Chapter II: Part 2

=The Flowers= are in small racemes amongst the leaves at the twig ends. They are inconspicuous and appear from May to July. Each has 4 green sepals, 5 greenish-white petals, 10 stamens in the keel, not all fertile and a prominent, flattened pistil. They are ½ inch long.

=The Fruits= are pods from 2-4 inches long and an inch broad, brown with a paler edge, shiny, with veined surface and slightly embossed seeds. The 1-3 seeds are round, flat, light brown and have a white hilum, and are ⅜ inch long. The pods are persistent on the tree till the following rains.

=Uses.=—The wood is used for axe and hoe handles, its excessive hardness giving it the name of “kariye gatari” or “break the axe.” Concoctions of the bark and roots are used medicinally.

=AFZELIA AFRICANA= Smith.—_Kawo_. LEGUMINOSAE.

A species which is more locally than generally common and in some forests found very evenly distributed throughout large areas. Large timber specimens, as found in the south, are rarely met with, as the form of the typical northern specimens is one having a short, thick bole with a girth of 6-10 feet, large spreading limbs forming a wide, rather flat-topped crown with dense foliage and good shade. Forty feet is an average height for such full-grown trees. It is comparatively rare in the extreme north, but especially common in parts of the central and southern provinces of the north. At a distance it can be distinguished by the brilliant green of its foliage, which, though apparently dense, is actually very superficial and can be seen through in somewhat the same manner as can _Chlorophora excelsa_. It attains its full size in “kurmis” or on the slopes of well-watered hills.

=The Bark= is grey and flakes off in large, uneven-edged scales which leave distinctive, light patches. The slash is pale red and of a crumbling composition.

=The Wood=, when freshly cut is a light brown with distinct orange tint, which always remains, even when the timber has darkened to the deep red brown after seasoning. The sapwood is white or yellowish, generally the latter, the orange of the pores enhancing this. In transverse section the rings are indistinctly marked, but the soft tissue, in unusual quantities, is clearly seen, as are the pores, which are large, rather far apart, some single, or in small nests, or in lines. The rays, not visible to the naked eye, are continuous and regularly spaced, readily visible in radial section. The grain is inclined to pick up in bands, it being by no means an easy wood to work with, but the resulting finish is well worth the trouble required. It is hard, durable and strong, and weighs from 55-60 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are pinnate, about a foot long with 6-8 pairs of opposite, shiny, dark-green leaflets, 3½ inches long and 2½ inches broad. They are a most brilliant green when new.

=The Flowers= are in stiff, flat panicles and appear in March. Each flower has four dark-green cupped sepals, one long petal, cream-coloured with red lines, seven fertile stamens, two infertile stamens and a long, dark-green style.

=The Fruits=, which ripen about December or January, are large, hard, black pods, 5-6 inches long, 2½ inches broad and an inch thick, with a point at the tip. They split in half to disclose about eight large, black beans, set in a red aril in large, white cells. The pods are numerous and conspicuous on the trees.

=Uses.=—Planks and mortars are made locally from the wood. Furniture in small quantities has been made, and except for the weight of the wood, it is admirably suitable, in colour and texture for this purpose. The seeds are sold as a charm (fasa daga) and used in the game of “dara.” The idea is held, in some parts of the country, that if the seeds be picked from the pod while it is still on the tree and made into “tuwo” the eating of them will make one safe from an attempted blow with a stick, which will remain poised, or break with the blow.

The leaves are eaten as fodder by cattle.

=ALBIZZIA BROWNEI= Oliv.—_Madobiar rafi_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This is a large species of the tree savannah, extending generally by way of the streams and “kurmis” up to above 11° N. On suitable soils it can be found in large groups forming a high forest with the crowns meeting over 60 feet overhead. The bole length is considerable, often 30 feet and the stem is slender and straight. Enormous isolated trees inhabit the more sheltered “kurmis” and reach a height of 80 feet with a girth of 12 feet. Such specimens have small root flanges and the crown is low and of great size, not affording very much shade owing to the spreading limbs. The large bipinnate leaves of distinctive form and the big, flat pods are readily recognised.

=The Bark= is greyish-brown, fairly smooth, with square or rectangular close-fitting scales, larger and rougher in old trees, especially at the base. The slash is light orange in colour.

=The Wood= is a light red, with streaks and areas of darker and lighter red and white. In transverse section the rings are well marked and wide apart, the pores are large, mostly twins or small groups and imperfect festoons, the soft tissue not linking them up in long lengths. The rays are fine, wavy and irregular in their spacing, closing up and separating, showing as red bands in radial and fine stippling in tangential section. The wood is soft, easy to saw and plane, the finish being smooth, with a sheen and able to take a polish. The weight is 42 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are 12-18 inches long, with an average of three opposite pairs of pinnae 6-7 inches long bearing four, five and six pairs of leaflets on the lower, middle and upper pinnae respectively. The leaflets are roughly rectangular in shape due to the curving forward of the mid-rib and the blade of the leaflet being wider on the inside at the base and on the outside at the middle. The leaflets increase in size from the lowest pair to the topmost pair, varying from 1-3 inches long. They are practically the same dark, rich green above and beneath, being reddish when young. The mid-rib and nerves are prominent on both surfaces.

=The Flowers= appear in March and April just as the new leaves are maturing. They are of both sexes on the same tree and the same shoot, borne in small heads at the end of numerous long stalks in the leaf axils, the whole shoot being some 12 inches long. The female is solitary in the middle of the head in a circle of male flowers which open slightly later. The female is white and has a corolla of 5-6 lobes in a tubular 5-lobed calyx, and a large number of radiating styles, white with black stigmas, like a Sea Anemone in form. The male is much smaller, with a minute calyx, small tubular corolla of five points, and a long slender column of bright red stamens with black anthers radiating in a tuft at the top of the column.

