CROSSOPTERYX KOTSCHYANA Fenzl.—Kasfiya. Kashin awaki. RUBIACEAE.
This fairly common tree occurs more plentifully in localities which are flooded during the rains and baked hard and burnt bare in the dry season. Thus it may take the place of Mitragyne africana (giyeya) in wet-season fadammas where the grass is rank in growth. It is not, however, confined, like the above, to such situations, but abounds in open savannah and rocky places. It is most readily identified by its fruits, q.v. and also by its habit of sending up a number of stems from a common stock, these stems growing erect and close together and showing an irregular cross section, oval, grooved or flattened in shape by reason of this close proximity to each other. In form the tree is cylindrical with a rounded or pointed top and sparse foliage. The foliage extends almost to the ground. A height of 30 feet and 2-3 feet girth is usual.
The Bark is peculiar in structure and is light grey or brownish, with small grey scales which will crumble in the hand and appear to consist of numerous lenticels. It is smooth and the scales are not prominent. The slash is salmon pink and crumbling.
The Wood is a brown pink, not unlike Pear wood. In transverse section the pores and rays are scarcely visible, so close is the texture. The rings show as faint light lines, close together, and the minute pores are scattered about between the exceedingly fine and numerous rays. The grain shows as slight banded variations in depth of colour. It is a sound, hard wood which seasons well, saws and planes easily to a hard, smooth finish, taking a good polish. The small sizes are unfortunate. Weight 57 lbs. a cubic foot.
The Leaves are about 3½ inches long and 2 inches broad, alternate and inclined to assume one plane. They are pale green and downy on the upper surface, roughly and intricately veined beneath with light brown velvety hairs on the veins.
The Flowers are in close bunches with a tendency to droop from their weight; each flower consisting of a small 5-lobed calyx, a long tubular corolla with 5 petals, white tinged with pink, and a long, clubbed pistil surrounded by 5 small, protruding stamens. They are sweet-scented and appear in February.
The Fruits are easily recognised, forming bunches similar to the heads of flowers. Each is a small blackish capsule with a black tip, and it splits into two sections across the two seeds which are the shape of half the capsule and are black. They are very persistent and remain on the tree for a long time after they have shed their seeds.
Uses.—The stems are cut for poles (gofas).
