Chapter 8

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SARCOCEPHALUS RUSSEGERIKotschy.—Tafashiya.RUBIACEAE.

This common species is often more of a shrub than a tree, but in the more favourable localities which it inhabits, chiefly “fadammas” or wet soils among rocks, 30 feet is by no means an unusual height. Older trees generally have several large, crooked stems rising from a common stock or a short, stout bole some 5 feet in girth. Smaller, shrub-like specimens are very straggling with open growth and long, drooping and interlacing branches. The crown, in spite of the size and thickness of the leaves, is fairly open. It is easily identified by either the flowers or fruit which latter can be found for several months of the year.

The Barkis grey, or brown and dull in older trees, with very deep, wide and long fissures and thick, soft ridges. The scales are up to 12 inches in length. The slash is yellow, with crimson streaks.

The Woodis a deep red-brown colour, but is not used owing both to the small sizes and the lack of bole in the tree.

The Leavesare large and rounded with a tongued tip. They average 7 inches long and 3 inches wide, but reach as much as 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. The upper surface is a dark, shining green with pale venation; the under surface pale green with the venation raised. There is a short, red leaf-stalk.

The Flowersare in balls about 2 inches in diameter and appear in February. They fade very quickly. The flower-balls are composed of some hundreds of small flowers which seem white, as each is a yellow, tubular, 5-lobed corolla with a shiny white pistil with an acorn-shaped stigma which is very long. There are 5 small stamens attached to the inside of the corolla, which do not appear. The flowers are sweet-scented.

The Fruitsvary somewhat in size and shape but are roughly round or oval, 2-3 inches in diameter and dark red-brown with the surface pitted with the pentagonal scars of the flowers. There is a crimson flesh surrounding a mass of small seeds round a pith centre. They are edible and have a not unpleasant, sweet, acid flavour. They ripen towards the end of the year but can be found for many months on the tree and fall to rot on the ground.

Uses.—A medicine for stomach pains is made from the fruits.

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SCLEROCARYA BIRROEAHochst.—Danya.ANACARDIACEAE.

This very common tree was, until 1922, considered a species ofSpondias, from its resemblance toS. lutea, a species occurring commonly further south. It is of medium size, up to 40 feet in height with girths of 6-8 feet. It grows on almost any soil and flourishes in loose sand or dry barren situations where it can be found almost as pure forest. The short heavy bole gives a large volume of timber, but the bole length rarely exceeds 12 feet from which point the much bent branches form a large, round, open crown giving little shade. The pinnate foliage, red flower-spikes or yellow plums distinguish it. Owing to its use for native mortars enormous waste takes place, one mortar being carved from trees which will provide three or four, the rest being allowed to rot or burn. Quite large limbs can be pulled off by hand as they snap very readily. It is not very fast growing and seedlings branch at ground level. Seedlings, however, are very hardy, sending a thickened tap-root several feet into the ground the first year.

The Barkis light grey, sometimes smooth and silvery, and large scales, which turn up at their edges and give the stem a ragged appearance, leave the stem smooth again after falling. The slash is salmon pink to red and spongy and fibrous in composition.

The Woodhas a dirty white ground colour with a well-marked reddish grain in bands and streaks, with dark brown patches. In transverse section the pores are small, not very numerous, evenly distributed, mostly single with a few double pores and small nests, in oblique rows, the soft tissue very poorly developed as fine lines imperfectly connecting the pores. The rays are fine, closely and regularly spaced and fairly straight, and they show as light-reflecting bands in radial section, and as a fine stippling in tangential section. The wood is soft, coarse-grained, sawing roughly and picking up, often full of small knots and liable to small borer-beetle attacks. It is fairly durable if well seasoned and weighs 36 lbs. a cubic foot. Good sizes are obtainable.

The Leavesare pinnate, some 9 inches long with 8-9 pairs and a terminal leaflet, rounded, with the venation much branched and prominent on both sides. They are bluish-green with a slight bloom and tend to fold up along the mid-rib.