=The Fruits= are large, flat, light mahogany brown pods, up to 8 inches long and 1½ inches broad, shining and veined, and embossed at the 9-12 seeds which are ⅜ inch long, flat, oval, sharp-edged and dark brown, with a prominent “horse-shoe” mark. The pods fall and split and the seeds remain attached alternately to the two halves till blown or washed out.

=ALBIZZIA CHEVALIERI= Harms.—_Katsari_. LEGUMINOSAE.

A small tree up to 30 feet in height with a girth of 2-3 feet, common throughout the northern provinces. Owing to the similarity of its pods to those of _Acacia macrostachya_, it may be confused with this species in the dry season when the tree is leafless. The larger leaves, absence of thorns, corky bark and balls of flowers distinguish it at once on examination. It has an erect stem, often three or four stems from a low level, which repeatedly fork and form an open spreading crown, some of the branches extending widely and inclined to droop with the weight of the large leaves. The twigs are softly hairy.

=The Bark= is pale grey with a light brown tinge due to the patches left by the falling scales. It is thickly covered with very soft, corky scales, rectangular in shape and of greater length than breadth. The horizontal cuts are very straight and seem to have been done with a sharp knife. The fallen scales show a reddish colour beneath, which rapidly turns light brown and finally grey. The surface of the bark scales is very smooth and silvery.

=The Wood= is medium weight, rather light yellow, with a marked, long, straight grain, alternate yellow and white. The pores are very long, the rings very close. Planes and saws well, with a sheen in places.

=The Leaves= are about 9 inches long, bipinnate with some 10-15 pairs of pinnae, each having from 10-20 leaflets. The leaflets are broad, sharply pointed and uneven in shape, the inner portion being much narrower than the outer, whilst the inner edge is almost straight and the outer curved to the tip; they overlap and are inclined towards the tip of the pinna, whose main rib has a small extension between the top-most pair. The leaves are slightly sensitive and close at night and very shortly after they are gathered. The main rib of the leaf has purple blotches on its upper surface and is covered with very short hairs. The leaf is smooth with a waxy surface and much darker above than below.

=The Flowers=, which appear in April are in spherical heads of about thirty together, borne on a 2½ inch stalk. Each flower has a small 5-lobed reddish calyx, 5 small reddish petals and some 18 stamens which are an inch long, very slender, white, gradually becoming green towards the anthers. There is a 1½ inch long pistil, also becoming green towards the tip. The flowers are sweet scented, blooming at night.

=The Fruits= are pods from 3-6 inches long and ¾ inch wide, and vary in size according to number of seeds and in colour from a very light brown with a pinkish tinge to an uniform light red-brown colour. They are flat and the seeds embossed, the edges of the pod being straight and not indented between the seeds. The whole surface is covered with very short hairs and is velvety to the touch. The pods open on the tree or on the ground, splitting up to the stalk. The seeds are small, round, flat, and green-brown in colour, and are attached to each half of the pod alternately by a long stalk, part of which is straight and part tightly curved into an S next the seed. The pods are ripe in November and remain, a light crop, till April. There is a fine cellular veining on the surface.

=AMBLYGONOCARPUS SCHWEINFURTHII= Harms.—_Tsege, Kiriya ta mata, Kolo_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This strikingly handsome tree, with a strong resemblance to the Mountain Ash, is found on poor soils as far as 12½° N., but in the belts where the soil is better than that of the surrounding country. Elsewhere further south it occurs throughout the higher savannah forests, often near streams, where it will grow 60 feet high, but with a small girth in proportion, not exceeding 5 feet. It averages 30 feet high, with a long clean bole and high, wide, flat crown of great beauty from the filtering of light through its bipinnate leaves whose small round leaflets are set apart, the leaves lying in the horizontal plane. A 30-feet bole on the larger trees is not uncommon. It gives little shade. It seems to be very local and where found, occurs over a small area of country in fair numbers.

=The Bark= is grey or brown, rough, with uneven sized scales, rounded or polygonal. These leave red scars on falling.

=The Wood= is a rich red-brown, more red than brown. The sapwood is grey. In transverse section the rings show as darker bands of varied width and the colour is darker in this section. The pores are numerous, in festoons of various lengths, or single, and a few nests, the whole densely and evenly distributed and the soft tissue plainly visible to the unaided eye as waves and specks in the dark hard tissue. The rays are straight, unevenly spaced, some being only the width of a ray apart, others far apart, some visible to the naked eye. The vertical section shows bands of colour and long dark pores. The wood is very hard, difficult to saw and picks up in bands under the plane, but the finished surface is smooth and will take a high polish. The weight is 60 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are bipinnate, 10 inches long, with 2-5 pairs of opposite or sub-opposite pinnae bearing 8-16 alternate leaflets, broad oval, flat tipped, pale blue-green, on light brown stalks, each ¾ inch long and ½ inch broad. They spring from the ends of erect twigs and lie in the horizontal plane. The leaflets are set apart and do not touch or overlap.

=The Flowers=, which appear in March, are in spikes, 2-3 inches long, crowded with white, scented flowers. Each flower has five small white petals with acute tips, ten white stamens with yellow anthers and a white pistil. They are not very conspicuous as they are partly hidden amongst the foliage.

=The Fruits= are large four-angled pods, the suture angle rounded. They are 4 inches long and 1½ inches broad, brown, pendulous on a 3 inch long stalk. They contain 6-10 seeds, roughly four-angled, pointed at one end. These lie across the length of the pod and ripen about December. They are ¾ inch long.

