umara,videkokara.
uwa banza?,videgizaki.
uwar maganni,Urena sinuata, Linn. (Malvaceæ). A shrub 6 to 8 feet high with pink flowers and deeply lobed leaves, planted in compounds (Sokoto West) for its strong fibrous bark used for cordage. (Etym. ?uwar magami, “mother of joinings”). This species is scarcely distinguishable from the wildU. lobata, orramaniya,q.v.and is often so named.
uwar mangunguna(Sok. Zanf., &c.),Securidaca longipedunculata, Fres. (Polygalaceæ).videsainyia. (Etym. “mother of medicines”).
uwar yara(Kano, Katagum, &c.);Ficus capensis, Thunb. (Urticaceæ). A species of fig-tree with dense clusters of edible figs growing on the trunk and older branches. (Etym. from the abundant fruiting clusters). Syn.haguguwa(Kano, Bauchi, &c.),garicha(Zanfara), andfarin ḅaure.
wadda,Rauwolfia Welwitschii, Stapf. (Apocynaceæ); a tree somewhat resembling the shea-butter tree, with milky sap; (Benué district and south).
waorya(Sok.),Ficus sp.(Urticaceæ). A species of fig-tree with rounded cordate leaves and large single figs.wan kurumi, another species ofFicus.
waiyaro,videḳaguwa.
wake,Vigna sinensis, Endl. (V. Catjang, Walp.), and perhaps other species. The common cultivated bean of the country.Chowlee(India),Tow Kok(China).
Numerous varieties are recognized, some of them probably of different species:—
farin wake, andjan wake,waken damana;
ḳwama(Sok. and Gobir) = small brown beans usually given to horses but also used as human food;
tsarariya, also a brown bean, sometimes mottled;
zaḳo,mai zaḳi, orba-zaḳa(Gobir), a well-flavoured bean which can be cooked without salt;
ḍan Uda, orBa-Ude(Kano), a bean which is half black or brown and half white like a similarly marked variety of sheep (Udawa, a Fulani tribe);roko, also a piebald bean;
yaro da manda, a spotted black and white bean;
hannun marini, with a blue pod and seeds black-speckled;
ḍan kwoloje, a larger white bean;
ḍan arbain, planted in damp places and said to be ripe in 40 days after planting;
damana biyuorkaka biyu, perhaps the same asḍan arbain, because two crops can be grown in one season;
ka nannaḍe,q.v.a brown-speckled bean in curled pods;bidi, also a speckled bean.
Beans are used as food in the following ways:—
1. Fresh leaves used as a vegetable or in soup.
2. Young pods eaten raw or cooked.
3. Beans eaten boiled; the husks given to cattle.
4.Tubani, dried beans pounded,kanwaadded, tied up in folded palm or other leaf and boiled.
5.Ḍan wake, bean meal withkanwaboiled in lumps and balls, eaten with a soup or sauce of ground-nuts, salt, pepper, &c. (romon geḍa).
6.Ḳosai, dried beans soaked in cold water, ground moist, and then boiled in ground-nut oil and made into balls or dough-nuts; (mucilage ofyoḍo,q.v.may be added for cohesion);ḳosaiof beans nearly corresponds withkwalli kwalliof ground-nuts, andabakuruofkwaruru,q.v.
7.Wasa wasa, porridge of ground beans.
8.Maka(East Hausa), bean leaves dried and used in soup.
harawan wake= bean straw used as fodder.
kowar wake= bean pods or husks.
jimḅirin wake= immature bean pods used as a vegetable often uncooked.
