The Fruits are 4-winged seeds, about ¾ inch long. They ripen from green through red to brown, and hang in loose clusters amongst the leaves. The stalks of the flower spikes elongate considerably with the seed growth and intermingle, forming a tangle of seed and stalk.
Uses.—There are none other than that the gum is chewed by the natives.
COMBRETUM LEONENSE Engl. & Diels.—Wuyan damo. COMBRETACEAE.
This species is found distributed fairly evenly over large areas of both Tree savannah and the drier, more open forests, and is common in rocky country. It has a tendency to grow longer, straighter boles than other species of Combretum and is commonly met with 20-30 feet high, or even more, with girths of 3-4 feet. If surrounded by other trees, the stem is exceptionally straight and readily distinguished by its dark colour and the small, square, regular scales. The crown, with its large, dark, drooping leaves, is dense, and big trees afford good shade. The branches droop over and the long, slender twigs hang straight down.
The Bark, a ready means of identification, is dark grey, sometimes almost black, and is covered with small, prominent, square, even-sized scales from which the tree gets its Hausa name, owing to its resemblance to the skin of the large lizard. It yields a gum. The slash is yellow.
The Wood is yellow or greenish-yellow. In transverse section the pores are small, in groups and festoons, the rings indistinct and the rays so fine as to be invisible. In the planks the pores are long, wavy and dark, the grain being crooked and fibrous in appearance. It is a very hard, tough, heavy wood, most unsatisfactory to saw and impossible to plane. The strength and durability are great. The weight is 64 lbs. a cubic foot.
The Leaves are larger than those of other species and are dark green, with a softly hairy surface and a soft texture. They are about 7 inches long and 2½-3 inches wide, with a long, slender tip, a taper at both ends and a very short stalk. They are pendulous on the long, slender twigs.
The Flowers are in clusters of 1½ inch spikes and are yellow with a sweet odour of musk. There are 10 yellow stamens round a square calyx and the pistil is surrounded densely by hairs on the receptacle. The flowers appear in March.