=ANDIRA INERMIS= H. B. K.—_Gwaska, Madobia_. LEGUMINOSAE.

A large tree occurring near streams in Bauchi, Sokoto and Zaria provinces. It is also found in the forests where the conditions are moist enough, and is not at all uncommon amongst the rocks on the Bauchi plateau. It rarely has any length of bole, the crown almost reaching the ground and the stem being bent or leaning. The crown is dense and the branches droop at the end. A height of 30-40 feet with a girth of 4-5 feet is usual. The foliage much resembles that of _Khaya senegalensis_, from a distance, but has a brilliant sheen.

=The Bark= is brown or grey-brown, roughish, with scales an inch or two in diameter fitting close together.

=The Leaves= are pinnate, 10-18 inches long with 5-7 pairs of opposite or nearly opposite leaflets and a terminal leaf. The smallest at the base are 1½ inches long and ¾ inch wide; the largest in the middle are 3½ inches long and 1½ inches wide. The edges are parallel and there is a sharp taper to a cleft tip. The basal lobes are uneven and the leaflets vary much in shape. The terminal leaflet is broader in proportion to its length than the lateral leaflets and the margins are not parallel. There are small stipules at the base of each stalk. The surface on both sides is shining and the new leaves are a most brilliant green. The mid-rib is below the upper surface but raised beneath.

=The Flowers= which bloom from March to May are in loose panicles up to 2 feet in length and in such numbers as to show up from a considerable distance. The blossom is very ornamental. The flower is papilionaceous with a large pink standard and white keel. A species of small black ant swarms over the flowers at times.

=The Fruits= resemble large walnuts and hang in bunches on long stalks like mangoes. They are ovoid, 2-3 inches long and 2 inches across, with a thick, fibrous, green-brown case containing two white kernels one above the other. They ripen about September. There is the line of a suture down one side, and the surface is uneven.

=ANOGEISSUS LEIOCARPUS= Guill. & Perr.—_Marike_. COMBRETACEAE.

This is perhaps the most evenly and widely distributed of all trees, extending from the southern rain belt to the extreme north of Nigeria, and over the border into French territory north of Sokoto, where some of the largest examples of the northern provinces are to be found. A height of 70 feet with girths of 6-8 feet is common. As regards the situations most favourable to this species, level country with deep soil and average rainfall is preferred, and considerable areas of such country are found occupied almost entirely by it, both as full grown trees and saplings in dense thickets. These latter are especially valuable for the production of forked poles (gofa) for building purposes, and are transported great distances owing to their great durability and comparative resistance to White Ants. The species is readily distinguished at a distance by its feathery, birch-like foliage and drooping branches, which, at first acutely ascending, bend over and droop in graceful curves. A light-demander, its branches are extremely persistent on the stem and only where it is very densely grown, preferably with an admixture of shade-bearing species, will clean boles be found. Examples grown in the open, or suddenly freed from the forest by the clearing for cultivation, are covered with small twigs and the foliage extends almost to ground level. Large specimens in forest have clean boles, generally forking at no great height, with wide-spreading, open crowns.

=The Bark= varies according to habitat. That of specimens in dense forest is fairly smooth with small, brown scales, but as generally seen in the north is a very light grey with long scales which turn up at the ends before falling, giving the tree a ragged appearance, with large, lighter patches. A dark gum exudes from the bark, very inferior as an adhesive as it is cloudy when made up into solution. The slash is pale yellow with thin dark lines.

=The Wood= is a dark, dull, smoky brown, sometimes almost black, with reddish streaks. The sapwood is grey or dirty white. In transverse section the rings are seen as dark bands, the pores are minute and densely distributed in small groups, chains and festoons of various sizes, with single pores between, the soft tissue sparse and hardly connecting the pores. The rays are extremely fine and close together. In vertical section the grain is very fine and the pores have glistening contents. It is a very hard wood, difficult to work with all tools, often knotty, picking up in bands, but will polish, even on the transverse section. The weight is 64 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are on long, slender, drooping twigs, and are oval, slightly darker above than below with a silky pubescence which is most marked in the young foliage. They tend to assume one plane. Length 2-3 inches, breadth 1 inch.

=The Flowers= are little cream-coloured, scented balls, ⅜ inch diam., from February on. Each has a 5-pointed calyx, 10 erect stamens, a short, straight pistil, round the base of which is a ring of reddish hairs. They are very inconspicuous.

=The Fruits= are small, rough, cone-like balls of irregularly serrated-edged seeds, packed horizontally. They are green in the seed and brown in the wing portion. They ripen about December and are about ¾ inch.

=Uses.=—The wood is burnt entire and the fine, white ash used for fixing dyes. The ash is also used for washing white garments. The roots are used as “Chew-sticks” for cleansing the mouth and teeth. The saplings and branches produce forked poles (gofa) for building. The bark yields a dark, inferior gum. The seeds are a cure for worms in horses. The leaves, mixed with salt, make a yellow dye.

=ANONA SENEGALENSIS= Pers.—_Gwandar daji_. “_Custard Apple_.” ANONACEAE.

A very common shrub, averaging some 10-12 feet in height, sometimes a small tree, in suitable situations exceeding 20 feet; very widely distributed and found everywhere except in the extreme north. The distinguishing features are the oval, bluish leaves, the waxy, yellow flowers and the familiar orange-coloured fruits. It has no particular form.

