered in
Liverpool market for this fibre, it is doubtful if the industry can be
made profitable for everyone concerned, producers included.

_Raphia vinifera_. The Palm Wine Tree, or Tombo Palm, or Bamboo, the last named being the name used by the English-speaking Jekris. Ako (Yoruba); Emmaha Augor (Benin); Oukot (Efik).

It is found in the Abeokuta, Ondo, Benin, Warri, Owerri and Calabar
provinces and the Colony of Nigeria, at the edges of the streams and
rivers in the evergreen forest zone, where it grows in large groups
and pure forests.

It is a medium-sized palm, growing separately with one stem, which
clears itself of the leaf fronds for about half its height between the
twelfth and fifteenth year. The trunk then is comparatively smooth,
except for the very large scars of the leaf stalk. The fronds are the
longest of any of the African palms, reaching sometimes a length of 40
feet, roughly sickle shaped; in section they reach about 2 inches
diameter at the broadest part, and are a yellow-brown colour. The
leaves come out from the stalk almost at a right angle, thus making
them much wider and, owing to their greater length, much finer and
heavier foliage than that of the Oil Palm, or even the Coconut Palm.
In fact, an isolated specimen growing well could be not unfavourably
compared to the Royal Palm in the grandeur of its spread of leaf and
the beauty of the outward-spreading, fan-shaped bold crown. Both the
male and the female flowers are very conspicuous. The bunches of
fruit, up to 3 feet in length, hang down like enormous elongated
bunches of yellow grapes. The nuts are covered with a smooth yellow
hard skin, set in scales very similar to those of a cone, except that
each scale is tightly joined to the next. When the fruit decays, or is
boiled, the scales come off as well as the yellow, fibrous matter,
which gives a yellowish tinge to the water. The main difference
between the base of the Oil Palm and that of the leaf of this tree is
the extension of it more than half round the bole in the case of _R.
vinifera_, and also flatly and smoothly down the stem. On the other
hand, in the Oil Palm the leaf grows more abruptly out of and away
from the stem. Owing to the Tombo Palm stem being smaller (on the
average only 9 inches in diameter), the base of the frond extends
nearly all round the tree, the lower one overlapping the higher one,
and each placed in revolving fashion round the trunk, one above the
other. The leaf scars of the Oil Palm are much smaller. Owing to the
greater length of the leaf of this palm, the crown does not appear to
be such a tuft of leaves at the top of the tree as in the case of the
Oil Palm. In old age it appears more as a cylindrical mass of leaves
occupying the upper half or third of the tree.

The timber is more fibrous and soft than that of the Oil Palm. The
fibres, however, are dark brown, almost black when very wet or after
they have lain in water for any length of time.

On the whole the tree is slow-growing, even slower than the Oil Palm.
It stands a good deal of shade in the earlier stages, but later on is
apparently a light-demanding tree. It grows in freshwater swamps and
at the edges of such places. Although it thrives best in certain
localities, it can be planted and does grow on solid and comparatively
dry land near Calabar. In the Calabar province they are often planted
as an avenue leading up from the main road through the farm to the
house. It will stand floods. Natural regeneration is good, and with
the spread of propagation it tends to be more widely distributed. In
the Calabar and Ogoja provinces seeds were distributed to the natives
for planting for the production of palm wine to take the place of that
obtained from the Oil Palm. The timber has not been used for export,
nor has it been cut for local use. The leaf stalks, however, have been
used for building labourers’ lines and in some European houses. In a
similar way the leaves themselves have been used as a roofing material
after being made up into small mats.

_Native Use._—The tree is tapped near the base of the leading leaves,
or at the base of the male inflorescence, for the production of the
sap, which is collected in calabashes. These are placed in position
every evening and emptied every morning, and replaced in position.
Occasionally the chimpanzees climb up the palms, drink the wine in the
calabash and replace it. A native once shot a chimpanzee, finding it
was the thief of his palm wine and not a human being. The wine is of a
white, sometimes almost creamy colour, and when fresh is quite thin
and foamy. It has a rather pleasant, sweet, and almost sharp taste.
After being kept a few days it begins to ferment, and even moderate
quantities are intoxicating. Either fresh or fermented, it is sold in
bottles or calabashes in the local markets. The supply scarcely, if
ever, exceeds the demand. The natives often put pieces of the bark of
Tala, _Saccoglottis Gabunensis_, in the wine to give it a more bitter
taste. Occasionally also the bark of mahogany and other trees is used.
Tala, however, is the correct bark to use, and it forms an article of
local commerce for this purpose. Owing to the comparative
inaccessibility of some of the “stands” of this tree away in the
swampy regions near the estuaries of some of the larger rivers, such
as the Benin and the Siluko, there are still vast areas where neither
the leaves are cut nor the palms tapped for wine. The seeds are boiled
and placed in the bottom of a canoe, and when sufficient canoes have
been got together, each with its quota of boiled nuts, these are
trodden with the feet of those in the canoe, and both the nuts and the
scaly shell as well as the small amount of yellow flesh are thrown in
the water of a half-stagnant river. This yellow substance partly
blinds and stupefies the fish, the smaller ones of which come half
floating and swimming to the surface, the larger ones being washed
along near the bed of the river. These are caught in convenient places
where the river has been staked all across its width and bamboo
netting put down, except for an opening where a flexible net is used.
Some of the people go about in small canoes, netting the fish that
come to the surface. One of the most famous spots to see this is in
the Osse River, in the reach just below Noami, where the combined
fishery forces of the Jekris and, to a lesser extent, Sobos and Ijors,
for a day or two in succession in April each year, carry on this work.
The catch of fish obtained is enormous. Unless, however, it can be
soon smoked and dried, much of it goes bad. This method of getting
fish is also used by individual natives in stagnant backwaters of
rivers and in isolated pools. The poison apparently does not spoil the
taste or other quality of the fish. Occasionally this palm is also
used for getting out the Piassava fibre, but it appears to be more
difficult, and it is doubtful if it is as valuable as the fibre
obtained from _R. Hookeriana_. Owing, however, to the fact that both
species grow in the same locality and often quite mixed together, it
is highly probable that part of the Piassava obtained is taken from
this palm. In order to stimulate the flow of sap, a fire is often made
at the base of the tree, which burns all the lower leaves and even
part of the top, and thus induces an extra flow of sap, but of course
to the detriment of a continual yield, as the tree subsequently dies.