The Flowersappear from January to April and even in May in the extreme north, on small, 2-3 inch long, erect spikes on the leafless twigs. They are slightly scented. Each has 4 small red sepals, 4 petals recurved, green with red tips, 16 yellow stamens and a red pistil. Each flower is in the axil of a small, red bract.

The Fruitsripen from April to June and are light yellow or pale green plums 1½ inches in diameter, with a tough skin and a juicy, mucilaginous flesh which is with difficulty separated from the rough stone.

Uses.—The wood is greatly in demand for mortars. The fruit is eaten fresh but its amenability is increased by stewing, the flesh being full of fibres attached to the stone.

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SECURIDACA LONGIPEDUNCULATAFres.—Uwar magunguna, Sainya.POLYGALACEAE.

This common shrub or small tree is very familiar in open bush and scrub country, growing in the driest localities up to the extreme north of the country. As generally met with it is a small, erect and delicate shrub, some 12-15 feet high, but trees up to 25 or 30 feet are not uncommon, especially in Sokoto province, where a girth of 3 feet is attained. It is readily distinguished by its flowers and by its seeds, and the slender, erect branches are distinctive. It is common amongst the broken rocks of the Bauchi Plateau.

The Barkis fairly smooth and light brown, yellowish or grey, with very small dark-coloured scales at certain times. The slash is yellow.

The Woodis light yellow in colour and the annual rings are very distinctively marked in dark brown, the dry wood parting at these rings into a series of concentric cylinders. Weight 55 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare small and elliptical in shape, about 2½ inches or less in length, and under ½ inch wide. They are a light grey-green on both surfaces and are set spirally round the long twigs, erect and nearly parallel with the twig.

The Flowersare irregularly shaped, of an uniform red-purple, in small loose spikes. Two of the sepals are modified and appear to be petals. There is a concave lower petal with an appendage and two small petals. There are 8 stamens with peculiar-shaped anthers. The flowers appear from February to April and are very decorative and highly perfumed.

The Fruitsare winged seeds, 2 inches long, the seed portion being prominently ridge-veined and the wing with close parallel venation. They become red before drying to pale yellow and are conspicuous.

Uses.—The root, which has a rank odour, is made into a concoction and taken as a purge. Bits of it are also worn as a charm. The seeds are crushed and used as a substitute for soap and a concoction of them taken as a cure for colds. The roots are sometimes an ingredient of arrow poisons. The name “Mother of Medicines” is given it from the number of medicinal properties possessed by the plant.

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STERCULIA TOMENTOSAG. & P.—Kukuki.STERCULIACEAE.

A common tree which inhabits granite country and may be found in quantity on hills or in valleys amongst rocks. It does not occur in the extreme north on laterite formations. There is rarely any length of bole, the stem branching low down and the large, crooked limbs spreading wide apart to form a very open crown of irregular form. It can be distinguished at once by its purple bark. Amongst rocks the roots are above ground for several feet, clasping the boulders or creeping between the crevices. Root flanges are common. The branches are so soft in the wood that they, or even the whole of a fair-sized tree may be swayed to and fro by the hand, without difficulty.

The Barkis purple and quite smooth except for occasional large grey scales which leave yellow patches of very distinctive appearance. A gum exudes from the crimson slash and a watery sap flows at certain seasons.

The Woodis white and so soft as to be useless.

The Leavesare about 4-5 inches long and 3½-4 inches broad, cordate with the lobes overlapping the stalk, roughly 3-lobed, the middle lobe being the most prominent and the outline of two other lobes at the base being sometimes visible. There are 5 main veins corresponding with these lobes. The leaves are light green and downy on both sides, the nerves prominent on the under surface. There is a stalk about 3 inches long. The leaves are soft in texture.

The Flowerswhich spring from old as well as young wood are in small erect panicles 2-3 inches long, appearing February to April. The calyx is ½-¾ inches across, pale green with reddish lines from base to near tip, 5-lobed and downy. There are no petals. The stamens are on a column which is divided into 5 branches, each bearing 3 anthers. The anthers surround the style which is curved and finally the stamens drop off and leave the style exposed.