=The Bark= is normally light, silvery grey, smooth, with marked horizontal cuts round the stem, having the appearance of joints. Older or exposed stems, especially those subject to fire, become darker and roughly scaly. The slash is a dull, pale pink.

=The Wood= is greenish-grey. The transverse section shows indistinct rings, minute single pores scattered in between the fine waved rays which reach from the centre to the edge of the wood and show as small dark bands in radial section. In vertical section the grain shows as slight variations in colour. It is soft and easy to saw and plane. Weight 40 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are oval, some 6 inches long and 3 inches broad, bluish-green, with a short stalk, the lateral nerves inclined well forward and the small connecting veins parallel, numerous and at right angles to the mid-rib. The leaves stand erect and are apt to fold up along the mid-rib. When crushed they are fragrant.

=The Flowers= appear from January to April, single or in pairs, ¾ inch long, pale yellow and waxy. Each has three small green sepals and six petals in two rows, the outer three large, with broad flat edges which meet tight together in bud, the inner three smaller, thick and pale yellow, their tips meeting over a mass of stamens round the ovary and stigmas. The flowers do not open wide and last for a long time.

=The Fruits= are rounded, 2-3 inches long, composed of fleshy carpels each containing a seed, green at first with a resemblance to cones, ripening to a rich orange colour. They are pleasant but unsatisfactory eating owing to the large number of seeds embedded in the juicy flesh. Birds are very partial to them, hollowing them out before they ripen.

=Uses.=—The fruit is eaten fresh.

=BALANITES AEGYPTIACA= Del.—_Aduwa_. “_Desert Date_.” SIMARUBACEAE.

In the north this is one of the commonest trees on loose sand or barren, stony wastes, where it is often the only species to survive the extreme conditions. It averages 15-20 feet high, but 30 feet is not uncommon, with a girth of 4-5 feet. The long green thorns and small dark leaves distinguish it. The form is roughly spherical, with a tangled mass of long thorny twigs, whose ends droop or protrude here and there some feet from the main thicket. It extends northwards to the limits of tree growth, affording fodder for camels and goats.

=The Bark= is grey, with long, wide, deep, vertical fissures in which the yellow of the new bark can be seen. The scales are long, thick, prominent and ragged. The branch bark is distinctive. Dark green and smooth, the cream-coloured lenticels of various lengths cover it ever more thickly from the tip downwards till the green colour is completely obscured and the grey of the branch bark is reached. The slash is pale yellow.

=The Thorns= are modified shoots borne spirally round the long slender twigs in the leaf axils, 2-3 inches long, tapering evenly to a strong, sharp point. They incline slightly forward and barely curve. They are dark green and persist on the branches.

=The Wood= is light yellow with sometimes greyish discolorations. In transverse section the rings are distinct in wavy light lines; the pores are small, open and in little groups in concentric rings and the rays are clearly visible as light lines of various overlapping lengths. In radial section the rays add a figure to the wood in lines up to an inch long. In vertical section the wood is of even colour and texture, close grained and sound. It is easy to carpenter and planes smoothly without picking up. Weight 48-50 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves=, with the thorns in their axils, are really paired leaflets on a short, common stalk; 1½-2 inches long, over 1 inch wide, a very dull, dark green, they are unequal lobed, as illustrated, with a tendency to close up along the mid-rib. They assume a vertical position, even when the twig droops, the stalks bending to adjust themselves to this position.

=The Flowers=, in the leaf axils, are found from November to March, in spikes up to 3 inches long, often shortened to resemble round clusters. Each flower is ½ inch across, with five small green sepals, five longer and darker green petals, ten short yellow stamens and a shining dark green ovary with short, blunt pistil. The tree sometimes flowers out of season.

=The Fruits=, which ripen from February onwards, are 1¼ inches long and about an inch wide on a short stalk. At first green with a wrinkled, nipple-like tip, they turn yellow on ripening, when they have a thin hard skin, a light brown, sticky, edible flesh and a large, hard, pointed stone. There is a space between the flesh and the skin.

=Uses.=—The fruits are edible, particularly appreciated by beasts. The wood makes excellent axe and hoe handles. Planes have been made of it, it being similar to beech in quality. The branches are used for hedging farms.

=BALSAMODENDRON AFRICANUM= A. Rich.—_Dashi_. BURSERACEAE.

This shrub or small tree is locally plentiful and is found in all situations, in the driest sandy soils, on the tops of rocks where it grows stout and stunted in the crevices, and in loamy soils. It is frequently seen planted as a live hedge from cuttings and forms an impenetrable barrier after the habit of the Blackthorn. The slender but rigid twigs shoot out in all directions and with its trifoliate leaves on the purple twigs, the plant is readily identified. As a small tree, a form met with on hills or in better soils in the forest, the stem is short and stout, dividing low down and quickly branching into a light rounded crown. The height is rarely over 15-20 feet.

=The Bark= of old examples is green and shining, covered with little papery scales which flake off. That of the branches and twigs is red or purple. A resinous gum with a pleasant scent exudes from the slash.

=The Thorns= are branches whose tips are modified in the form of spines, which will bear leaves, and in the dormant season are dotted with buds.

=The Leaves= are trifoliate, often very small, but when full-grown some 3-3½ inches long, of which one inch is stalk, red above, green beneath. The middle leaflet is broadest slightly over half-way up, tapering gradually to the base and more suddenly to the tip, with irregularly serrated edges. The lateral leaflets are unequal in size, the right hand one usually considerably larger than the left, both rounded and serrated in the same manner as the middle leaflet. The surface is shiny waxy green, very bright when young. The venation is prominent beneath, the lateral nerves much branched and zig-zag. The leaf is scented.

