Chapter 7

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ODINA BARTERIOliv.—Farun doya.ANACARDIACEAE.

A very common tree in open savannahs, flourishing in deep or shallow soils, preferably of granite composition, and plentiful amongst rocks. It is a large tree up to 40 feet in height with girths of 6-8 feet and its characters are a short bole, rarely over 10 feet, and large spreading limbs forming a wide open crown. The branches are very pliant and the twigs droop. This andO. acidaoccur over large areas together, the rough bark and hairy leaves distinguishing the former.

The Barkis almost black and very rough, with deep, vertical fissures and long heavy scales which fall in large ragged lengths. The stem is thus often very shaggy. The slash is salmon pink with paler streaks.

The Woodis dirty white, with bluish and brown discolorations. In transverse section the rings are indistinct; the pores are very small, numerous, single and fairly evenly distributed; the rays fine and close together, hardly visible to the unaided eye. In vertical section the grain is rather coarse, there are no bands of colour and often a number of small knots. The wood is soft, of poor quality, easily worked and of the quality ofBombax. The weight is only 25 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare some 18 inches long, pinnate, with some 4 pairs and a terminal leaflet. These are spear-shaped, about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, with very short, thick stalks. They are dark green, densely covered with short hairs and limp and flaccid. The young leaf shoots are a reddish-brown and densely pubescent.

The Flowersare in spikes, the male and female on separate trees. The male are in 5-6 inch spikes, up to a dozen spikes at a twig tip, often so numerous on the leafless tree as to render it conspicuous from a great distance. They appear from January to April, and are scented. The flowers are in clusters round the spike, not completely covering it. Each has a 4-lobed calyx, 4 small petals, 8 erect stamens and the rudiments of an ovary with 4 stigmas. The flowers fall from the spikes, leaving them bare. The female flowers are on shorter spikes, the flowers are fewer in number and evenly distributed on the spike. Each has a 4-lobed calyx, 4 small petals and an ovary with 4 stigmas. They are not scented. Both spikes are very pubescent.

The Fruitsare nuts, flattened ovoids with the stigmas prominent at the tip. They ripen about March to May and are reddish purple, the flesh very resinous and the white kernel attached to the top. They are ½ inch long and are borne in heavy clusters of spikes, generally erect and stiffer than those ofO. acida.

Uses.—No part of the tree is edible as in the case ofO. acida.

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ORMOCARPUM BIBRACTEATUMBaker.—Faskara giwa.Tsa.LEGUMINOSAE.

A small, erect tree up to some 25 feet in height with 1-2 feet girth, locally very plentiful but otherwise infrequent,e.g., in the Anka district of Sokoto it occurs in vast numbers, but nowhere else in the province, and in one or two places in Bauchi small clumps of it are seen. At first sight it is very like anAcacia, with its erect branches and pinnate leaves. The stem branches generally low down, occasionally at a height of 8-10 feet, and the branches are vertical, so that the tree has no width of crown. Owing to the scarcity of the smaller branches the vertical ones are crowded with leaves, and from February to April with flowers, for several feet, there being no side twigs, these being replaced by small shoots covered with bracts.

The Barkis silvery grey with a soft sheen, smooth and very thick, large scales peeling off in season. The effect of fire on young stems is to produce great bosses of light brown cork, often charred. The slash is yellow.

The Leavesare about 2-3 inches long, pinnate, with some 6-8 opposite or sub-opposite leaflets and a terminal leaflet. These are ¼-⅜ inch long and about ³⁄₁₆ inch broad, oval, with or without a slightly notched tip in which the mid-rib protrudes slightly. They are grey-green and hairy and each springs from between a pair of bracts on the twig.

The Flowersare very handsome “Pea-flowers” in small clusters on long stalks, branched, with a bract at each branch, springing from small clusters of bracts on the woody stems. The stalks are purple and hairy, the calyx is irregular, purple and green, and the corolla is a delicate pink with a pale green keel. The flowers are generally in great masses and a curious characteristic is that they dry up and retain almost their original shape, the pod ripening meanwhile.