The Fruitsare pods about 3-4 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. There are 4 or 5 together radiating from a twig end and they are the readiest means of identification. They are rounded in the middle and pointed at the end with a groove on the under side along which the pod splits. They are covered with greenish hairs like plush, in a manner similar to the fruits of the Baobab tree. About December the fruit ripens and splits, the seeds falling and the pod remaining on the tree. The seeds, about a dozen, are purplish with a horny, yellow aril at the base and they are attached to both edges of the pod, sitting on small bosses which are covered with short stiff brownish hairs that penetrate the skin of the fingers. There is a large roomy space in the pod, the seeds being small in proportion.

Uses.—The watery sap which exudes from a slash in the spring is drunk in extremity of thirst.

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STEREOSPERMUM KUNTHIANUMCham.—Sansami, Jiri.BIGNONIACEAE.

This is, as commonly met with, quite a small tree, some 20 feet high, with a girth of 2 feet. Larger specimens up to 60 feet in height with a girth of 4 feet are occasionally seen, these dimensions showing the slender proportions of the species. It occurs in clumps, specially fine examples of which are to be seen in Sokoto where they are spread by root suckers. The stem is nearly always waved or spiral, this peculiarity persisting in the larger trees. The stem forks early and the twisted branches form a high crown and the clumps a light canopy under which little grows. Twin stems are common and root suckers abound. The power to grow these suckers is very persistent, as evidenced by cases of them appearing on land which has been farmed for many years and on which there has been no sign of the tree being allowed to grow. Great difficulty has been experienced in growing the tree by artificial means though the seed has been germinated, but the seedlings would not stand transplanting.

The Barkis pale grey or greenish with very large scales which expose contrasting light patches after the manner of the Plane tree. The slash is white with green edges.

The Woodis white or cream-coloured, with tinges of yellow and pink. In transverse section the rings are indistinct darker lines, the pores are very small, in festoons with a large percentage of soft tissue plainly visible as flecks and long concentric lines. The rays are not very closely or evenly spaced, seen as light-reflecting bands in radial section. The grain is fairly straight, following the waved stem of the tree, and coarse with the numerous open pores. The rings show as bands in radial section. The wood is fairly hard, easily sawn, not so readily planed, picking up a little, the finished surface being rather coarse. The weight is 60 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare pinnate with 2-3 pairs of leaflets and a terminal one. The whole is about a foot long and the leaflets 3-4 inches long. They darken and toughen with age and are greyish-green beneath and much darker above. The lower pair are often rounded at the tip. The mid-rib is almost white in contrast to the upper surface, and the venation is raised on the underneath.

The Flowersare in large, drooping panicles of beautiful, pale pink, funnel-shaped blossoms, which appear in March and bloom till the leaves are grown. They are sometimes much darker on individual trees. They have a small 5-lobed calyx, dark at the base, a pink, tubular, 5-lobed corolla with the lobes crinkled and covered on the inside with hairs and darker lines on the inside of each petal. They have four stamens, grouped on each side of the pistil, 2 longer and 2 shorter, with the appearance of a lyre.

The Fruitsare pods about 18 inches long and ¼ inch thick, cylindrical and spirally twisted with a long tapering tip. The pod is filled with a whitish pithy substance into which the seeds with wing above and below are embedded, the wings shaped concavely to fit against the pith. The pods are dark brown and split down both sides throughout their length, the seeds sliding down and falling out. The pods are so persistent that their halves are found on the twigs at the same time as the next year’s pods are fully grown.

Uses.—In large sizes in Bornu it is used for mortars, and cut for fuel and “gofas,” being most conveniently forked. Locally, pagans will lay a length of it across the house door to prevent thieves entering. There is a superstition that smoke from it will cause leprosy and in Sokoto it is called Dan Sarkin Itache as a mark of respect.

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STRYCHNOS SPINOSALam.—Kokiya.LOGANIACEAE.

This is the best known and most familiar of the Strychnos species and can be distinguished from the others by the large size of its fruits. It is usually a small tree about 15-20 feet high but will grow over 30 feet in height with a girth of about 3 feet. The stem branches low, the branches ascending at first and then bending over and drooping low, especially when borne down by the weight of the fruits. This drooping habit distinguishes it from the other species which occur in the open. Often the branches interlace after the manner of theZizyphusspecies. The species occurs everywhere in open situations and on the most barren soils.