=The Flowers= appear in October on the leafless tree and are in small clusters all along the twigs, up to about 10 in a cluster, each on a minute stalk. The flower is ¼ inch long with a 4-lobed tubular corolla deep red with green lobes, the petals separate but overlapping and close together in the tubular portion which is held in the 4-lobed, cup-shaped calyx. There are 8 stamens, 4 just appearing in the corolla mouth, 4 shorter, and a pistil wholly below the corolla mouth.

=The Fruits= are small irregularly pear-shaped drupes a little over ¼ inch long, greyish with a purple bloom which is easily rubbed off. They have a highly resinous flesh and white kernel and ripen in the early spring. They grow in clusters along the twigs and the crop is often a heavy one.

=Uses.=—The resin is used as a scent on garments and medicinally, taken internally.

=BAUHINIA RETICULATA= DC.—_Kalgo, Kargo_. LEGUMINOSAE.

A medium-sized tree or shrub, in which latter form it occurs over large areas of country as pure growth, particularly as secondary growth in farmed land, where it is a great pest to the farmer who desires to continue sowings. It grows prolifically from stumps which the farmer does not trouble to uproot. It is very fond of small, shallow depressions, where it will grow to the exclusion of all else. In its proper habitat it will grow over 30 feet high with a girth of 8-10 feet, with short bole and an enormous rounded crown of dense foliage affording good shade. It is one of the commonest species in the north.

=The Bark= is a dull, dark grey, sometimes with a rust-red tinge, deeply fissured and ridged with hard, brittle bark of some thickness, which falls in large, ragged sections. That of young trees can be ripped off readily after being cut. The slash is bright crimson, turning brown on exposure, and shows the fibrous nature of the bark.

=The Wood= is oak-brown, rather dirty looking, with light patches and dark discolorations, especially round flaws. In transverse section the rings are indistinct but the hard and soft tissue is very well marked, mostly in concentric lines. The pores are small, evenly distributed, mostly in festoons joined by the soft tissue. The rays are extremely fine and closely spaced, invisible to the unaided eye and very faintly seen in radial section as small bands. The wood is easily sawn but picks up badly under the plane. It is very strong and tough and weighs 50 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are bifoliate, the depth to which the leaf is divided varying a great deal and the angle being sharp or rounded. They average 4 inches across but those from stool shoots especially may be very much larger and generally the larger the tree the smaller the leaves. There are four main nerves on each leaflet and the mid-rib projects slightly between them. The leaf stalk is an inch long, with large base. Like all species of this genus the leaf tends to fold up along the mid-rib. The colour is lighter beneath and the venation a very intricate network and prominent. The texture is tough.

=The Flowers= are in spikes, 2-6 inches long and appear in February or March or even as late as June. Each has a 5-lobed calyx, green-brown in colour, 5 white petals, wrinkled and overlapping at the edges, 10 stamens of varied length with brown anthers and a short, blunt pistil. The flowers drop off readily when handled and are about an inch long. They do not open very wide.

=The Fruits= are pods 6-9 inches long, hard, flat, dark-brown, straight or contorted into strange shapes, 2 inches broad and ¼-½ inch thick. They are persistent on the tree for many months, a most disfiguring feature, and drop entire, rotting on the ground. They are very liable to attacks from a grub which destroys the seeds. These are small, brown, oval and scattered about in the mealy endocarp which has an objectionable smell.

=Uses.=—The wood is used for axe and hoe handles of all sorts. The bark is used for binding and tying but is not plaited or twisted into ropes. Cattle eat the pods.

=BAUHINIA RUFESCENS= Lam.—_Jirga, Tsatsagi, Matsagi_. LEGUMINOSAE.

A small tree, typically inhabiting annually inundated areas but also flourishing in sandy soils of poor quality. It forms, with its numerous much branched stems, a small thicket of one or more trees; it is difficult to say how many under the circumstances, as one root-stock will produce a number at ground level, forming an impenetrable mass. It can be distinguished readily by the typical leaves of the genus, and the small size of these compared with other species. The fact that it is always in flower and fruit will identify it also.

=The Bark= is a light ash-coloured grey, smooth and covered with small, brown horizontal lenticels. Old stems bear at the base small dark scales and the bark is fissured giving it a speckled appearance. The slash is pink and reveals the very fibrous nature of the bark.

=The Thorns= are modified twigs whose tips are strongly pointed. They may support leafy shoots or bear leaves themselves and are seen best on the long, slender shoots and drooping twigs. They extend their growth indefinitely, but on the older wood may be seen as bare, woody spines 3 or 4 inches long, curved out and down.

=The Wood= is a dull, smoke-brown colour. In transverse section the rings are indistinct dark lines; the pores are numerous and unevenly distributed, single in small groups or in short chains, the rays invisible to the unaided eye but showing as small bands in radial section, which reflect the light. In vertical section the grain is close and there are darker bands of colour. The wood is not hard, is easily sawn and planes to a nice, soft, smooth finish though it picks up in places with the long soft fibres. The weight is 50 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are borne spirally round the branches, often in the thorn axils or on the thorns themselves, or on twigs bare of thorns. They are bifoliate, typical of the genus, rarely over an inch long and mostly a ½ inch, the terminal leaf of a new shoot often being much larger. The mid-rib is extended between the leaflets which are divided to the base and there are three main nerves to each leaflet. They are a light, blue-green or grey-green, with a bloom and are partly sensitive, closing up rapidly after being plucked.