In many parts of the country there is a regular local industry in the
making of roofing mats from the leaves of this palm. The small ones,
about 3 feet long, are, however, sold 25 for 3d. and the big ones,
over 6 feet long, 25 for 6d. In some places they are cheaper. As a
roofing material they are very durable, and will last at least seven
years. If, however, they are put on very thickly, overlapping more
than two-thirds of their width, and the roof is thoroughly smoked from
the inside, it becomes nearly black, and will last fifteen years. For
native houses it is one of the most used roofing materials, except in
the Benin country, where the large Ewayon leaves are used. Roofing
mats are, of course, being superseded by galvanized iron in the more
civilized places. The leaf stalk is used both as a pole for pushing
lighters or heavily laden canoes through comparatively shallow water,
or as a boat-hook, or pushing and guiding pole for the smaller canoes
in getting up swift, winding and comparatively narrow rivers.

_Raphia Ruffia_. Roofing Palm.

_Chief Characteristics._—It does not form a proper stem, like other
raphias; the long, thin leaves sprout out from the ground, and only
when the tree is some years old is there any trace of a stem, which is
quite short. The petioles are thin, compared to the length, and the
leaflets are thin and narrow.

_Distribution._—It is found in the Calabar and Ogoja Provinces of
Nigeria. It is often planted near watercourses in damp valleys to
provide roofing material for the natives, who make mats from the
leaves (Ikom, Obubra districts).

_Phœnix reclinata_. Swamp Date Palm. Elekikobi (Yoruba); Ukukon (Benin).

A common tree of the Warri province of Nigeria. It is usually found in
or at the edge of the mangrove swamp, where it appears to thrive. It
is often rather bent in shape, and does not exceed 10 feet in height.
It is usually partially gregarious, though the groups of this species
are much smaller than those of _P. spinosa_. The natives in this
locality scarcely use it at all. The fruit is rather smaller, and it
bears in a less prolific manner than _P. spinosa_.

_Phœnix spinosa_. Wild Date Palm. Okun (Yoruba); Ukukon (Benin).

It is a common tree in the Ogoja, Benin, Ondo and Ibadan provinces of
Nigeria. In appearance more like a very thin stemmed Oil Palm, on
nearer approach the bluish-green, almost silvery, more open, shorter
and rather sharply pointed fronds readily distinguish it from the Oil
Palm group. The fruit is the shape of a very small date, many of which
are borne on thin fibrous twigs of a very stout stalk. It is usually
found in the open deciduous or savannah forest zone.

The natives use the stems for rafters and house-posts; the fruit and
bark are used medicinally; and the leaves are used for making sieves,
hats, mats and bags.

_Calamus deerratus_. Benin Cane or Rattan. Erogbo (Benin).

It is found in the Benin province of Nigeria. It is one of the rarer
canes of the forest, has a yellow flower, and is found near Okenuhen.
The canes are used for fences and house-building.

_Eremospatha macrocarpa_ (Mann and Wenal). Small Benin Rattan. Ukan (Yoruba); Ikan (Benin).

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

It is a common ½-inch thick cane, which attains a length of nearly 200
feet. It grows in clumps and climbs up over the surrounding trees. The
fruit is yellow and rather like a small larch cone which has not
opened. It is used for making rope and baskets, tying timber rafts,
house-building, etc.; in fact, it is the best cane in West Africa.

_Eremospatha sp._ Large Benin Rattan. Okakan (Benin).

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

It is a large creeper, nearly an inch in diameter and attaining a
length of nearly 200 feet. It is usually found partly growing on other
trees in more or less open places at the edge of the forest, near
river banks, in the evergreen forest zone; it is also found at the
edges of swamps in the same region. It often forms dense cane brakes.
One of the most typical features of this cane is the reddish-orange
cone-like fruit, which is borne in large clusters on the terminal
shoot of the creeper.

The light-yellow, long spikes of the male flowers are most conspicuous
early in the season, especially when seen from a canoe when passing
down a river like the Osse.

The natives strip off the bark and long shoots of fish-hooklike
spines, and use the comparatively smooth canes as supports for the
canoe mats and for making tying material for house-building; it is
also used for making rope. When whole, it is used in making bridges as
well as for joining logs together for rafting purposes. When cut into
short lengths and bent at one end, it can be used for walking-sticks.