The Fruitsare small black jointed pods 1-1½ inches long with some 4-5 joints, oval, flattened and hairy, each containing one seed, pale brown in colour. The pod will often bend right round and its tip enter the mouth of the flower.

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OSTRYODERRIS CHEVALIERIDunn.—Durbi.LEGUMINOSAE.

A large tree some 40 feet or more high, common in some parts of Sokoto, Zaria and Katsina, but very local in its occurrence and extending as far north as 13°. The girth is up to 7 feet, more often 5 feet. It closely resemblesParadaniellia Oliveriin bark and leaf and form, especially in young trees of the latter species. The bole may be clean and straight for 20 feet and the crown is high and flat-topped in full grown trees. It does not grow on poor soils and its extension to 13° is by way of moister valleys and pockets of alluvial soil. The pods and flowers are the distinctive features.

The Barkis light grey with a strong resemblance to that ofParadaniellia Oliveri, the scales being even-sized, polygonal but not so large as those ofP. Oliveri. Nor has it the red tinge of the latter. The slash is most distinctive, being a mixture of fibres of white, dark brown and crimson, like strands of wire.

The Woodis whitish or cream-coloured. In transverse section the rings are indistinct but the concentric lines of hard and soft tissue are well marked. The pores are single or in small groups, unequally scattered. The rays are invisible to the unaided eye, and waved slightly. In vertical section the pores are long and open, the hard and soft tissue well marked in parallel lines and the rays show as long, fine bands on the radial section. The wood is soft, medium weight, shows red streaks, is easily worked and the planed surface is smooth. It has a curious smell, The weight is 45 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare pinnate, 10-15 inches long with some 6 pairs and a terminal leaflet. The leaflets are opposite or nearly so and increase in size towards the top pair, the largest 3 inches long and 1½ broad, with cordate base, unequal lobes and an even taper to a rounded, cleft tip. The upper side is bluish-green with a bloom, the underneath pale grey-green. The venation is prominent beneath.

The Flowers, from February to April, are in erect panicles on the stout twig ends, some dozen or so on each twig. Each flower is white, papilionaceous, ¾ inch long. The calyx is covered with brown hairs, as are the flower-stalks and there is a green splash in the centre of the standard petal. The panicles are 6-8 inches long, gradually drooping.

The Fruitsare pods, at first limp and green, then brittle and dark brown. They are 3-6 inches long, 1¾ inches broad, flat and strap-shaped, the surface veined, and a prominent ridge runs round the outside a little way from the edge, outside which ridge there is no veining. The seeds, more often 1 than 2, are slightly embossed, and are flat, brown, round beans with a white hilum. The pods ripen from May onwards and numbers of them persist on the tree till the following flowering season.

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PARADANIELLIA OLIVERIRolfe.—Maje, Kadaura. “Copaiba Balsam Tree.”LEGUMINOSAE.

This is one of the largest trees of the savannahs and gives an enormous volume of timber. It reaches a height of 80 feet and girths of 12 feet are common. A girth of 26 feet combined with a 40 feet bole has been measured. It has a gregarious habit similar toKhaya senegalensison the edges of “fadammas” and in flat country where water lies during the rainy season. Hundreds of saplings may be found round these clumps. It is most readily distinguished from other species, at a distance, by the straight, light-grey stem, which is generally tapering in form, and by the shape of its crown which is triangular with a flat top. The crown is dense and dark, the limbs at an angle of about 30 degrees to the bole and the bulk of the foliage being on the summit. The bole is generally swollen at the base. It is a very fast growing species.

The Barkis very light in colour, this being emphasised at a distance. It is rough with large even-sized scales. The bark of saplings, owing to the annual fires, is very thick and scaly, cracking in horizontal rings round the stem. This forms a highly protective covering. An oleo-resin, or balsam, exudes from the slash, which is dark crimson with small white streaks.