=The Flowers= are white and can be found all the year round, though the proper flowering season is in the rains or towards the end of them. They are in small racemes at the twig ends, pendulous amongst the leaves, ¾ inch long, with a calyx which splits partially into five parts, remaining attached at the tips and opening beneath, 5 white petals, spoon-shaped with narrow base and broad, pointed tip, 10 white stamens with light brown anthers and a tuft of hairs at the base of each, and a clubbed pistil.

=The Fruits= are pods about 3 inches long, constricted between the seeds, dull black, slightly curved, containing up to eight shiny, rich red-brown seeds, roughly rectangular with one rounded corner. The seeds rattle loose in the pod which falls entire and rots on the ground. The pods hang in conspicuous clusters and may be seen all the year round.

=Uses.=—The bark is stripped for binding but is not plaited into ropes.

=BERLINIA AURICULATA= Benth.—_Doka rafi_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This is a medium-sized tree of the best savannah types, commonly found in “kurmis” and extending as far north as 11°. It occurs plentifully in Sokoto and Kontagora along the small streams in the south. Averaging 40 feet in height it will reach 60 feet with girths of 8-10 feet. The crown is high, rounded and very dense in the open; flatter and more superficial in heavy forest, topping a 30-feet bole, only 10 feet long in open situations. The flowers and pods are both conspicuous.

=The Bark= is dark-grey or brown, the scales leaving large, concave scars. The slash is pale brown.

=The Wood.=—The heartwood is red-brown, the sapwood light with a pink tint. In transverse section the rings are well but unevenly marked red lines. The pores are large and solitary, for the most part in oblique rows, and the rays are extremely fine and invisible to the unaided eye. In vertical section the pores are long and straight and the rings show as dark bands. It is rather a coarse, stringy wood, sawing roughly and picking up in long fibres under the plane. Where the grain suits the plane the finish has a bronze sheen. It is a fairly hard wood and weighs 50 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are pinnate, 9-12 inches long with an average of four pairs of pinnae increasing in size from the lower pair upwards, the lower 2-4 inches long and 1½—2 inches broad, the upper pair 5-7 inches long and 2-3 inches broad. The mid-rib curves forward, rounding the outer edge of the leaf. The nerves are alternate long and short. The similarity of the leaf and fruit to those of _Isoberlinia doka_ gives it its native name.

=The Flowers= are in close panicled racemes at the branch tips from March to June. Each flower is 4 inches long over all, being enclosed at first in a pair of long, pale green, velvety bracteoles which separate and fall back to release the flower parts. The calyx is a slender tube divided into five long, narrow pointed, recurved sepals. The corolla has four small, linear petals and one erect white, wrinkled, cleft petal 2 inches long and broad, with a green centre splash. There are ten long, erect, hairy stamens with brown-green anthers, and a long pistil. The flowers are in such masses as to be conspicuous from a great distance.

=The Fruit= is a broad, flat, dark brown, velvety pod, 6-10 inches long and 2-2½ inches broad. It explodes when ripe to release some 3-5 round, flattened seeds.

=BOMBAX BUONOPOZENSE= Beauv.—_Kuriya, Gurjiya_. MALVACEAE.

This tree is known as the Red-Flowered Silk Cotton Tree and grows, on an average, to a height of 40 feet with a girth of about 5 feet. Very much larger specimens are, however, to be seen, up to 70 feet high with girths of 15 feet and more. Rounded root-flanges are prominent on the large trees. The crown is regular and umbrella-shaped, rather flat-topped, wide-spreading and open with superficial foliage giving little shade. In old specimens the bole is gnarled and the limbs much bent, the shape of the crown being often retained by the growth of the smaller branches. The species is not at all exacting as regards soil and is, in fact, commonly found on hillsides and amongst rocks where its roots penetrate the little but good soil. It is more local than general in its distribution.

=The Bark= of the younger trees is very corky, longitudinally fissured and horizontally cut into prominently spiked scales. The degree of roughness is very variable, being generally far more marked, relatively on younger trees, and, in the older ones, the thorns being confined to the branches, the bole having prominent layered corky scales with soft ends. Some quite small trees bear no thorns at all, but this is rare. The spines are conical, with broad corky bases and sharp black points. If a piece of the bark be snapped off it shows a light red colour. The slash is crimson.

=The Wood= is a dirty white colour. In transverse section the pores are large, widely scattered, single, twin or nests. The rays vary in width and in spacing very considerably, and are straight, showing as long, light-reflecting bands in radial, and as brown flecks in tangential section. In the latter section the pores are brown, open and wavy. It is a very soft and light wood, easily worked, not strong, its durability largely dependant on the manner in which it has been seasoned, with exclusion of damp and consequent mould. It is very subject to small borer beetles. The weight is only 20 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are truly digitate with generally six lobes, broad at the tip, narrow at the base, with a prominent point. The entire leaf is 6-7 inches across, with a 5 inch stalk. The venation is prominent on both surfaces and the colour is pale, the surface smooth.

=The Flowers= are the most conspicuous feature of all and may be found from November to February. They are red, tulip-like blooms, 3 inches in diameter, with a dark red 5-lobed calyx, 5 red petals and a mass of black-anthered stamens filling the corolla and surrounding a 5-part pistil. They fall in numbers, entire, and are devoured by antelopes.

=The Fruits= are large, pendulous capsules some 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, black or deep brown when ripe, splitting into five sections to release small black seeds embedded in a mass of silk-cotton. The pod shrinks in the ripening and the silk cotton is packed tight in it and expands in bulk enormously by hygroscopic action, carrying the seeds a great distance on the wind.

=Uses.=—The wood is used for making large and small drums, native stools used by women, basins, shoes and saddles and cattle troughs. The bark is used by women to impart a red colour to the teeth. Certain pagans make a sauce from the flowers, locally called “Kwungi.”