The Barkis smooth and light brown in colour, and small, grey scales form and leave light patches when they fall. The slash is yellowish, with green edges.

The Thornsare in pairs at rather wide intervals along the branches and twigs, and are white with black tips. They are sharply recurved.

The Woodis whitish with grey streaks, hard, close grained and sound, picking up a little under the plane, finishing with a smooth surface, and weighs 65 lbs. a cubic foot. In transverse section the pores are very fine, numerous in the many chains and festoons of soft tissue which are clearly visible to the unaided eye and form almost a herring bone pattern. The rays are long, nearly straight, and variable in thickness.

The Leavesare oval and about 2½ inches long and 1½ inches broad with a short stalk. They are shiny on the upper surface, lighter beneath, and have palmate venation of a distinct type.

The Flowers, which appear in February, are in little clusters, and are green. Each is ¼ inch long and has 5 narrow sepals and a bell-shaped corolla of 5 lobes, whose mouth is closed by a ring of hairs. They are slightly perfumed.

The Fruits, which distinguish this species from the others, are large, yellow, round berries, some 4 or 5 inches in diameter, green when unripe, bright yellow and resembling an orange when ripe. The hard rind encloses a number of round flat seeds in a brownish, sweet, edible pulp. The seeds themselves are poisonous. The fruit is very slow in maturing and may be found on the tree for about six months in the year.

Uses.—The pulp of the fruit is eaten, the seeds being rejected as poisonous.

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STRYCHNOS TRICLISIOIDESBaker.—Kokiya.LOGANIACEAE.

A small, erect tree, from 12-20 feet high, or more, with a girth of 1-2 feet. The branches are vertical, and do not spread, there being no crown as such. The stem may be free of branches for some 10 feet, or there may be more than one stem, forking near the base. It does not occur far north, and is particularly common on rocky soils in granite country. It is in form very dissimilar to the other well-known species,S. spinosa, and unlike it has no thorns. It can be determined by its flowers, fruits and leaves, which are all typical of the genus.

The Barkis smooth in all shades of pale greys and greens, with a powdery surface. The small scales leave light, concave scars like the Plane tree. The bark is so distinctive that when recognised, it will identify the tree alone. The slash is cream-coloured, with green edges.

The Woodis yellow, hard, coarse and stringy, difficult to plane, cracks when drying and weighs 55 lbs. a cubic foot. In transverse section the rings are indistinct, the pores large, closed and strung rather widely apart between or on the rays which are long, fine and wavy and close together, varying much in thickness.

The Leavesare in pairs, each pair at right angles to the next above and below though a twisting occurs to enable the leaves to turn their faces to the light. The leaf is 2-3 inches long and 1-1¼ inches wide, oval in shape, narrow at the base, broad at the tip, a dull, smooth pale green above, paler beneath, the venation prominent on the under side only and composed of 3 main nerves, the laterals leaving the main rib about a third of the way up. The secondary venation is cellular and delicate. The stalk is dorsally flattened.

The Flowersare typically in threes on short stalks and are borne in small clusters, especially on last season’s wood below the new season’s leaves, in April-June. Each has a cup-shaped 4-lobed calyx, a tubular, 4-lobed, yellowish corolla, 4 stamens with anthers which protrude slightly from a ring of hairs closing the mouth of the corolla and a pistil whose black stigma also protrudes.

The Fruitsare a small edition of those ofS. spinosa. They are spherical, 1½-2 inches in diameter, ripening from a shiny blue or grey-green to a bright yellow, with a thick “shell” in which are some 6-9 seeds, each in its own sweet, sticky, orange-coloured pulp. The seeds are ½ inch in diameter, rounded, flattened, concave one side, convex the other, not hard, and readily cut in two. The fruit has a small, blunt “nose,” and ripens about June.

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SWARTZIA MADAGASCARIENSISDesv.—Gamma fada, Bayama, Bogo zage, Gwazkiya.LEGUMINOSAE.