It is rather a slow-growing creeper, and usually ten or twelve grow
out of one root stock. In 1904 this cane was examined in England as a
substitute for rattan, but it was found to be more brittle, and the
internodes were found to be too close together to be attractive as
walking-sticks. Still later, in 1908, it was tried for basket work,
but was found to be too coarse both in structure and texture of grain.

_Elæis Guineensis_. The Oil Palm, the West African Palm. Ope, Ipa ukoro (Yoruba); Udin (Benin).

It is found in all the Southern Provinces of Nigeria and as far North
as Zungeru, in the Northern Provinces. It belongs to the evergreen
forest zone, though it will spread with cultivation into the mixed
deciduous and dry zones.

It is the common palm of all the farms and forests of the moist and
mixed zone of Nigeria. It bears a bunch of fruit containing as many as
two thousand individual fruits in one drupe. In the drier parts there
may be only as many as one hundred seeds. There is one forked palm on
the right-hand side of the line about seven miles from Ibadan, just
beyond Moor Plantation. This is a very rare occurrence, and I have
only seen one in twelve years’ travelling in Nigeria. The male
inflorescence is not unlike a very close horse’s tail, turned up on
end. The orange-brown-coloured female flowers are very small, and do
not last long (a few days). The male flowers always appear first, and
above the female in each case. The natives say some trees only bear
male flowers, but it is doubtful if this is ever true, except in very
isolated cases. It bears fruit in the fifth year, and will go on for
about a hundred years. There is a most marked difference in the height
of a tree which has grown up in the “high forest” and one which has
come up in an old farm, the former being fully 100 or even 150 feet
high and the latter only 20 to 30 feet in height. In a similar way the
bole of the forest-grown palm is only about 3 feet in girth, whereas
the farm-grown palm may be over 6 feet in girth. It goes without
saying that the latter bears larger bunches of fruit and the
individual nuts are larger and also more numerous.

Between the twelfth and fifteenth year the tree begins to clear itself
of the lower leaves, thus forming a clean bole up to the tuft of
fronds at the top.

Owing to the fact that the bunches of fruit form in the axis of the
leaf stalk, they are compressed very tightly, and thus ripen
comparatively slowly. By cutting off the leaf immediately below the
fruit, the ripening period is shortened by three weeks. This is, of
course, partly due to the increased amount of light. Cutting leaves,
however, above the fruit, or at all excessively in number, leads to a
deceleration in growth, so that pruning should only be moderate. Both
in the forest and in the open, epiphytic ferns, figs, and other plants
grow amongst the leaves on the stem, and more especially later at the
top of the tree. The trees are rarely, if ever, cleaned of these
hindrances to healthy growth, but naturally they retard the flowering
and ripening of the fruit. The leaves are also used for making brushes
for sweeping the ground.

_Native Use._—Oil is made from the pericarp of the fruit, and from the
kernels, for rubbing on the skin. The leaf stalk is used for roof-
poles.

Natural regeneration is good, although the Oil Palm thrives best in a
deep, moist soil with considerable mineral content. It is, however,
found growing amongst rocks on laterite and poor sandy land, and that
in such case the rainfall is deficient, i.e. below 40 inches. A few
small plantations have been made. It is noticeable that self-grown
seedlings grow much slower than those transplanted. In the first year
the self-sown seedlings grow only one pair of leaves, whereas those
transplanted grow five or six in the same period. Apparently the Oil
Palm does not thrive unless the soil is kept well covered and a good
surface tilth maintained. With a planting distance of 20 to 24 feet
there is considerable scope for the planting of other crops between.
The chief difficulty appears to be to grow these at a profit without
impoverishing the soil or hindering the quick development of the Oil
Palm. On suitable soil the most profitable crops appear to be the
following: ground-nuts, beans (three or four kinds), Egusi Bara,
_Citrullus vulgaris_.

A fuller consideration of this subject, and the Oil Palm generally,
will be found in the separate section about it.

_Elæis Guineensis_, var. _Thompsonii_. The Palm of Everlasting Life or King Palm. Eviromilla (Benin). This is the meaning according to the Benin name.

It is found in the Colony of Lagos, and Abeokuta and Benin provinces
of Nigeria. On the whole, it is an uncommon tree, but there is no
doubt of its being an indigenous tree to this part of Africa. The
leaves are long and very compressed, being set at an acute angle to
the leaf stalk and of smaller size than in any other species. It gives
the palm almost the appearance of a Cycad. It also looks as if the
leaves had closed up with the cold or were not fully developed. The
leaves also are of a much darker green (almost olive-green) than the
ordinary palm. Amongst the Benis it is considered the Sacred Oil Palm
Tree, the nut obtained from it being especially revered. From the
Resident’s office is seen one of these trees which was planted in the
Benin City Arboretum some nine years ago. It is a very slow-growing
palm, having scarcely one quarter of the rate of growth of the
ordinary oil palm. The stem is much thinner in proportion to the
height than the ordinary oil palm; and it does not attain more than
half the height of an oil palm. When growing in a group, it gives
quite a funereal appearance.

The nuts are used by the natives as “Ju-ju” of divination to see into
the future. It is said that “the nuts talk,” in the Benin country,
where the tree is held to be that of everlasting life.

_Elæis sp._ Ope trumfo (Yoruba).

Abeokuta province, Yoruba country.

_Elæis sp._ Small Oil Palm. Ope Ifu No. I (Yoruba); Ogiedi (Benin).

Abeokuta province, Yoruba country.