=BORASSUS FLABELLIFER= Linn. _var._ =AETHIOPUM= Warb.—_Giginya_. PALMACEAE.

This very well-known Palm inhabits marshes, the banks of streams and any well-watered hollow, and will grow, if introduced, on dry sandy soils. With the exception of the Dum Palm, _Hyphaene Thebaica_, it is the most northerly of the palms in Nigeria and is found in vast quantities in “fadamma.” It does not actually grow in the water, though it will survive an occasional immersion when grown, but occupies islands, banks and edges of marshy land as well as the banks of streams, lakes, etc. It reaches a height of over 80 feet, with a girth at the base of 6 feet, at breast height 4 feet 6 inches, and at the narrowest point 3 feet. The stem swells at about 30 feet and after the palm is about 50 years old narrows again, repeating the swelling process again and even a third time in very old palms. The rate of growth, except when cultivated, in which case it is quicker, is very slow. The seed germinates in a month and sends down a shoot from 2-4 feet deep into the ground. This shoot swells at the base and loses connection with the empty seed, and sends up a green shoot from the base, which forms the first leaf. In the root-bud stage it is eaten as a vegetable, called “muruchi” and thousands of seeds are planted for this purpose alone. The first leaf is a narrow blade, as are subsequent leaves, gradually broadening till the first frond appears about three years later, the stem appearing at ground level after some six or seven years. From then onward the growth is at the rate of from 12-18 inches a year, 50 year old palms being about 50-60 feet in height.

=The Bark.=—The stem is a smooth one after a number of years; the leaf scars, very marked when fresh, gradually fading away.

=The Wood= is heavy and hard, apt to splinter into separate fibres, but very durable above ground. It weighs about 50 lbs. a cubic foot. The wood of the male is more compact throughout than that of the female whose centre is looser, the outside only being really serviceable.

=The Leaves= are up to 12 feet long, fan-shaped, the segments V-shaped, joined for half their length, the stalk concave above and spiny on the margins. The sheath divides at the base before falling and remains for some time clasping the stem.

=The Flowers= appear in April, just as the fruit has fallen, the females on one tree the males on another. The males are on branched spadices up to 6 feet long, the separate catkins a foot long and 2 inches broad. There are 3 sepals, 3 petals and 6 stamens, the flowers being green. The females are on a 6-8 feet long spadix, unbranched, with up to a dozen spikes of flowers, with 3 sepals, 3 smaller petals and the rudiments of 6 stamens.

=The Fruits= are the most conspicuous feature, ripening in April to a rich orange colour. They are some 6 inches long and 5 inches broad, the enlarged calyx cupping the fruit. The edible, fibrous pulp surrounds three seeds with hard fibrous coats and edible kernels.

=Uses.=—Locally the pulp is eaten raw or pounded with milk. The kernel is eaten young. The root-buds are roasted and are a delicacy. The leaves are used for mats, bags, baskets, fans, &c. Some tribes extract salt from them. The wood is used for canoes, rafters, poles, water-pipes, doors and guttering. Elsewhere the leaf stalks are the source of fibre, a spirit has been distilled from the flower spathes and buttons made from the seeds.

=BOSWELLIA DALZIELII= Hutch.—_Hano, Ararabi, Basamu_. BURSERACEAE.

A very common tree in high savannah, extending as far north as 13° where the soil is suitably rich and well watered. It will not grow as far north as this where the conditions are dry and barren, granite soils and situations on stony ground of the right kind being suitable. In sand or laterite it will not thrive, but it will flourish on bare granite where its roots can make their way into crevices. In some suitable localities it forms almost pure forest and is a very handsome species under those circumstances. The leaf, flower, fruit or bark are all distinctive. Another closely allied species, _B. odorata_, differs only in having a branched panicle in place of the bunch of racemes of _B. Dalzielii_. When young or middle-aged the stem is erect and the limbs ascend steeply forming a high crown, foliated down to a low point. Older trees exhibit a short, massive bole from which the heavy limbs spread out forming huge crowns with drooping extremities.

=The Bark= is most conspicuous, pale brown, with large papery pieces peeling off and at times hanging in shreds from the stem. The slash is reddish-brown and a scented gum-resin exudes, partly drying into nodules, almost white in colour, readily crumbled.

=The Leaves= are 12-18 inches long, pinnate, with some 7-9 pairs of long, slender, pointed, deeply-toothed leaflets. These increase in size towards the top end of the leaf, the basal pair often being very small and distinct in shape. The terminal pair are frequently partly united into one for half or more of their length. The leaflets are sessile, in colour light green and shining, with the venation raised on both surfaces.

=The Flowers= appear from January to April, and are in large bunches of racemes at the tips of the large, blunt twigs. The racemes are from 6-8 inches long and bear numerous white flowers on ½-¾ inch long stalks. Each flower is ⅝ inch in diameter with 5 white, pointed petals, 10 stamens whose anthers are bent away from the filament at a side angle, and a small, blunt pistil. The flower disc is red and the flower scented.

=The Fruits= are 3-angled capsules, elongated pear-shaped, with prominent bulges opposite the seeds. They are ¾ inch long and the stigma remains are present. The capsule splits into three and the small seeds are released, each with a sharp spike at the top end.

=Uses.=—The gum-resin, being scented, is used for burning in houses, or fumigating clothes, and as an ingredient in medicine.

=BRIDELIA FERRUGINEA= Benth.—_Kisni, Kirni_. EUPHORBIACEAE.