The Wood, of which a great volume is yielded by the tree, is red-brown with darker streaks. In transverse section the rings are fairly well defined dark, regular lines, the pores are large, mostly single, widely and fairly evenly distributed, the rays fine, continuous, unevenly spaced but 3 to 4 to each pore, bending in a curious manner where they cross the lines of soft tissue, just visible with the naked eye. In radial section the rays are small light-reflecting bands and in the tangential section are clearly visible as fine ripples. The sapwood is whitish with a faint brown or pinkish tinge, and the rays are very clearly marked on the two vertical sections. This is a very good light-weight timber, very easily worked and not very durable or strong, but its large sizes, soundness and appearance enhance its value. It has a most pleasant cedar-wood smell. Weight 44 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare 18 inches long, pinnate with some 6 pairs of large, pointed, dark-green, shiny leaflets. The young leaves are soft and pink in colour.

The Flowersare conspicuous, chiefly at the top of the tree, in large, flat panicles, in December. The flowers stand erect on the horizontal panicle and consist of a 5-lobed, imbricate calyx, one sepal being smaller than the others, greenish-white in colour; 10 white stamens, 2 inches long and a long, white pistil which swells to form the seed-pod. The flower parts are borne on a stout club-shaped receptacle.

The Fruitis a flat pod, about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide, whitish in colour. It splits by the curling up of the inner layers and frees one oval, flat, dark-brown seed, the rudiments of 3 or 4 others being visible attached to the suture. The open pods with large brown seeds hanging from their edges are a conspicuous feature in masses on the tree tops, the seeds and pods remaining some time in position before being blown down.

Uses.—The timber is made into planks, mortars, canoes and cattle-troughs. The resin is burnt in houses as a fumigating incense.

In times of extreme famine, the young leaves are appreciated as a vegetable, being eaten with the addition of salt and pepper.

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PARINARIUM CURATELLAEFOLIUMPlanch.—Rura, Gwanja kusa.ROSACEAE.

A small and very common tree averaging 15-20 feet high with a girth of 1-2 feet. It has no form or special characteristic of growth, being similar to the many other species with which it occurs in open savannah forests. Its only importance lies in its occurrence in large quantities over considerable areas. It is readily distinguished from other species by its flowers and fruits, which latter may be seen for several months in the year.

The Barkis very dark, sometimes almost black, with small, prominent, corky scales up to 1 inch square. The slash is a dull, dark red.

The Woodis light brown, with a slight orange tinge. In transverse section the rings show as slightly darker lines, the pores are small, oval, with their length radial, single, not numerous, and connected by continuous waved concentric lines of soft tissue. The rays are extremely fine and very close together, quite invisible to the naked eye. In vertical section the pores are open and slightly darker, the grain close. It is a soft, sound wood, easily worked, planing with a dull, smooth finish, not picking up much. The weight is 48 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare about 5 inches long and 2½ inches broad. They are alternate, pale green and smooth above and greyish beneath.

The Flowersare in long, dense or open, terminal panicles, a number together. They are greenish in colour, the whole panicle covered with a light pubescence. Each flower consists of a grey-green, 5-pointed calyx, 5 minute white petals and 10 stamens, some with pink anthers. They appear about December or January, and are conspicuous by their numbers on the leafless tree.

The Fruitsare reddish-brown drupes, about an inch long, the skin covered with a number of small, grey lenticels. They have a reddish, sweet, edible flesh and a large, hard stone. They ripen towards the end of the year and are the readiest means of identification of the species.

Uses.—The fruits are eaten fresh.

The young trees are cut for poles for building (gofa).

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PARINARIUM MACROPHYLLUMSabine.—Gawasa. “Ginger-Bread Plum.”ROSACEAE.

A common tree locally in parts of the more northerly provinces. It is not found distributed evenly through the forests but in numbers over small areas here and there. It is very highly valued by the native for its fresh fruit and protected on farm lands. It is a thick-set, squat tree with a short, heavy stem and wide-spreading, crooked branches forming a round or flat crown. It is from 15-25 feet high, sometimes more, with a girth up to 8 feet. The foliage, owing to the size of the leaves, is dense. It is somewhat similar to its congener,P. curatellaefolium, but the leaves are larger, the flowers heavier and the whole tree on a larger scale. It grows in dry, sandy soils.

The Barkis grey and not rough, covered with small even-sized scales.