The following saying is applied to the bean:—“na gazawa garkuwar maiḳi niḳa, ka ḳi fari uku, ka ḳi a gona, ka ḳi a tukunya, ka ḳi a chiki.” These are nicknames for the bean, which is both an unprofitable crop and an inconvenient and coarse kind of food, but the stranger goes home and describes them as novelties which he has seen—the bane of the indolent who will not take the trouble to grind it—in the field it occupies more space than its value—in the pot it requires long cooking—in the stomach it disagrees.
waken Ankwai,waken bisa, a large climbing bean, cultivated in some districts; probably the white-seeded var. ofCanavalia ensiformis, DC. “Sword Bean,”videunderḅarankachi. (Ankwai, a pagan tribe in Muri).
waken baibayiorwaken Gwari,Dolichos Lablab, Linn. A cultivated climbing bean on fences, trees near houses, or on hut roofs, &c.; called alsow. damfami,w. darni, &c.
waken barewaorwaken damo,Vigna membranacea, A. Rich. and otherspp.Wild twining beans in fields &c.videgayan gayan. (Vigna vexillata, Benth.Vigna pubigera, Baker, &c.).
waken gizo,Vigna triloba, Walp. A bean twining on fences, &c. greatly resembling the common cultivated bean; eaten by goats, &c. The sayingka yi ḍiya ka watsas, is used of this (from the scattering of the seeds when the pods burst).
waken tumḳa,videyawa.
waken Turawaorwaken Masar,W. Stambul, &c.Cajanus indicus, Spreng. “Congo Pea,” “Pigeon Pea.” An erect shrub introduced for cultivation. A form of Indian “dal.”
walkin tsofoorwalkin wawa,Trichodesma africanum, R. Br. (Boragineæ); a coarse herb with white flowers, common near villages, &c. (Etym. “old man’s” or “fool’s apron”).
wasa wasa, a food made of beans;videunderwake.
wayo, a var. ofdawa,q.v.
wutar barewa, a species of fungus;videundertumukun suri.
wuta wuta,videḳuduji.
wutsiyar ḅera,videtsarkiyar kusu.
wutsiyar damo,videkaran masallachi.
wutsiyar giwa,videgabara.
wutsiyar jaki,videkatsaimu.
wutsiyar ḳadangare,videtsarkiyar kusu.
wutsiyar kuregeorbundin kurege, a grass about 12 to 18 inches high, with a bottle-brush-like flowering spike. A name somewhat loosely applied, and includingTrichopteryx hordeiformis, Stapf, andPerotis latifolia, Ait.
wutsiyar kusuorw. ḅera,videtsarkiyar kusuandshinaka.
wutsiyar raḳumi,Platycoryne paludosa, Rolfe (Orchideæ). A small ground orchid with orange-coloured flowers. (Etym. from the long spur of the flower; probably applied to several orchids with spurred flowers).
wuyan bajimi, a var. ofgero,q.v.
wuyan damo,Combretum leonense, Engl. and Diels. and perhaps otherspp.(Combretaceæ). A tree with corrugated bark and 4-winged fruit; a gum yielder; bark used as an astringent medicine. (Etym. from the rough scaly bark resembling the skin of the large lizard,damo,Varanus exanthematicus).
ya, a species of fig-tree;videwa.
yaḅi= arrow-poison;videkwankwani. (yaḅa= to smear). Syn.zabgai.
yabainya(Kano), the young plants ofdawaorgero, (which contain prussic acid and are in some circumstances highly poisonous until they reach a certain stage of growth).
yaḍiya,Leptadenia lancifolia, Decne. (Asclepiadeæ). A common twiner with half-succulent leaves and a thick greenish sap; leaves and flowers used as food, and bark for fibre.
yaḍiyar kada,Taccazea Barteri, Baill. (Apocynaceæ). A twiner with milky juice, common on trees, &c. near streams; (including other species).
yajioryan yaji, a general name for spice;videchitta,kubla, &c.
ya ḳi ruwan Allah,videunderkwarko.
yako(Sok. and Kats.),Ipomœa pilosa, Sweet, and otherspp.(Convolvulaceæ). A rough-leaved convolvulus common on fences, &c. in towns;videunderbarmatabo. The dried leaves form a medicine calleddankon kuyangi.
yakuwa,Hibiscus Sabdariffa, Linn. (Malvaceæ). “Red Sorrel,” “Rosella.” A cultivated plant with acid leaves and succulent calyx (usually red in colour), used as a vegetable. Syn.sure(Sok.).gurguzu= seeds ofyakuwa;daudawar beso= seeds boiled and crushed and the oil extracted, used for soup and as a medicinal vehicle.zoḅarodo= the fleshy calyces ofyakuwaused in food, as a beverage, &c.
