Chapter IV: Part 4

This well-known tree is the tallest in the northern provinces and a height of 100 feet may be reached, with girths of 12 and 15 feet. Those who are familiar with the giant examples of the south will readily distinguish the difference in form between them and the type found in the north. In place of the clean bole up to 100 feet long with great horizontal limbs, the crown descends to within 10-20 feet of the ground and is, as a rule, very regular and shaped like a sugar-loaf, with a pointed top. The other type is seen but is not typical of the region. The branches, too, ascend at an acute angle and in the case of trees which have been lopped, a very common occurrence in the north, the new branches run up parallel with the main stem. Here and there occur branches which grow at right-angles to the main stem, so that one tree will show both types. The tree, as a rule, bears large, conical thorns, but there is a variety called “Rimi Masar” which has no thorns at all. The young tree shows a whorled arrangement of the branches. It is one of the quickest-growing trees and can be grown from poles, stuck upright in the ground.

=The Bark= is pale grey and smooth. In young specimens it is a bright green, with or without a mass of stout, conical thorns with round bases and sharp, black points. The slash is crimson and white in patches, the white darkening to brown.

=The Wood= is white with small, yellowish streaks, and is soft and fibrous when green, and brittle and inclined to be crumbly when dry. It rapidly rots on exposure to weather but will wear quite well when made up into any article, such as a stool. It is short in the fibre and has been rejected as a source of pulp for that reason.

=The Leaves= are truly digitate with 7-9 lobes, each 3-4 inches long and narrow and pointed. They are dark green and smooth and slightly paler beneath, with a long stalk.

=The Flowers=, which appear in December cover the leafless twigs in pendulous masses. They are lily-shaped, with 5 brownish petals, so densely covered with silky hairs as to appear white on the tree, especially when in bud. There are 5 stamens with rolled-up anthers and a long, white pistil. The attachment of the pistil to the ovary is peculiar. The concave base of the corolla, which sits on the ovary, is pierced with a small hole through which the pointed end of the pistil passes, but when the corolla falls entire, the pistil is prevented from remaining attached to it by a swelling of the style at the base of the corolla, on the inside. The ground may be seen littered with the fallen flowers, each containing the unattached pistil.

=The Fruits= are large, pendulous capsules, 6 inches long, which are black when ripe and split into 5 sections, releasing a number of small, black seeds which are embedded in a mass of silky fibre known as Kapok. The fibre grows from the inner surface of the capsule.

=Uses.=—The wood is used for canoes of inferior quality in places where a better timber is not handy.

The silk-cotton is used for stuffing all kinds of articles, and by the native for stuffing donkeys’ saddle-pads. It is also used as a kindling for flint and steel.

=ERYTHRINA SENEGALENSIS= DC.—_Minjiriya_. _Majiriya_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This species is common locally and prefers the banks of streams, on which it grows to large dimensions. Examples 40 feet high with a girth of over 6 feet are met with and numbers may be found growing together along a considerable length of a stream. It occurs also, more or less commonly in open forest country, but does not reach the same dimensions as those near water. The larger trees have 20 feet boles and large, crooked limbs forming a wide, open crown, irregular in form.

=The Bark= of old trees is very rough and, in the case of those trees growing on stream banks, covered with lichen. There are long, vertical fissures and long, heavy scales. The stem of the young tree, and the branches of the old, are covered with short, sharp thorns with heavy bases, in pairs, pale brown with black points. The slash is yellow.

=The Leaves= are trifoliate, the lateral pair without stalks, the terminal larger with an inch stalk. They are a dull, grey-green, often blotched on the under surface. The leaflets are 2-3 inches long.

=The Flowers= readily identify the species and are borne in bright red, terminal spikes. Each flower is a highly modified form of the “Pea,” and consists of a hood-shaped calyx and a large standard petal, folded down the middle, enclosing the long pistil and 10 stamens, some of which protrude with the pistil. They appear from November-January.

=The Fruits= are pods, about 6-7 inches long with embossed sections. They are sickle-shaped and dull green with a velvet covering. When ripe they split down one side and twist into fantastic bundles with the coral-red seeds attached alternately to the rims of the two sections. The vivid colour of the seeds gives the name “Coral Tree” to the species.

=Uses.=—The seeds are used locally by boys in playing games of chance.

=EUGENIA GUINEENSIS= DC.—_Malmo_. MYRTACEAE.