The Woodis a light brown colour, frequently with large grey discolorations darkening the colour. In transverse section the rings are obscure bands, the pores are small, few and distributed rather unevenly, single, connected by very faintly marked and poorly developed soft tissue lines. The rays are exceedingly fine and very close together. In vertical section the pores are few and fine and the grain is close. It is a fairly hard wood, sawing well and planing with little picking up to a hard, smooth finish which polishes well. Weight 45 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare some 5 inches long and 3-4 inches wide on the average, but may be as much as 8 inches long and 5 inches wide, with a stout stalk not above ¼ inch long. They are slightly cordate at the base and broad at the tip with a small point. There are some 15-20 straight veins on each side of the mid-rib, sunken on the upper surface and very prominent on the underneath. The upper surface is a brilliant light green gradually darkening with age, the under side grey. There is a dusty brown covering of hairs on the upper surface, which rubs off readily in the hand and exposes the smooth green surface. The stalk is densely covered with brown hairs.

The Flowersare in terminal racemes from 3-9 inches long, all parts except the petals covered with the hairs. Each flower has a 5-lobed calyx, 5 white petals in 2 groups of 3 and 2, 10-20 white stamens with yellow anthers and a curved, white pistil. The flower in bud is enclosed in 2 bracts which are pushed up by expansion of the flower and then fall off the end. The flowers are found on the tree every month of the year, a continual succession of flowers and fruit occurring.

The Fruits, which are found all the year round, are plums, reddish-brown with an orange tint, rounded or oblong, 1½-2 inches long and 1-1½ inches broad, the surface roughened with numerous grey lenticels. The sweet, edible flesh is whitish, moist and mealy, about ½ inch thick round the very tough, thick stone which has one or two “kernels.” The ripe fruit has a sickly sweet smell.

Uses.—The wood of large specimens makes very good mortars.

The fruits are highly appreciated and eaten fresh. They are brought to the big towns from long distances in some places and will sell for as much as a penny each in the markets.

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PARKIA FILICOIDEAWelw.—Dorowa. “Locust Bean Tree.”LEGUMINOSAE.

This is the type tree of the Park formations and a very common and well-known species with a wide distribution. Owing to its great value as a food and its uses by the natives, it is often the sole occupant of extensive areas of cultivation. It grows to large sizes, 50-60 feet high with girths of 10 feet or more. The bole, in the case of trees which are grown in the open, is short, not, as a rule, above 10 or 12 feet, and several large, spreading limbs form a very wide crown which appears dark and dense at a distance, but which, in fact, gives only average shade. There are small, rounded root-flanges. All trees near habitation are owned by the individual. Those in the forests have a different habit of growth, the bole being longer, the branches more erect and the crown less spreading. The large crowns of the park trees are generally due to the cutting of the branches for fuel.SeeUses. The tree pollards well and shoots readily from the stool. It is liable to attack from white ants when young, and to the ravages of caterpillars which may completely defoliate the tree.

The Barkis dark brown or dull grey, with small, regular scales of varying roughness. The branches and the stems of young trees are a light grey, almost silvery, and smooth. The bark at the base of the tree is often much chipped about by the natives who make an infusion of it, drunk as a tonic. The slash is brick red, spongy and fibrous in thin layer formation.

The Wood.The heartwood is a dull brown colour, the sapwood a dirty yellow. Even the largest stems, 3-4 feet in diameter, cut in the north, show none of this heartwood. In transverse section the rings are faint and wide apart, the pores are large, open, fairly regularly distributed in the well-marked soft tissue festoons, with nests of 3 or 4 here and there. The rays are straight, continuous, evenly spaced, not all the same thickness, and show as long, light-reflecting bands in radial section. In vertical section the grain is fairly open, the hard and soft tissue giving a mottled appearance in tangential section. The wood is most easily worked with all tools, planes with a dull finish and though liable to crack a little is on the whole a sound, though weak, timber. The weight is only 32 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare bipinnate, 15-18 inches long, with opposite, pinnate leaflets bearing numerous dark green pinnules, oblique, ¾ inch long, alternate but nearly opposite towards the tip. They have a shining surface, and the young leaf is reddish.