This is generally quite a small tree, some 15-20 feet high, but will attain a height of 35-40 feet with girths of 4-5 feet or more. It is erect, with straight stem and ascending branches which in older trees terminate in pendulous twigs from which hang the long, soft, pinnate leaves. Its range does not extend very far north and it is particularly common in Bauchi, both on the plateau at some 4,000 feet altitude and in the lower plains.

The Barkis dark grey and shaggy with long ragged scales which fall in large pieces. That of small trees is light grey and smooth. The slash is yellow.

The Leavesare pinnate, with alternate or opposite leaflets, averaging 11 in number, the whole some 6-8 inches long, the short-stalked leaflets oblong with rounded base and rounded, slightly cleft tip, 2-3 inches long and an inch or more wide. The upper surface is smooth, the lower covered with silky hairs. The colour is rather pale green.

The Flowersare most distinctive with a large rounded, wavy-edged petal, white, with greenish-yellow base and silky hairs on the back. The globular calyx splits into cupped sections as the flower expands, the stamens, varying in number, some 15 or so, are yellow and the ovary and pistil is curved. The whole is on a stalk up to 2 inches in length. The flowers are solitary or in small racemes.

The Fruitsare pods from 6-12 inches long, straight, curved or bent, and about ¾ inch thick. They are cylindrical and have a smooth, shining, hard shell, dark brown in colour. The interior is divided transversely into a number of cells in which the brown, flattened seeds lie with their width in the direction of the pods’ length. The space on each side of the seeds is full of sticky matter and the pod has an objectionable odour, and persists for a long time on the tree, not splitting.

Uses.—A concoction from the pods is used as a fish poison.

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TAMARINDUS INDICALinn.—Tsamiya. “Tamarind Tree.”LEGUMINOSAE.

One of the commonest species of the north, in park formations, farm lands and open country round towns. It thrives on poor soils, big specimens growing on loose sand and shallow laterite. It is readily identified from a distance by its very dense, dark, compact crown, which may be oval or cylindrical with a pointed top, and uniformly dense down to within a few feet of the ground. It has as a rule a short, stout bole, 6-8 feet in girth, often divided a few feet from the level of the ground into two or three large limbs, with short, gnarled and crooked branches and a dense thicket of twigs. This compact form is more common farther north, southern specimens showing a higher, wider, and more umbrella-shaped crown. It averages 40-50 feet high. It is to be seen at times growing in a curious manner in small clumps of four or five stems on a raised earthy mound, possibly an old ant hill or an accumulation of earth held up by the close-growing stems. There is a very considerable leaf-fall and little grows beneath its shade. A quite common association is that of this species withAdansonia digitata, the Tamarind in this case embracing the other with long, sinuous limbs to a considerable height, and having no main stem.

The Barkis light grey with even-sized, thick scales about 1 inch square. These scales extend to the ends of the branches, getting smaller and more regular, still thick and hard, with a considerable resemblance to the bark of the Shea Butter Tree. The youngest trees show this bark. The slash is pale red with a yellow outer layer.

The Wood.The heartwood is dark brown, almost purple-brown, the sapwood pale yellow. In transverse section the pores are large, in groups and festoons, the contents nearly filling them, and they are numerous and the soft tissue occupies a large percentage of the wood. The rays are very fine and close, not visible to the naked eye. The wood is tough, very hard, heavy, cross-grained, blunts axes, saws with difficulty and picks up under the plane, which will give a hard finish, taking a polish. It is liable to crack in seasoning. The weight is 58 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare pinnate, from 4-6 inches long with 10-12 pairs of dull dark green leaflets, strap-like and notched at the tip. They have a grey bloom and are waxy to the touch.

The Flowersare in slender, drooping panicles and are 1 inch across with 4 yellow sepals, 3 orange-veined petals, 3 stamens and a hairy ovary and pistil. They appear from December onwards.

The Fruitsare pods which may be any shape from a single-seeded, round knob to a sickle-shaped, or straight, fleshy pod containing, when dry and ripe 6 or more hard shiny, brown seeds varying in shape from flat and oval to rounded cubes. The ripe pod is yellowish and falls entire. They ripen at the end of the year or later.