_Elæis Guineensis_, var. _Lisombe_. Palm, or Lisombe Palm, or Soft- shelled Palm. Ogeddin (Benin).

The main difference of this species is in the small oblong, pointed
fruit on a much smaller drupe, and the larger quantity of oil obtained
from the pericarp and the very small kernel in the nut. It is also
much softer to crack. The foliage looks a fresher green than the
ordinary variety; also the leaflets are placed at an acuter angle to
the leaf stalk than the other.

It is not very prevalent in the Benin, Abeokuta, Calabar and Ogoja
provinces of Nigeria.

_Silviculture._—The nuts, when sown, do not germinate true to species,
except for a few per cent. It is planted in the Indem country of the
Ogoja province.

_Native Use._—The oil is collected in a similar way to the other, but
is liked more by the natives of Benin. The kernels are used for making
oil as well.

_Hyphæne_. Dum Palm or Forked Palm. Kaba, Kodago, Kwalo (nut), Goriba (Dr. Dalziel’s Hausa list).

It is found in the Zaria and Niger provinces of Nigeria.

The only branched palm in West Africa. It attains a height of 30 feet.
It is more or less gregarious in habit, though the individual groups
of palms are not very large. It is apparently somewhat fire-resisting,
though this may be due to its being found amongst the dry-zone
vegetation. The stem is short and the two forks often crooked, so that
little or no use is made of the wood by the natives. The seeds are
turned into buttons, and so have recently obtained a value for this
purpose. They were first sent to England from the Soudan, where
apparently the tree is much more common than in West Africa.

_Borassus flabelliformis_, var. _Æthiopica_. Palmyra or Black Run Palm, Fan Palm, Bottle Palm, Arac Palm. Agbon, Olodu, Igoti (Yoruba); Oluwa (Benin).

It is a common tree in the dry-zone forest regions of Ibadan, Benin,
Onitsha, and Ogoja provinces of Nigeria. This palm, with the swollen
upper part of the bole making it appear more like a large inverted
bottle, is thus not to be mistaken for any other. The huge fan-shaped
leaves distinguish it from either the Coconut Palm or the Oil Palm. In
the distance, too, the leaves appear more silvery-green, and not the
yellow-green of the Coconut, or the bright, fresh green of the Oil
Palm, or the sombre dark green of the Wine Palm. A large mass of
coconut-shaped nuts, but with a smoother, more yellow surface, and
more cylindrical in shape, without the ridges of the coconut, are
another feature of this tree. At the base of each nut the old sepals
of the flower remain, appearing like large dark-brown leaf scars. The
young seedlings are easily seen amongst the grass, sticking up as they
do like little silvery-green fans of varying size, in detail showing
the folds of a fan most distinctly, the leaf opening out in a similar
way to a fan. The bole is dark brown and practically smooth, showing
no leaf scars, and only faintly lined vertically down the stem. The
base is only slightly swollen, and the roots do not form a large mound
round it, as is the case with the Oil Palm, and to some extent with
the Tombo Palm. Inside the fruit there are two or three large,
flattish nuts.

The timber is fibrous, hard, but very durable and quite termite proof.
Although the upper part of the stem is hollow, long sectional pieces,
four by two, and even thicker, can be cut out. It planes up with a
smooth surface, and the grain looks very pretty with the thick fibres.
It nails fairly well and splits longitudinally.

It is a light-loving tree, moderately fast growing for a palm. It is
usually found growing gregariously in groups of a few acres up to
hundreds of acres in extent. However, it is rarely thick enough to
thoroughly shade the ground. Natural regeneration is good, even though
in most areas annual grass-fires run through the trees and to some
extent char the fruit. No plantations have been made of these species.

The timber has not been exported, but locally it has been used for
house-building, as well as for fences near the railway. The natives
occasionally use it for house-building, but they do not know how to
tap it for the wine. The leaves are sometimes used for making
temporary shelters. The fruit is sometimes eaten, and has a pleasant
taste. The nuts might be exported for making into buttons.

=Cyanastraceæ.=

_Cyanastrum cordifolium_. Ikoto.

It has an edible fruit. Found in the Benin province of Nigeria.

=Liliaceæ.=

_Dracæna sp._ Dragon’s Blood. Ewanenimi (Benin).

It has a very long, thin leaf of the usual monocotyledonous type and
with a somewhat branched stem, with thin papery bark.

It is fairly common in the Benin country. It is one of the few
monocotyledonous trees of the forest, and thus easily distinguishable
from other trees. The parallel veins of the leaf are very long and
laid fairly close together. The stem is very porous and not woody,
being more fibrous in type. It reaches a girth of about 4 feet and a
height of 40 feet.

_Native Use._—The leaves are used by the natives medicinally; and
occasionally the sap is used to blind people.

_Dracæna surculosa_. Dragon’s Blood. Ope, Igbo.

Is found in Olokemeji.

_Dracæna cylindrica_. Boundary tree. Peregun (Yoruba); Ukpogun, Ogihu (Benin).

Found in the Olokemeji Reserve.

_Dracæna cylindrica_. Boundary tree. Peregun (Yoruba); Ukpogun, Ogihu (Benin).

It has a wider and shorter leaf than the Ewanenimi tree, but again
with the parallel veins, which are, of course, typical of the
monocotyledon. It does not really form proper timber, but the stem is
of a spongy, fibrous nature. It reaches a girth of about 5 feet and a
height of about 50 feet. It usually has one stem, which is unbranched
for a very considerable length, but sometimes a whole group will grow
up in one place.