The Flowersare pendulous balls some 2½ inches in diameter on a 7 inch stalk. They appear in March before the new leaves or with them and are dark red in colour and sweet-scented. They consist of 10 long, red stamens with black anthers and a simple style, in a 5-lobed calyx with honey glands. The flowers are visited both by bees and flies. Called “tutu” by the native, boys suck the balls for the honey. The flower-buds are called “gundar tutu.”

The Fruitis a bean, some 9 inches long, dark brown in colour, in pendulous clusters on the tree in July. When young they are called “sabada”; when brown, but before ripening, they are called “garda.” The ripe seeds are black and embedded in a yellow, mealy pulp. They are of great value as an annual food-crop.

Uses.—The timber is used for making mortars and basins. The seeds are fermented and made into cakes called “daudawa.”

The husks are soaked in water till fermentation takes place and the resulting liquid spread over earth floors and on the walls of dye-pits to bind the surface. The liquid is called “makuba” and is also used as a fish poison.

The branches are cut for fuel for the boiling of the water used in the purification of women after child-birth.

The mealy pulp round the seeds (garin dorowa) is used in soup.

An infusion of the bark is a tonic.

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PARKINSONIA ACULEATALinn.—Sasabani, Sharan labbi. “Jerusalem Thorn.”LEGUMINOSAE.

A small exotic tree introduced by Arabs and planted in most of the Northern towns to such an extent that it is worthy of inclusion here. It is a delicate and graceful shrub-like tree up to 25 feet high. It has a single stem branched a foot or two above ground level; in some cases there is a stem over 6 feet in length before the branches, erect, with their ends spreading out and drooping down, occur. It grows best in an open position and does not thrive in the shade, where it grows very weak and straggling, without the vivid green of trees in the open.

The Barkis bright green and smooth.

The Thornsare straight and sharp, ¼ inch long, light red in colour with thickened, fleshy green bases from which spring the leaves. The scars of fallen leaves can be seen on this thickened base.

The Leavesare bipinnate with one or two pairs of pinnae which consist of a broad, flat mid-rib some 9 inches long from which little oval leaflets under ¼ inch long spring alternately. These are sensitive and at night, or when gathered, fold inwards and lie flat on the mid-rib. The rib and leaflets are dark green and smooth.

The Flowersare in pendulous, sparse spikes amongst the leaves. Each is an inch in diameter and has 5 pale green sepals, 5 crinkly yellow petals, one of which is more prominent than the rest and forms a throat covered with small red spots. There are 10 short stamens with red anthers and a short brown pistil. The flowers are found most months of the year.

The Fruitsare jointed pods, varying in length according as they contain 1-6 seeds, the longest being 6-7 inches long. They are jointed, light brown and veined, and when ripe are very light and brittle. The seeds are ⅓ inch long, black, oval, round in cross section, very hard and smooth and rattling loose in the pod. They may be found for some months in the year, particularly in February.

Uses.—Ornamental and shade providing.

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PROSOPIS OBLONGABenth.—Kiriya.LEGUMINOSAE.

A large tree attaining a height of over 60 feet with girths of 6-7 feet. In good forest it may have a bole length of 30 feet, but in the open savannahs it is branched to within a few feet of the ground, as a rule, and its crooked limbs form an irregular, rather open crown. The finer twigs droop considerably and the tree may bear some resemblance toTamarindus. In old trees in good forest there is a high, wide crown, open, and giving little shade. There are small rounded root flanges. The features which most readily distinguish it are its bark, colour of foliage and pods, q.v. It likes good, open soils.

The Barkis almost black, with ragged, crisp, curling scales which are concave on the outer surface and leave light brown patches where they fall. Sometimes the bark has a bluish tint. That of the smaller branches is light grey or brownish and smooth. The slash is reddish, darkening to orange and red-brown.