Uses.—The wood is used for implement handles and fuel.

The flowers are eaten fresh or as sauce.

The pods are used for making a bitter, not unpalatable drink, which is a laxative.

The young saplings of this species are those used by the Filani for the tests of endurance by flogging undergone by their youths.

In hollows in the trunk are found cocoons of a silkworm,Anaphesp. (tsamiya) which are boiled with water and ashes, dried in the sun and spun into the silk thread used for ornamenting the best gowns.

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TERMINALIA AVICENNIOIDESGuill. & Perr.—Baushi.COMBRETACEAE.

This is one of the commonest trees in a certain type of savannah, of medium quality and height, and it is associated with other species of the same genus, confusingly alike, over hundreds of square miles of forest, especially round about the parallels of 11° and 12° N. The leaf, though it is one of the means of identification, is very variable in width, so that more than one species seems to be included under the single name. With otherTerminaliaspecies it often forms over 50 per cent. of the forest and occurs pure in small groups. Usually a small tree, 15-20 feet high, it attains over 30 feet, with a short bole and widely spreading branches forming a large and very open crown. The distinguishing feature is the cottony felt covering of both sides of the leaf, the unequal basal lobes, and the downy fruit.

The Barkis grey or blue-grey, with very deep fissures and prominent vertical, wavy ridges of hard cork, typical of the genus. The slash is yellow, rapidly darkening on exposure.

The Woodresembles that of Oak in colour and hardness and often in grain, being light brown with splashes of lighter tone, specially noticeable on the tangential section, with a bright sheen. In transverse section the rings are clear and the pores are clearly visible to the unaided eye as lighter than the ground colour, grouped in concentric rings of soft tissue, or evenly distributed in numerous festoons. The rays are very fine, closely spaced and slightly wavy. The wood is hard, sound, carpenters well and weighs 55 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare 7-9 inches long and 2-5 inches broad, either elliptic or long and narrow, the upper surface dark green and softly cottony, the under side almost white with the nerves very prominent and the network of veins clearly outlined. The basal lobes are often unequal and the tip more often rounded. The type illustrated is twice as broad as the other extreme found.

The Flowersare in spikes about 4 inches long, loosely grouped, white or pinkish in colour, the pink on the tips of the sepals. The calyx is pubescent, and there are 8 erect stamens. The flowers are scented and appear from February to May.

The Fruitsare winged seeds 2-2½ inches long and 1 inch broad, tapering at the ends and covered with a purplish or grey bloom.

Uses.—The roots are used for bows and walking sticks.

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TERMINALIA GLAUCESCENSPl.—Baushi.COMBRETACEAE.

This is a large tree, sometimes as much as 60 feet in height with a good clean bole 6-8 feet in diameter, especially on stream banks. The crown of large trees is high, rounded and open, and a bole length of 30 feet is not uncommon. The distinguishing feature is the smooth under surface of the leaf, which has only a slight pubescence, and the dark smooth surface of the upper side. It is a prominent feature of better class savannah and one of the largest species.

The Barkis dark grey and has very prominent wavy ridges with deep fissures, typical of the genus. The slash is yellow, darkening rapidly.

The Woodis not unlike that ofT. avicennioides, but lighter in colour and more twisted in the grain, carpentering badly. It is heavier, up to 65 lbs. per cubic foot, and is much coarser.

The Leavesare about 6 inches long and 3 inches broad, oval or elliptic, rounded at the base, variable at the tip. Both surfaces are smooth, the under surface having a slight down. The nerves are prominent beneath and the reticulation of the veins very fine and clear.

The Flowersare on spikes 4-5 inches long, white, with rather long flower stalks, a 5-pointed calyx, pointed in bud, 10 erect stamens and a long ovary. They appear in the leaf axils from February to May and are highly scented.

The Fruitsare the typical winged ones of the genus, some 2¾ inches long and an inch wide, thus unusually long for their breadth. They ripen through brilliant shades of red and white to brown, with a fine mauve or grey bloom.