Both this and the former species are propagated very easily by
cuttings. In fact, it is possible to take the end of a branch complete
with the leaves and put it in the ground, when it will grow. It likes
a comparatively deep moist soil, though it will stand any amount of
drought without actually dying. It stands pruning well and grows
moderately rapidly.

It is useful for making live fences.

_Native Use._—Both Yorubas and Benis use the tree for boundaries,
simply sticking cuttings in wherever it is wished to mark a place.
“Ju-ju” places are also marked in this way. The leaves are used
medicinally in Benin.

_Dracæna Perrottetii_. Boundary tree. Ope, Kanakan (Yoruba).

Found in the Mamu Forest.

_Dracæna sp._ Boundary tree. Oro Igbo (Yoruba); Uruaro (Benin).

A common Dracæna found in the Benin and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria.
It is often used for making fences to farms and boundaries for village
or farm land, and for marking special “Ju-ju” places. The Benin people
state that it has more latex than the other species of this genus.

=Marantaceæ.=

_Clinogyne_, syn. _Donax cuspidata_. Yoruba Soft Cane. Toto (Y.).

It is found in the Abeokuta province of Nigeria. It is a small soft
cane which grows gregariously in groups from a quarter to half an acre
in extent in the Olokemeji Reserve, to a height of about 5 feet, and
has large, alternating, very fine parallel-veined leaves.
Inflorescence, raceme or panicle-like bracts, deciduous. Some species
yield starch or fibre. Toto is found quite abundantly in the middle of
the Olokemeji Reserve. It is used for mat-making, and considered most
valuable.

=Orchidaceæ.=

_Polystachya sp._ (Lindl.). Eme-ela (Yoruba).

It is found in the Olokemeji Reserve in the Abeokuta province of
Nigeria.

_Polystachya odorata_. Afoma (Yoruba).

This is a parasitic plant, very similar to mistletoe, which attacks
many kinds of trees and has recently been found on the six-year-old
teak at Mamu and Olokemeji, in the Abeokuta province of Nigeria.

=Ulmaceæ.=

_Celtis solenostigma_. Hard Celtis (large). Ita (Yoruba); Ita, Uta (Ikale); Ohianamemme, Ohia (Benin); Omoin, Itako, Ita gangan (Egba).

It is found in the Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ondo, Benin, Owerri, and Ogoja
provinces of Nigeria, in the mixed deciduous forest zone, where it is
usually very prevalent. In many places it is almost gregarious.

It is a large tree 10 feet in girth, with smooth stem and large, long,
thin buttresses. It has a bigger leaf (6 inches) than the other Ita,
with a very prominent mid vein on the leaf.

The fruit is dark coloured. The root buttresses are very long and
thin, extending sometimes 15 feet up the trunk of the tree. They are,
however, shallower and thinner than in the case of mahogany and cotton
trees. They merge gradually at an angle of about 15 degrees into the
stem. The bole may reach a length of about 90 feet, and is usually
very straight. The crown is compressedly spherical, rather shallow in
proportion to the size of the tree, but fairly wide-spreading.
Occasionally, if the bark has a yellow tinge, especially in smaller
specimens, the tree may be mistaken for Opele, _Schrebera
Golungensis_.

Timber is white and very hard, and splits well when it is dry. When
dry it is inclined to be brittle, though it shows considerable lateral
strength. The texture of the grain is fine, and it planes up with a
smooth surface. It is liable to split with nails, but it saws well.
Under cover it is durable; in the open, unless very carefully dried,
it is liable to decay. When thoroughly dry it hardens very
considerably, and is not attacked by white ants, especially when used
in a suitable place. When dry it will float, but the wood is liable to
become discoloured by contact with water.

As firewood it burns slowly, gently and steadily, giving out much
heat. It is a fairly rapid-growing tree, at first shade-bearing and
later somewhat light-demanding; in the older stages it scarcely
protects the soil. Up to the pole stage it is a soil-improving tree,
the leaves making a rich humus. Natural regeneration appears to be
good. It does not sprout from the stump. Considering its size it is
fairly wind-firm. No plantations have been made of this tree.

The timber has not been exported, not has it been sawn up for local
use. Considering its prevalence, it deserves a trial.

_Native Use._—It is considered the best firewood in Benin, and also
used as firewood among the Yorubas.

_Celtis sp.?_ Soft Celtis (small). Ita ita (Yoruba); Ohia (Benin).

It is found in the Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ondo, Benin, and Ogoja provinces
of Nigeria, in the mixed deciduous forest zone, where it is very
prevalent.

It is a medium-sized tree up to 4 feet in girth, with medium sized,
thin leaves and white-coloured twigs. The stem is slightly scaly and
yellowish-green in colour, especially in the upper parts. A very
common tree in the deciduous forest. With its yellowish-green bark in
the upper part of the bole it is very similar to Opele, _Schrebera
Golungensis_, and can often be mistaken for it. The trunk, however, is
not slightly pitted, as is the case with Schrebera. On the whole, this
tree is shorter, reaching a height of about 40 feet. The root
buttresses are much slighter than in the case of _C. solenostigma_,
though they are of a similar shape, being very thin and merging
gradually into the trunk to a height of about 5 feet from the ground.

Timber is white and fairly hard, but not durable. It hardens somewhat
on exposure to the air. The texture of the grain is fine, but
occasionally cross-grained. It planes moderately well, and takes nails
moderately well also, more so than _C. solenostigma_. It saws easily
and splits well.