The Woodis a rich red brown. The sapwood is grey. In transverse section the rings are indistinct, the pores are open, regularly distributed, mostly single, a few double. The rays are very fine, waved and unevenly spaced, not visible to the naked eye. In vertical section the pores are seen to have dark resin contents, the grain is open, and there are bands of colour, the lighter soft wood picking up and the darker hard tissue planing smooth, according to direction of planing. There is a marked reflection of light from these bands. It blunts axes, is hard to saw, must be finished with glass-paper after planing, when a fine surface is obtained, oily to the touch. It will not take nails. A very tough, strong, durable timber. Weight 65 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare bipinnate with 2-4 opposite pairs of pinnae each bearing some 6-10 leaflets ¾-1 inch long and ¼ inch or more wide, with a pointed tip and the rib not in the middle. They are light green and softly pubescent. The pairs are inclined to the top side of the main stalk and between each pair of pinnae there is a little gland. The base of the stalks is much enlarged.

The Flowersare in short pedunculate spikes, the latter 1½-2½ inches long and densely composed of small yellowish flowers, which appear in May. Each flower has a 5-lobed calyx, 10 stamens with yellow anthers and a short hairy pistil. The flowers are sweet-scented.

The Fruitsare large pods from 4-6 inches long and an inch in diameter, slightly flattened in one direction, pointed at the tip, a dark, purple-brown colour. The hard, shiny, brown seeds, oval and ⅓ inch long, are embedded in a dry, cream-coloured, spongy-looking pulp, each separated from the other by a thin, transparent membrane. The seeds rattle loose in the pod. The pods are very persistent on the tree.

Uses.—The natives use the wood for tool handles and burn it for charcoal, the quality of which is very fine and much valued by blacksmiths.

The wood is also used for making pestles for large mortars and the manufacture of tobacco pipes.

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PSEUDOCEDRELA KOTSCHYIHarms.—Tuna(s).MELIACEAE.

This species, which is closely allied to the mahoganies (Khaya), is a large and valuable timber tree and occurs particularly in groups, or singly here and there in the Tree savannah. It is a handsome tree, regular in shape, with a straight stem and a bole of often 20 feet in length with a girth of 5 or 6 feet. The total height may be 40 feet. It is rather slow growing and though the crown is fairly dense, is essentially light-demanding and not much of a soil-improving species. It can be seen reproducing itself from root-suckers and very rarely from seed, since the latter is destroyed by fire. The crown is cylindrical and regular and the limbs ascend vertically.

The Barkis very conspicuous by its light grey, almost silvery, colour. It is regularly fissured and the scales are of equal size and soft and thick. The base of the stem is often swollen and the bark charred by repeated firing. The slash is bright crimson and shows a layer formation.

The Woodis a red-brown colour, flecked with black and dark brown of a most distinctive pattern, rather open grained, scented, hard and weighs 50 lbs. a cubic foot. It carpenters well and polishes. The pores are small and open, scattered rather thinly along and between the rays which are long and evenly spaced and straight. A useful and ornamental wood if large sizes could be obtained.

The Leavesare pinnate, about 1 foot long with 4 or 5 pairs of leaflets which have wavy edges so that the leaf resembles that of the oak. The leaflets may be opposite or not and a terminal leaflet is not always in evidence. In colour the leaf is dark and shiny on the upper surface and soft and grey with rough venation beneath. They are in a rosette-like formation like the mahoganies.

The Flowersare in panicles in the axils of the end leaves and are white and sweet-scented. Each is about ¼ inch across, with 5 petals, a knobbed pistil and 10 stamens whose filaments are united and surround the pistil. They appear in February.

The Fruits, which ripen in February of the following year, are capsules about 4 inches long, shaped like a club and standing erect. They are brown in colour and split from the apex into five sections which curl back and release the seeds. These are packed, about six in each section, round a pith centre, the wings, 1¼ inches long, pointing downwards, one over the other. The split capsule remains some time on the tree after the seeds have fallen. The capsules are very few in number on a tree considering the enormous number of flowers which bloom, but are very conspicuous and a ready means of identification. The mahogany coloured seeds will blow 200 yards away.

Uses.—An infusion of the bark is used as a cure for digestive trouble. The timber is used for furnishings and is an excellent wood for all articles, owing to its being so easy to work.

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PSOROSPERMUM SENEGALENSESpach.—Kashekaji.Kaskawami.HYPERICACEAE.