Uses.—The roots are used for bows and walking sticks.

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TERMINALIA MACROPTERAGuill. & Perr.—Kandari.COMBRETACEAE.

One of the largest-leaved species and more readily distinguished on sight than most species. It reaches a height of some 40 or more feet with a girth of 6-7 feet. The bole is short, the heavy branches crooked and spreading wide to form a rounded crown, fairly regular in form. The species forms gregarious clumps and is not so evenly distributed through Terminalia forest as are the other species. In the open savannah of the better type which it inhabits the contrast between the large pale green leaves and the almost black stem is very marked. The distinguishing features are the large leaf, smooth on both surfaces, the very marked rosettes of leaves, the short or almost absent leaf-stalk and the large fruits.

The Barkis dark grey or almost black on the bole. The scales are large, varying from rectangular to square and in old trees form long ridges and fissures in waved pattern. That on the branches is light grey and the long vertical scales are sharply cut transversely. The slash is a dark red brown.

The Woodis similar to that ofT. glaucescens, light oak-brown with an uneven grain, difficult to carpenter and weighing some 60 lbs. a cubic foot.

The Leavesare a foot or more in length, larger on smaller trees, obovate with tapering base, broad blade, sharp tip, wavy margins and very short thick stalk. They are pale green, almost the same colour on both surfaces, smooth above and below, the heavy mid-rib almost white and prominent on both sides, as are the very pronounced nerves. They grow in marked rosettes which face the light all round the tree and thus form quite good, though superficial, shade. Their texture is tough.

The Flowersare found from February to May, in long spikes in the axils of the new leaves. They are white with the usual 5-pointed calyx, 10 stamens and short pistil. The calyx is smooth but there is a slight pubescence on the inflorescence as a whole.

The Fruitsare the usual winged seed, a large and heavy crop of which is borne on the lower part of the spike, the rest seedless. The seed is 4-5 inches long and 1-1½ inches broad, pale green at first and smooth, turning a rich purple with a bloom, the wing slightly spiral twisted, the seed itself tapering acutely at both ends. It dries brown.

Uses.—The roots are used for sticks and bows.

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TRICHILIA EMETICAVahl.—Gwanja kusa, Jan saye.MELIACEAE.

A medium-sized tree occurring up to 11° N. in Tree or better-class Bush savannah. In Zaria and Bauchi provinces gregarious clumps are not uncommon. A height of 30 feet with a girth of 3-4 feet is an average well-grown tree. The distinguishing features are the large, soft pinnate leaves, green flowers and crimson capsular fruits, the last very conspicuous. It is a low-branched, spreading tree, giving good shade and apparently grows very slowly.

The Barkis pale grey and rough with large, thick, corky, rectangular scales.

The Leavesare in terminal tufts on the thick twigs, at first erect, then drooping, and are 15 inches long with a heavy stalk covered with velvety hairs. The leaflets average 4 pairs with a terminal leaflet and increase in size from below upwards, the basal pair being nearly round and the others increasing in length, with a tapered base and broad cleft tip. The mid-rib of each leaflet projects slightly just below the cleft tip, not actually in the cleft. The upper surface is a rich, smooth green, the underside paler, with prominent nerves, sunk on the upper surface of the leaf.

The Flowersare nearly an inch in diameter, appearing from February onwards. They are in short, stout racemes with a hairy bract at the base of each flower. They appear before the leaves and flower till the leaves are almost full grown. Each has a calyx of 5 sepals which cups the corolla of 5 long greenish petals whose face is concave and tips curved as in the bud. The stamens are joined for half their length and form a ring round the pistil whose globular stigma surmounts them.

The Fruitsare prominent capsules, ripening to a rich red colour before drying brown. They are 4-segmented with an uneven surface and a prominent “nose,” and contain 4 cells with a seed in each, not always distinctly separated or fully developed. The fruits are most conspicuous amongst the leaves.

Uses.—The local uses are few, the oil being rarely expressed, and the root occasionally used as a mild purge, unpopular owing to its extreme bitterness. The oil is, however, valuable from other parts of Africa, and has been exported, the seeds containing some 60 per cent. of oil suitable for soap and candles and has been valued at £9 10s. per ton of seed.