As a firewood it burns steadily and slowly, giving out great heat. It
does not crackle nor cause sparks.

It is a moderately fast growing, at first shade-bearing, and
subsequently a light-demanding tree. During most of its life it is a
soil-protecting and soil-improving tree. Natural regeneration is good.
It sprouts a little from the stump, but not strong enough for purposes
of reproduction.

The timber has not been exported, nor has it been sawn up for planks
for local use. Being smaller than _C. solenostigma_, after trial it
may not be found so useful, but it could be used for similar purposes.

_Native Use._—Firewood of the best kind, and occasionally used as side
house-posts.

_Trema Africana_. African Elm. Ehunogo, Ehrunbogo (Benin); Affi (Ibadan and Oyo); Afoforo (Egba); Offun (Lagos).

It is found in the Abeokuta, Ibadan and Benin provinces of Nigeria, in
the mixed deciduous forests, where it is moderately prevalent.

It is a medium-sized tree with nettle-like leaves, which wither
rapidly. It has a very thin, smooth bark. The fruit is small, thin and
long, and is eaten by pigeons. It grows up where old trees fall in the
forest, and is also a common tree in old farms. Medium-sized specimens
are in general appearance, from a little distance, very similar to
Iroko, and it can be mistaken for this tree. The crown, however, is
narrower, and the foliage is somewhat thicker, and the leaves and
branches are placed rather closer together than those of Iroko. The
bark is slightly fissured, and does not show lenticels like the Iroko,
especially not on the roots. In proportion to the size of the tree,
the root spurns are larger than in the case of Iroko. It it usually
found growing singly, whereas groups of Iroko are often common, or
anyhow several are found in one locality.

The timber is white and of medium hardness, but very durable indeed.
It is termite proof. It planes well, but does not split easily. It
saws well and takes nails fairly easily.

It is of fairly rapid growth, at first shade-bearing, and later a
somewhat light-demanding tree, with soil-protecting and soil-improving
qualities. Natural regeneration only appears to be moderate. It
sprouts from the stump.

The timber has not been exported, not has it been sawn up for local
use.

_Native Use._—The timber is used amongst the Benis as rafters and
ceilings for house-building, as it is uncut or squared.

_Trema affinis_ or _T. Africana_. African Elm. Afofero (Yoruba).

Found in the Abeokuta province of Nigeria.

=Moraceæ.=

_Antiaris toxiaria_. False Oroko. Oro Aiyo, (Egba) (Yoruba); Ogiovu (Benin).

It is a common tree in the Calabar, Ogoja, Owerri, Warri, Benin, Ondo,
Ibadan and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria.

It is a large tree, reaching a girth of 15 feet and a bole length of
70 feet, of very cylindrical shape. There are large surface roots,
which stick up out of the ground on roadsides, but form only low root
spurns. The bark is grey, smooth and almost shiny in the sun. The
crown is heavier and less open than Iroko, but otherwise in habit it
is similar. The leaves on the whole are smaller and the foliage
generally is of a lighter green than the Iroko, except when the latter
puts on new leaves in February or March. The fruit is a little
spherically shaped nut with a papery covering easily removed,
disclosing a round nut with small markings all round it. Two kernels
are found inside on cracking it. The slash is yellowish white, and
gradually a little thin white latex exudes. The tree usually appears
after a few years on abandoned farms. The leaf is rough to the hand,
almost as bad as _Ficus asperata_, but there are no hairs on the under
surface. On the whole the branches are much flatter than Oroko, though
the top of the crown is round. The timber is soft and white all
through. Termites attack it. It is very light and might almost pass as
a substitute for cork. It has large and wide medullary rays, more
especially in the root. In cross section the root looks almost porous.

_Native Use._—Amongst the Yorubas the bark is used medicinally and the
wood for doors, benches and matchet handles.

It grows very fast and likes light. Scale insects like to make their
nests in a junction of a branch with the stem, where there is quite a
hollow. In youth the firm and almost horizontal branches are quite a
contrast to the long, up-shooting or drooping branches of Oroko. It
has not been cut either for local use or for export.

The roots are used for making corks in the Calabar district.

It is used often as a “Ju-ju” tree, like the Iroko, chiefly in the
Calabar Division. The hunters sit near the tree, when in fruit,
because the Maxwell’s Duika, Yellow-backed Duika, Red-headed Duika,
etc., eat the fruit. The bark is used in sections for making bags by
sewing the two ends together, as well as one side.

_Antiaris sp._ Ovu (Benin).

It is a common tree in the Benin and Ondo provinces of Nigeria. It is
medium-sized, reaching a girth of 9 feet and a bole length of about 50
feet. The leaf is larger, but the crown appears thicker and heavier
than _Antiaris toxiaria_. The seed is the same size as _Antiaris T._,
but the root spurns are very slight, even less than _Antiaris T._ The
branches spread out from the stem, thus making the crown longer and
narrower than _Antiaris T._ In this respect the _Antiaris sp._ is more
like the Oroko than the _Antiaris T._

The timber is white and soft. No proper heartwood. It splits well.

It is a shade-bearer and is often found in the thick forest. It grows
much slower than _Antiaris T._

It has not been cut for local use or exported to Europe. Perhaps it
could be tried for wood pulp.