A common shrub in the Bush savannahs, not extending very far north, but abundant in secondary growth after cultivation. It is common amongst the rocks on the Bauchi plateau almost up to the 4,000 feet level. It is equally common all through Zaria and S. Sokoto, in fact, anywhere up to 12° N. It forms a large, compact, round shrub some 15 feet high with dense foliage, generally on a single, low-branched stem. The distinguishing character is the rusty-coloured underside of the hairy leaves.

The Barkis light brown and has small corky ridges and fissures.

The Leavesare from 3-5 inches long and 1½-2½ inches broad, in pairs, ovate, with wavy margins, tapering tips, very short stalks, downy on both surfaces, that on the upper surface rubbing off to expose a light, shiny green. The under surface is densely covered with rust-coloured down, readily rubbed off and exposing a fine network of veins with a minute black dot in almost every cell and a pronounced row of dots all round the margin. The mid-rib is recurved causing the leaf to fold up along it. The shoots are covered with orange-coloured hairs.

The Flowersare in dense clusters 3-4 inches in diameter, from January onwards. Each is ¼ inch across, has a 5-pointed calyx with vertical purple lines on the inside, 5 white petals densely covered with white hairs, 5 columns of stamens with some 9 anthers each and a pistil with 5 lobes each with a globular stigma, shining brown.

The Fruitsare capsules with 5 cells, one generally maturing at the expense of the rest. They are a little over ¼ inch in diameter, purple, shiny and fleshy. The sepals clasp them close, and the stigma remains are persistent.

Uses.—A concoction of the leaves and bark is applied for skin diseases.

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PTEROCARPUS ERINACEUSPoir.—Madobia.LEGUMINOSAE.

A medium-sized tree of the savannahs, averaging some 40 feet in height with a girth of 4-6 feet. Timber producing examples considerably larger are common enough and good, clean, straight boles 20 feet or more in length are found. It has a wide distribution up to 14° N., but is a small tree at this latitude. The crown is high, open, wide and rounded, not giving much shade. Larger examples have short buttresses. The species is susceptible to fire which hollows the stems. The long pinnate leaves, masses of yellow flowers and winged, hairy seeds on the leafless tree are characteristic features. Over many miles of the better types of savannah it is the type tree amongst others and occurs in quantities.

The Barkis very dark and rough with scales which curl up at the ends and make the bole appear shaggy. The scales fall in pieces 3-4 inches long. The bark of the branches is light grey and smooth. The slash is brown with fine red lines and a blood-red resin exudes from it.

The Woodis a rose-red or rich brown colour with a wavy grain of darker streaks. It might almost be called figured, especially in tangential section. In transverse section the pores are small, single and scattered and connected by fine, wavy lines of soft tissue; the rays are extremely fine and closely spaced, not visible to the unaided eye, and the rings are indistinctly marked darker lines, generally varying in width apart and rarely concentric. The radial section has a marked banding of dark and light. The wood is hard, liable to split in seasoning, difficult to saw and the planed surface smooth, slightly oily and taking a high polish. The weight is 60 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare pinnate, a foot long, with some 11-13 pinnae, alternate, and wide apart. The upper surface is shiny, the lower grey-green, the mid-rib prominent beneath and grooved above. The leaves are pendulous.

The Flowersappear from December to February on the leafless tree, and are in such numbers as to be conspicuously yellow from a great distance. The flowering tends to be patchy, that is, part of the tree may be smothered in flowers on one side and not on the other. The flowers are in short spikes with a bright green calyx and a papilionaceous corolla of much-wrinkled yellow petals, which turn pale when fertilised.

The Fruitsare winged, round, 2 inches in diameter with the wing much waved and the embossed seed portion covered with short, bristly hairs which lie in all directions. They are often so numerous as to give the tree the appearance of being in leaf. They dry light brown.

Uses.—Larger specimens yield timber suitable for construction and furniture. Smaller trees are used for building posts.

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RANDIA NILOTICAStapf.—Chibra.RUBIACEAE.

A shrub or small tree, readily recognised by its stiff, spiny stems densely covered with the small leaves. The stems spring from the base and are either erect or finally bent out and down. Occasionally it forms a dense shrub of large size, but usually is light and open. It occurs as far north as 13°, and is common in open high savannah forests.