yakuwar fatakeory. mahalba,videayanaandbuḍa yau.
yakuwar ḳaya,y. kwaḍi,y. daji,y. ḳaimamowa, &c. = wild varieties ofHibiscus cannabinus, Linn. a very variable plant;videḳarama mowaandrama.
yalo, a variety of the native tomato;videundergauta.
yama, a common tall grass of meadows, &c.Cymbopogon rufus, Kunth. used forzanaand thatch.
yamḅururu(Sok.),Merremia angustifolia, Hill. fil. (Convolvulaceæ). A prostrate convolvulus with narrow leaves, wiry stems, and small pale yellowish flowers. In some districts calledgadon machiji,q.v.Syn.gammon bawa,q.v.The nameyamḅururuin Kontagora and elsewhere =Ipomœa eriocarpa, R. Br. and otherspp.; the smaller variety of twining convolvulus common on fences, &c.
ya manya(Sok.),videkain fakara.
yanbama(Sok.),Pennisetum Benthamii, Steud.var.(Gramineæ), a tall grass, 6 to 8 feet high, with cylindrical flower-spike like a smallergero. “Elephant Grass.”cf.dawar kada.
yandi, a large tree used in native house-building.Ficus sp.
yan guriya= cotton seed;videunderabduga.
yar gari, a var. of cotton;videunderabduga.
yaro da dariya,videunderkwaruru.
yaro da manda, a var. of bean;videunderwake.
yaron kogi,videunderḳaidajin ruwa.
yar unguwa,videgasaya.
yaryaḍi, 1.Ipomœa sp.(Convolvulaceæ). A convolvulus or “Morning glory” (probably including several species). 2.yaryaḍioryaryaḍin gona, a wild leguminous twiner with hairy leaves and pods in clusters.Vigna luteola, Benth. var.villosa, Baker.
yaryaḍin kura(Katagum),Gymnema sylvestre, R. Br. (Asclepiadeæ). A twiner with milky juice.
ya tabshi, a var. of the cotton plant;videunderabduga.
yatsa biat,videhannu biat.
ya tsauri, a var. of the cotton plant;videunderabduga.
yauḍo,yabḍo, oryoḍo(Sok.),Ceratotheca sesamoides, Endl. (Pedaliaceæ). A herb related to sesame (videriḍi), with mucilaginous juice and pink flowers; used in soup and medicinally; added to cereals and pulses to give cohesion in preparing various comestibles. (Etym. probably from the viscid sap). Syn.karkashi.
yauki(Kontagora), ?Crotalaria polychotoma, Taub. (Leguminosæ). A low pubescent herb with small yellow flowers; used medicinally.videsa furfura.
yawa, fibre from various sources. 1. Chiefly that from a var. of the cultivated bean,Vigna sinensis, Endl. grown for the strong fibrous bark of the flowering peduncles, used for fishing lines, nets, horse-girths, &c. Syn.waken tumḳa(Sok.),waken tuḳa(Gobir),waken tuka(Kano). 2. the root-bark of the acaciaḍakwora,q.v.(Acacia Senegal), and other species of acacia, e.g.ḍunḍuandtwatsa,q.v.used for strong ropes, &c.cf.meḍi. 3. Applied also to the fibre ofPolygala butyracea, Hack. (cheyiof Kabba,enyigiof Nupé), grown by pagans in the south, Munchi, Togo, &c.
yaya kai ka fito,videḳaḳa kai ka fito.
yayan dara, seeds of various trees used in the gamedara, and hence applied to a leguminous tree in the south, with prickly pods containing two large round seeds—Cæsalpinia Bonducella, Fleming.
yazawaorzazawa, an undershrub, wild or planted in compounds; the root is an acrid poison and is used for making tribal marks, and as an ingredient in some recipes for arrow-poison.
yoḍo,videyauḍo.