In Benin the branches of this tree are used for making figures of
their ancestors, which are placed outside the house. The bark is used
for making bags in a similar way to that of _Antiaris T._ It is also
used for making rope or string for tying bags.

_Antiaris sp._ Cedar-like Lauro. Oregbon I (Yoruba); Opputtu (Benin).

It is a common tree found in the Benin and Abeokuta provinces of
Nigeria. It is very similar in habit and shape to the _Antiaris
toxiaria_, but it does not attain nearly such a large size. The tree
exudes very fine, white latex in a very small quantity. The timber is
soft and white and not durable.

To face p. 250.

It is a soil-protecting and soil-improving tree, and stands a good
deal of shade. The tree has not been cut for local use, nor has it
been tried as a timber for export.

_Ficus sp._ Common Fig. Obobo (Yoruba); Ohau (Benin).

It is a common tree of the Calabar, Ogoja, Owerri, Warri, Benin, Ondo,
Ibadan and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria. One of the most typical
features of this tree is its free growth, open crown, and green,
yellow and orange-coloured bark from the base upwards. It is a medium-
sized tree, attaining a girth of 10 feet. The small red-coloured figs
attract pigeons especially, as well as other birds, to the trees in
the fruiting season. The leaf is small for a Ficus and oval in shape.
The wood is white and soft. The white latex which exudes from the
trunk when cut distinguishes this tree from the satinwood, _Afrormosia
laxiflora_, with which it might be confused owing to the similar
shades of green, yellow and orange-colour of the bark. It is chiefly
found in the secondary forest, also near villages in the evergreen
forest zone. Owing to the parrots and pigeons carrying the seed,
reproduction from this source, both in epiphytic and tree form, is
very good, but it is most usually found growing alone in an open
place, without any support from other trees. It is very fast growing
and impatient of shade.

The wood has not been used locally nor for export, nor does the native
apparently have any use for it, as it soon rots when cut down.

The native occasionally eats the ripe fruit.

_Ficus exasperata_. Emido, Oboba (Yoruba).

This tree is found in the Abeokuta province.

_Ficus Thonningii_. Opoto (Yoruba).

This is one of the smaller fig-trees of the mixed deciduous zone. As
with the others, it is not used as a timber tree, but occasionally for
fences.

_Ficus triangularis_. Abadan (Yoruba); Obadan-nikwi (Benin).

It is a common tree in the Benin, Ibadan and Abeokuta provinces of
Nigeria. It is chiefly found in the mixed deciduous forests. It is of
no use as a timber tree, but is used occasionally for fences by the
natives.

_Ficus Vogelii_. Lagos, Abba or Abbo Rubber. Abadon (Yoruba); Obadan (Benin).

It is the common tree of the Calabar, Ogoja, Onitsha, Benin, Ondo and
Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria. This is the most common fig-tree, and
is usually found along the sides of roads in the native villages. The
very large, shiny leaf (not quite as glossy as _Ficus Indica_) is one
of the most typical features of this tree. In Benin it is usually
deciduous for about thirty-six hours, and the pinkish tips of the
fresh leaves and the great rapidity of their development are
remarkable. The bark is dark brown and rougher than the other species.
In the Benin Forestry Compound there is a large specimen. On the
whole, it is less common in the evergreen forest than near villages or
roads. In the forest it is most often found as an epiphyte growing on
oil palms, Sasswood, and oil-bean trees. The timber is white and soft;
it has not been used for local purposes nor for exports. The “Balata
rubber” of the Upper Niger district is obtained by roughly coagulating
the latex of this tree in the air, with or without reagents, such as
the latex of _Bauhinia reticulata_, or salt. The natives use the tree
for making fences by sticking in pieces of the stem of suitable
length, and in a similar manner it is used as a shade tree on the
sides of roads in the villages. This is more especially the case in
the villages in the dry zone, where other shade trees are scarce.
Pigeons and parrots spread the seed, and thus its reproduction is
assured.

_Ficus platyphylla_. Gambia Rubber.

It is also found in the upper reaches of the Ogan River, in the Ogo
province of Nigeria.

_Ficus asperata_. Sandpaper Leaf. Ekpin (Yoruba); Ameme (Benin).

It is a common tree in the Ogoja, Owerri, Benin, Onitsha, Ibadan, Ondo
and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria.

It is often found as a small, scrubby tree, though when fully grown it
reaches a girth of 8 feet, especially in the Benin province. The rough
leaves are harsh to the touch.

The pigeons are very fond of eating the fruit and seeds.

The wood is white and soft.

The leaf is of the usual Ficus style, with a short stalk and deeply
dentated, making almost a five-lobed leaf.

The leaves might be useful as a substitute for sandpaper. It has not
so far been cut for export or local use.

_Native Use._—The leaves are used for cleaning calabashes by the
Yorubas and Benin people.

_Ficus sp._ Ograw (Yoruba).

Found in the Abeokuta province.

_Musanga Smithii_. Cork-wood or Umbrella Tree. Agbawo or Aga (Yoruba); Ogohen (Benin); Oro (Brass).

It is a very common tree, found growing in new clearings amongst the
evergreen and mixed forests of the Calabar, Ogoja, Owerri, Onitsha
(?), Warri, Benin, Ondo, Ibadan and Abeokuta provinces of Nigeria.