The Barkis light grey, sometimes almost white, with black scales scattered about in patches.

The Thornsare above the leaves and are short, sharp, very strong and woody, with bark at the base and smooth tips.

The Leavesare about 1½ inches long, narrow at the base, broad at the tip, and smooth; the veins slightly raised on both surfaces. They are borne in rosettes at the ends of very short twigs, above which is a thorn, and densely cover the branches.

The Flowersspring from amongst the rosettes of leaves and may be so numerous as to cover the twigs with a mass of bloom. They are white, changing to yellow and are slightly scented. Each has a short-stalked tubular calyx with 5 unequal-sized sepals with cleft tips, a tubular corolla about ¾ inch in diameter with 5 petals, bent back, 5 stamens in the angles between the petals, consisting of dark brown anthers only, and a yellow, protruding, clubbed pistil. The flowers appear in May.

The Fruits, ripening in June, and often persisting for several months, are oval, 5-8 inches long and ½ inch in diameter, brown, shiny, hard, with thin “skin” vertically ribbed and cellular veined. It is 2-celled and the partition is vertical, each cell containing a number of small black wedge-shaped seeds packed close and cemented together. The fruit falls entire and rots.

[Illustration]

RAPHIA VINIFERAP. Beauv.—Tukuruwa.PALMACEAE.

This very common palm grows in swamps, where it forms impenetrable thickets often of large extent. It is readily distinguished by its very long erect leaves growing from ground level, there being no stem. It reaches a height of over 30 feet, the girth of the base being some 8 feet. The leaves spread out from a growing centre, visible as an erect shoot in the middle.

The Leavesare upwards of 30 feet in length with long leaflets whose edges and mid-rib at the back are armed with small sharp spines. The mid-rib is an orange colour, turning grey with age.

The Flowersare in a loose branched spadix up to 6 or 8 feet long, the male and female on the same palm and on the same spadix. The males on the lower part of the branches of the spadix have a tubular calyx, a corolla of 3 petals, long and narrow and a number of stamens, varying from 10-12 inside the base of the petals, attached to them. The female flowers, situated at the end of the branches of the spadix, are larger than the males, the calyx tubular, the corolla bell-shaped with 3 sharp lobes, the rudiments of the stamens forming a cup attached to the corolla and a 3-celled ovary.

The Fruitsare like cones, some 3 inches long and 1½-2 inches broad, smooth and shiny, with a number of broad, pointed scales, varying in colour from chestnut to red-brown. They contain one kernel, loose in the shell.

Uses.—The leaflets are used for plaiting into mats, &c. The mid-rib is used for roofing material, beds, canoe poles, and split into lengths, the inner portion makes mats. The sap is used for wine. The inside of the fruit (outside the kernel) is eaten, expressed for oil, used as a medicine or for dressing the hair in various parts of Nigeria.

[Illustration]

RHUS INSIGNISDel.—Kasheshi.ANACARDIACEAE.

A small tree of the open Bush savannah, some 15-20 feet high. There is either a single stem or several. The crown is distinctive with its long, straight, slender branches and light appearance. It is very susceptible to fire and is frequently met with in coppice form owing to the destruction of the stems. The distinguishing features are the drooping leaves in threes and the small black, wrinkled fruits.

The Barkis grey or light brown, vertically, but not deeply, ridged.

The Leavesare borne in threes at a node and the short stalk bends back, allowing the leaves to hang vertical. They are 3 inches long and an inch broad, a rich, dark green above, silvery below, with the dense covering of silky hairs. The venation is parallel on either side of the mid-rib, short and long nerves alternating. The leaf is inclined to fold up along the mid-rib.

The Flowersappear in the rains and are in large, erect sprays. Each flower is about ¼ inch in diameter with 5 sepals, 5 white petals and 10 stamens. Owing to their numbers and prominent position at the twig ends, they are conspicuous.

The Fruitsare numerous, flattened, single-seeded ovals, shiny black with wrinkled skins and persistent for many months on the leafless tree in the dry season. They are very hard and are a ready means of identification.

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