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UAPACA GUINEENSISMüll. Arg.—Kafafogo.EUPHORBIACEAE.

A large tree up to 40 feet high with 6-8 feet girth. It occurs as almost pure forest in some localities, is very local, requires good soils and rainfalls, and in such conditions does not, as a rule, exceed 30 feet high with 3-4 feet girths. It is especially common in S. Sokoto, Kontagora, on the escarpments of the Bauchi Plateau and in parts of Zaria Province and on the Plateau itself attains large sizes on the banks of small streams. It is most easily recognised by its shining rosettes of leaves, wax-like yellow flowers or yellow fig-like fruits. It has an erect stem, short bole, whorled branches and regular rounded crown, not very dense from the shade point of view. Its leaf fall covers the ground and little grows beneath it.

The Barkis black, with small, round, even-sized, closely packed scales, often lichenous. Very old trees lose these scales at the base and a brown, fibrous looking bark replaces them. The small black scales are borne almost to the tips of the branches. The slash is red.

The Woodis pale red. In transverse section the rings show as fine white lines between broader, darker bands. The pores are small, numerous and in rows between the long fine rays which are visible as small bands in radial section. In the plank the pores appear numerous and short and the grain is marked faintly in dark and light lines. The pores glisten with resin. The wood is not hard, easy to work and planes to a soft finish with no polish. It is liable to radial cracks but is otherwise a sound, clean timber.

The Leavesare up to a foot long and 6 inches wide, oval, rounded at the tip and gradually tapering to the short, broad stalk. They are a dark, brightly shining green, much paler beneath, covered with short, erect, stiff hairs, feeling slightly rough to the touch. The mid-rib is raised a little on the upper surface and is very prominent beneath. The nerves are light in colour.

The Flowersare monoecious, male and female on the same tree, the female situated below the male. Both are similar in appearance, grouped in clusters round the thick shoots at the base of the leaves, and their parts are surrounded by thick yellow bracts in place of petals. The male has dense clusters of separate flowers, compressed into a ball, each minute flower having 5 2-anthered stamens and a rudimentary ovary amongst minute bracts. The female has 3 triple stigmas. The flowers appear during the rains.

The Fruitsare like figs at first sight, but very different in structure. Borne in long clusters on the leafless twigs, or amongst the leaves, they ripen in March or April and may persist till July. They are ¾ inch in diameter, round or slightly pear-shaped, yellow and juicy ripening to dry and red-brown. The remains of the stigma show at the tip as three small black, shredded tufts radiating from the centre, and the division of the fruit shows itself on the outside by three slight ridges. A cross section through the fleshy fruit shows the design of the curiously folded green cotyledons lying in the kernels. The fruit coat is covered with short stiff hairs. The seeds are hard, ½ inch long, oval and grooved.

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VERNONIA AMYGDALINADel.—Shiwaka.COMPOSITAE.

A very common shrub or small tree, abundant on the banks of streams and large rivers where it forms an impenetrable thicket. It has either a number of stems from ground level or a single low-branched stem forming a rounded crown up to 12 or 15 feet high.

The Barkis light grey and smooth with no distinctive character.

The Leavesare some 6 inches long and 1¾ inches wide, this being an average, the largest reaching 8 inches in length and 3 inches in width. They are alternate on the shoots, long and tapering at both ends with an acute point and stalks about ½ inch long. The margins are waved. The upper surface is a dull dark green, paler beneath with the venation prominent. There are often hairs on the surface.

The Flowersare in large terminal panicles, sometimes nearly a foot wide. The flowers are in composite heads about ½ inch long, with some 20 flowers in an involucre of pale green scales, the corolla and bifid style white. The flowers are found mostly in the rains.

The Fruitis a seed, or achene, with the usual pappus or ring of bristles by which it is distributed on the wind. The “thistle-down” heads are about ½ inch in diameter.

Uses.—The root is used as a chew-stick for cleaning the teeth and as tonic bitters. The leaves are used medicinally.

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