The useful trees of northern NigeriaLely, Hugh Vandervaes
Science
The useful trees of northern Nigeria
Lely, Hugh Vandervaes
Plants, Useful -- Nigeria, Northern; Trees -- Nigeria, Northern
=The Leaves= are pinnate, 9-10 inches long with three to four pairs and
a terminal leaflet. The main stalk is very slender and those of the
leaflets very short. The leaflets are obovate, with a tongued tip, the
lowest pair rounded, the intermediate pairs narrower and the terminal
larger and broader. The upper surface is dark and shiny, the under side
paler and smooth. The mid-rib is prominent beneath and slightly sunken
above. There is a marked contrast between the colour of the leaflet
stalks and the under side of the leaflets when viewed from beneath.
=The Flowers= appear on the leafless tree in February or March. They
are on 6-7 inch long spikes all over the bare twigs, and are a delicate
blue or mauve colour and pleasantly scented. They are “pea-flowers,” ¾
inch long, the calyx reddish-purple, the standard petal with a cream
centre splash and the keel white. The flowering period is very short
and the leaves follow and cover the tree in a few days.
=The Fruits= are flat pods, 3-5 inches long and ¾ inch broad, very
slightly embossed at the seeds, light brown with a grained surface,
very like tanned leather, containing up to 3 flat, bean-shaped, dark
brown seeds. A large number of pods fall entire without producing seeds.
[Illustration]
=LONCHOCARPUS LAXIFLORUS= G. & P.—_Farin Sansame, Shunin Biri, Halshen
Sa_. LEGUMINOSAE.
A small tree some 15-20 feet high, occasionally 30 feet, occurring
commonly throughout the drier savannahs, often in small patches or
clumps. It resembles _Stereospermum Kunthianum_ (Sansame) in form and
leaf but in no other detail. The form is stunted and similar to the
majority of the trees in the northern bush savannah, though larger
examples with big oval crowns and a 10 foot bole are not uncommon. A
curious branching habit is noticed where the main stem grows partly
round the base of the side limb forming an enlarged joint. The branches
are markedly drooping. The pale bark, purple flowers, narrow flat pods
and greyish-green leaves are distinctive features.
=The Bark= is light grey or yellowish and fairly smooth, the scales
being small, close together and corky. Narrow ridges of cork form on
the branches and that of the stem thickens for protection against
fires. The slash is yellow with black streaks, very distinctive.
=The Wood= is light yellow, of uniform colour. In transverse section
the rings are marked and the concentric lines of hard and soft tissue
very plainly seen. The pores are large and small, few, scattered
about in the lines of soft tissue in festoons. The rays are straight,
variable in width, some visible, others not, to the unaided eye.
The areas of hard tissue are clearly divided into rectangles by the
sharp lines of soft tissue and the rays. The wood is hard, heavy, not
difficult to saw and planing to a smooth finish with a slight sheen.
The weight is 55 lbs. a cubic foot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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