zabgai, arrow-poison; syn.yaḅi;videkwankwani.
zabibi, a plant with a tuberous rhizome yielding a yellow dye.Curcuma sp.(Scitamineæ).cf.gangamau.
zabiya, a variety of date;videunderdabino.
zabo(Sok.),Aloe sp.—probablyA. Barteri, Baker (Liliaceæ). An aloe with stiff speckled and hard pointed leaves; two varieties occur; 1. a bush variety with orange-yellow flowers. 2.zabon dafi, a cultivated variety planted near houses, having bright red flowers and becoming very succulent; used as an ingredient of arrow-poison; also calledzabo ko. Syn.kabar giwa(Kano, Zaria, &c.).
zago, a var. ofdawa,q.v.
zaḳami,Datura Metel, Linn. (Solanaceæ). “Metel” or “Hairy Thorn Apple.” A coarse branched annual with broad leaves and long white trumpet-shaped flowers, common in waste places about towns, &c. The seeds, in globular prickly capsules, are a deliriant poison. Syn.haukat yaro(from its use as an excitant to youths atsharocontests). In Sokoto and Katsina calledbabba jibji,q.v.The epithetsutura(East Hausa) is applied to this plant (from the folding of the unopened corolla).
zaḳi banza,Amaranthus viridis, Linn. (Amaranthaceæ). A common weed with spikes of inconspicuous greenish flowers; a form of native spinage used as a vegetable and sometimes cultivated. (Etym. from the insipid taste). Syn.ruḳuḅu(Sok. and Kats.), andmalamkochi(Katsina).
zaḳi birri,videundergoriba.
zaḳo, a var. of bean;videunderwake.
zamarke,Sesbania punctata, DC. (Leguminosæ). A tall slender leguminous shrub of wet places, with pinnate leaves and yellow flowers; a sooty pigment got by scorching the stems is used to decorate huts; the stems are used for arrow-shafts. Syn.checheko(East Hausa)cf.alsoalambo.
zamfaruwa, a var. ofgero,q.v.
zango, a var. ofgero,q.v.
zayi? (Katagum, &c.),Boscia senegalensis, Lam. (Capparideæ); a low shrub with bunches of small whitish flowers and berry fruit; leaves and berries used as food.cf.anza.
zazar giwaorzazar gwiwa,videsare gwiwa.
zazawa,videyazawa.
zindi(Katagum, Kanuri?),Combretum sp.nr.C. Hartmannianum, Schweinf. (Combretaceæ); a tree with shining foliage and 4-winged fruit; probably the same aschiriri(C. Kerstingii, Engl. and Diels.),q.v.
zoḅarado, the calyces of the “Red Sorrel” oryakuwa(Hibiscus SabdariffaLinn.),q.v.used as food, medicine, and a beverage.
zogalagandi,Moringa pterygosperma, Gaertn. (Moringaceæ). “Horse-radish Tree.” A tree with graceful foliage white flowers and long pendulous pods, frequently planted around houses, and therefore also calledsamarin danga. The winged seeds yield an oil (“Oil of Ben”). Syn.bagaruwar Makka(Sok.),barambo(Gobir), also sometimes calledtaḅa ni ka samu,q.v.(cf.kurnan nasara). The roots can be used as horse-radish and the young leaves as a vegetable.
zugu,videunderabduga.
zunguru, a var. of the bottle-gourd;videunderduma.
zunzuna,viderawaya.
zurma,Ricinus communis, Linn. (Euphorbiaceæ). “Castor Oil Plant.” A tall shrub with large broad leaves and erect racemes of spiny capsules containing the seed from which castor oil is made; commonly planted in compounds or growing in waste places. The oil is chiefly used externally by Hausas, for sores on camels, &c.kufi= a dark oily extract from the mixed seeds ofzurma,bi ni da zugu, andaduwa,q.v.
zuru, a var. of the bottle-gourd;videunderduma.
zuwo,Celtis integrifolia, Lam. (Urticaceæ). A large tree. “Nettle-tree.” Syn.dukki,q.v.cf.alsodinkin.