Abstract

A tree known locally as Ambach has been found out from the region of lake Chad by some explorers. It belongs to the mimosa family. Ambach grows in abundance in the muddy river tracts of that region and grows with such rapidity that a few months suffice to cover a vast region of swamp with impermeable forest. In a season it attains a height of 12 to 15 feet with a diameter of 8 to 10 inches. The most remarkable property of the wood is that its specific gravity is 1 when dry and 34 when impregnated with water while the specific gravity of dry cork is from 2 to 24. The texture of the fibres is, however, close enough to enable the timber to be sawn into planks which have been already used for making tables and doors. The warlike tribes residing in the Chad region make shields out of it. Logs of this timber can be safely used for crossing rivers or making life-belts and floats.

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