It is a medium-sized tree with an umbrella-shaped crown. It is the
most distinctly gregarious tree of any in the forest, often alone
covering many acres of land, supported on a series of aerial roots,
the centre one of which is really the tap-root. The tree looks
altogether top-heavy when mature (it is short-lived). It reaches a
girth of nearly 5 feet. The bark is thin and of a light brown colour,
spotted here and there with large yellow lenticels. The large pink
sheath containing the immature staminate flower is often found lying
on the forest pathway after the storm. The leaf is reminiscent of the
horse chestnut, but with about eight digits. The young leaflet is of
an orange-red colour. It is doubtful if it passes an age of thirty
years.

The timber is white and soft, with no distinguishing heartwood, but
with brown pith half an inch in diameter. When properly dried it has a
fine, smooth grain and is usually free of knots. It dries much harder
than when freshly cut. It splits well, but it is rather brittle.

It is the quickest growing of all the African forest trees, and
certainly reaches timber size before any other. Regeneration by seed
is prolific, seeds often germinating after lying dormant for over a
hundred years, when a heavy forest is cut down. It is a light-lover,
protecting the soil with its heavy foliage, and enriching it by making
a good mould when it falls to the ground. It will stand a little shade
as a young seedling. Very few trees will grow under it, though it is a
useful “nurse.”

The timber is used for floating other wood heavier than water, but it
has not been exported or cut for local use. The roots are used
medicinally, and hunters tap the tree for water in the dry season.

_Native Use._—As the Yoruba name implies, a group of the aerial roots
is used for a native chair. Young 6-inch stems, split in half, cut
about 4 feet long and dried, are used upright to form the walls of
temporary farm-buildings. The wood is also used in place of cork, and
for making matchets and knife scabbards in the Benin and Ibo countries
respectively.

_Chlorophora excelsa_. African Oak, African Teak. Iroko (male), Iroko (female), Oba’s Tree, Rock Elm. Iroko (Yoruba); Uloko, Oroko Ulokoodigpe, Uloko-nushinogbon (Benin); Odji (Ibo, Asaba); Ofryio (Efik); Nsan (Oban, Ekoi).

It is a very large forest tree, reaching a girth of 30 feet and a bole
length of 90 feet under favourable conditions. The male tree is
usually thinner and of more compressed build, whereas the female shows
more spreading growth and larger size; it is also quicker growing than
the male. The female has stout, finger-thick, solid catkins, whereas
the male has thin, long, open catkins up to 6 inches long. The timber
of the male is darker brown and closer grained than that of the
female, and also harder. The sapwood is wider in the female tree, but
there is also a very wide difference between trees of both genders
when they are grown in the open, old farms, or in dense, high forest,
the latter yielding the hardest and closest-grained timber. The crown
is almost umbrella-shaped and open, so that the leaves appear large in
proportion, and it is usually possible to see through it. Three or
four large limbs form the mainstay of it (see plate No. 37). The
yellow lenticels on the stem, especially in younger specimens, and
also on the red roots, are typical of the tree. The slash is
yellowish, with little red spots in it. A little white latex flows out
too.

In proportion to the size of the tree the root spurns are not very
large, reaching 3 or 4 feet up the tree, and being well rounded, do
not spoil the shape of the base of the bole. In older specimens the
bark becomes brown, and finally almost grey in colour, and scales off
to a slight extent. Although it forms very large side roots, it has a
tap-root going to considerable depth. The loose seeds are small and
flat, being not unlike those of alder, but rather larger and thinner.

It is found in all the Southern Provinces of Nigeria, both in the
evergreen and mixed forest zones, where it is none too prevalent.

_Timber._—Sapwood is yellowish white, and the heartwood of a yellow
brown to dark brown (oak to teak brown). It is moderately hard, very
durable and termite-proof. It does not plane very well, being
sometimes cross-grained; it can, however, be worked up to a smooth
finish. The grain is rather open and the pores very long. It has,
however, an oily feel, and a certain amount of sheen. It takes nails
with difficulty, splits moderately well and saws easily. It soon
darkens on exposure to the air and light, becoming in this respect
much darker than oak in a similar period. When seasoned properly it
does not warp excessively. If taken green from the forest zone into a
drier climate it will split. In the past a good deal of timber has
been used in this state.

It is a moderately fast-growing, at first shade-bearing and
subsequently a light-demanding tree, with soil-protecting and soil-
improving qualities. It is deciduous for a few weeks in the year,
generally in February or March, but specimens vary a great deal in
this respect. Natural regeneration is very good, and in suitable
localities it tends to spread more and more with the advance of the
native farms into the forest. It stands transplanting very badly.
Nursery sowings, however, show an enormous percentage of germination,
the seedlings often coming up more thickly than grass. The ground pig
eats the roots of transplanted seedlings, especially in localities
where there are less desirable trees. It will grow as much as 6 feet
in one year, and wherever it has much light in the forest, self-sown
seedlings will grow 3 or 4 feet each year. The leaves are attacked by
a minute coccus which causes them to swell up into an irregular shape,
including the bud, thus stopping the growth for that season. Inside
each of these swellings there are several of the young insects. Only
the younger trees are attacked, and from the pole stage onwards trees
do not appear to suffer nearly so much. In localities, too, where the
trees grow very rapidly they appear to be less attacked, if at all. It
is not very susceptible to fire, though in the mixed deciduous the
base of the stem is often burnt. It is one of the most storm-firm of
all the African trees. The bole is very cylindrical, especially if the
tree which has been growing in the forest is given plenty of space to
grow. The increment put on the bole is very great, being as much as 11
inches in circumference in one year.