A small tree of the Tree and Bush savannahs which does not extend very far north and will not grow away from fairly good soils. It is rather shapeless, except occasionally in closer forest, where it may reach a height of 30 feet with a girth of 3-4 feet. This species and _B. scleroneura_ are similar in habit, with open, formless crowns, straggling, drooping limbs covered with numerous, slender, erect twigs which are apt to be burnt back repeatedly by fires and show the position of leaves and flowers as prominent clusters at frequent intervals. The distinguishing features are larger leaves of this species and the absence of the marked crenate edges.

=The Bark= is dark grey, covered with small, close-fitting, prominent scales. That of the branches is lighter and covered with rectangular scales, clearly cut in rows. That of the smaller branches is almost white with vertical, wavy ridges of cork. The slash is crimson.

=The Wood= is brown and the sapwood is dull white. In transverse section the rings are clear, fine light lines, the pores are very small, single, double, or in small festoons, the soft tissue not well developed. The rays are fine, close, fairly straight and evenly spaced. In vertical section the grain is coarse, and not very straight and the wood is easily sawn but hard to plane, picking up in patches. The weight is 60 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are alternate, assuming one plane. They are 4-5 inches long and 2¼-2½ inches broad, with slightly waved edges, the nerves reaching the edge. They are dark green above, olive green beneath, with the venation very prominent and covered with brownish hairs, especially on the short stalk and mid-rib.

=The Flowers=, male and female on the same tree are in small, compact clusters in the leaf axils from March to June. The male flowers have a calyx of 5 sepals, 5 minute petals and 5 radiating stamens, joined at the base into a short column. The female flower has the same calyx, longer, narrower petals and two styles which are forked. The male flowers have a shiny yellow disc.

=The Fruits= are small black ovoid drupes, becoming veined and wrinkled when dry, with a single cell containing two seeds. They are ⅜ inch long and flattened at the top, and very persistent on the twigs.

=BRIDELIA SCLERONEURA= Müll. Arg.—_Kisni_. EUPHORBIACEAE.

This is a small tree, without any definite form, which grows up to 15 or 20 feet high, with, occasionally a stem some 6 feet high and a misshapen crown. It is distinguished by the small clusters of minute flowers in the leaf axils and the crenate margined leaves which lie in one plane on long, slender, drooping twigs.

=The Bark=, in old trees, is quite black, with long fissures and fibrous ridges; in young trees it is white, or black and white in patches, with soft, corky scales which fall in large pieces composed of several smaller scales bound together. The slash is bright crimson.

=The Leaves= are borne on long, drooping, slender twigs, alternate, in one plane and gradually diminishing in size from the base upwards. Each such twig is supported by a larger leaf, 3½ inches long and 1¼ inches broad. The alternate leaves vary from 3 inches long and ¾ inches broad at the base of the twig to 2 inches long and ½ inch broad at the end of the twig. The lateral veins, as they reach the margin, are continued along it so that the edge is crenate. The tips are sharply pointed. The leaves all point well forward. The ¼ inch long stalks are covered with soft, brown hairs. The upper surface is slightly rough and darker than the under surface, on which the veins, especially the laterals and mid-rib, stand out prominently and show yellow in colour. The halves of the leaf tend to fold up along the mid-rib slightly.

=The Flowers= are in very small clusters in the leaf axils and appear in May and June. They are bright red in bud, the sepals being tinged. Each male flower is ⅛ inch in diameter with a 5 sepal calyx, 5 minute petals and a column of 5 radiating stamens. The female flower has 5 sepals, 5 petals, a disk round the ovary and 2 bifid styles.

=The Fruits= are in clusters, often a dense crop, at each node. They are the size of peas, green at first, ripening to black with a bloom. A thin skin surrounds a narrow, juicy flesh round a hard, 2-celled stone. The flesh dries and the skin wrinkles while the fruit is on the tree.

=Uses.=—The roots are sometimes used medicinally.

=BURKEA AFRICANA= Hook. f.—_Kolo, Kurdi, Bakin, makarfo, Namijin Kiriya, Kariye gatari_. LEGUMINOSAE.

A fairly large tree up to 50 feet in height with girths of 3-6 feet. It is a fine upstanding tree, frequently with a 20 feet bole, straight and clean, with ascending branches and high crown, spreading with age. It bears a resemblance to _Amblygonocarpus Schweinfurthii_, from which it can be distinguished by its larger and unequal-shaped leaflets. It is plentiful in high savannah forests and will extend, by means of small hollows or valleys as far north as 12½°. In flower or seed it is readily distinguished, and the leafless tree can be recognised by the thick, blunt end of the branches, often tufted with the dead stalks of last year’s leaves.

=The Bark= is light grey with a bluish tint, and the scales are large and heavy, at times closely fitting, then falling in large sections, so that the trunk may appear shaggy. The branch bark, right up to the tips is very thick, with pronounced ridges and fissures and a light brown colour towards the ends. Often the leaf scars swell and form prominent knobs on the twigs. The slash is dark red and an oily resin exudes.

=The Wood= is reddish brown, the sapwood, light brown with an orange tinge. In transverse section the rings are very close, well-marked darker lines; the pores are very numerous, single and in festoons in well-developed soft tissue which shows up strongly in contrast with the hard tissue and nearly closes the pores. The rays are fine and evenly spaced, nearly straight, not visible to the naked eye owing to the amount of soft tissue. In vertical section the grain is close, the rings seen as bands of darker colour. The wood is very hard to saw and difficult to plane, but the planed surface is smooth and takes a high polish. It is liable to ring shake when seasoning, but is on the whole a sound, durable wood, very suitable for upright in constructional work. The weight is 72 lbs. a cubic foot.