A very familiar species which grows along stream banks as far north as 12°, while from 11° south it may be found gradually more and more able to leave these where conditions are suitable as regards soil and moisture. In Zaria and Bauchi especially it may be seen along streams to the exclusion of nearly all other species, and where it attains large dimensions up to 40 feet with girths of 6 feet. Like most species of the fringing stream belts the foliage approaches close to ground level, except where good protection is formed by the wider influence of “kurmis” when longer boles are found. The crown is dense but not high. Both the flowers and fruits are distinctive features.

=The Bark= is very dark, sometimes almost black or very dark brown, often lichenous with a mottled appearance. The bark is fairly smooth with long rectangular scales of little thickness. The slash is bright crimson and of fibrous texture.

=The Leaves= are very variable in shape and size, the true type being oval with rounded base and short pointed tip. They are 3-5 inches long and variable in breadth in proportion to a constant length. The surface is smooth with a rubbery texture, dull wax-like green. The venation is very fine, consisting of a large number of parallel laterals inclined acutely forward connected by a fine network of interlacing veins. The leaves are often distorted, the mid-rib curved or the tip of the leaf cleft.

=The Flowers= are in terminal racemes, regularly branched, of white flowers, each composed of a funnel-shaped 4-pointed calyx, 4 petals which are noticeable in bud, numerous white stamens which spring from the edge all round and a short curved pistil. They are scented and appear from January to March.

=The Fruits= are drupes in large falling clusters passing through the green, white and mauve stages before ripening to a rich purple-black. They are oval, a little over ½ inch long, with a prominent mouth. The skin is thin, the juicy flesh narrow and the thin-skinned kernel large. Birds eat them with avidity.

=FICUS CAPENSIS= Thunb.—_Uwar yara, Haguguwa, Farin baure_. MORACEAE.

A large fig tree commonly found on stream banks and in gulleys, distinguished by its masses of pear-shaped figs clustered round the trunk of the tree. It grows some 30 feet high with a girth of 4-6 feet, and in form is usually tall and narrow with a cylindrical crown which extends down to near ground level.

=The Bark= is a light brown colour and the scales are small, rectangular and grey, in patches on the tree. The slash is light red with a flow of milky sap.

=The Leaves= are 3-4 inches long and some 2 inches wide, of rather unusual shape, with broad tip, unequal basal lobes and wavy edges parallel in the middle portion. They are dark green with a bluish, waxy upper surface, paler beneath, and have ½ inch, stout stalks. The foliage is dense.

=The Figs= are borne in dense clusters on the trunk and wood of the larger branches, much branched twigs bearing the heavy crop. They are pear-shaped, about an inch long, and smooth. They are not edible.

=FICUS GNAPHALOCARPA= A. Rich.—_Baure_. MORACEAE.

A very large fig tree, common throughout the country, but not in dry localities. It demands a moist site, preferably on the banks of a stream or in a fairly well watered locality. Though giving a deep shade it is not, like the “chediya” and “durumi” planted in towns for that purpose. It occurs in gregarious clumps, self sown and the seed is distributed by birds or goats and sheep which are very partial to the figs. It grows to very large dimensions, 50 feet in height with girths of 10-20 feet. There are two common forms: the high-crowned with long bole, erect branches and rather narrow, flat-topped crown, and the heavy-crowned, short-boled tree with low, widely-spreading limbs and immense crown. This is probably, like many other trees, merely a question of age and surroundings. Flanges a foot or two high and the roots running above ground for several feet are common features. The tree puts on its new foliage very quickly and this is a brilliant dark green colour.

=The Bark= of young trees is a light green colour with a soft, powdery covering. That of older trees is very distinctive, grey-green, fairly smooth with grey scales here and there about the bole and light brown patches where these have fallen. The trunk presents a mottled appearance most of the year, and green, grey, light and dark brown and bluish tints are intermingled. The slash is pale pink with a flow of milky sap.

=The Leaves= are 4-5 inches long and 3-3½ inches broad, cordate at the base with irregular margins. They are dark green on both sides with the veins very clearly visible in lighter colour and all prominent on the underneath. Both surfaces are rough to the touch, this being the most distinguishing characteristic of the species. There is a ½-¾ inch stalk.

=The Figs= are borne directly behind the leaves in short clusters any time from December to March and there is a heavy crop. They are about 1½ inches long and 1¼ wide, bluntly pear-shaped with ¾-1 inch stalks. When ripe they are various shades of red and orange to almost purple, rarely uniformly coloured throughout, and covered densely with short straight hairs like plush. They are much eaten by the natives, especially by children and are certainly the best eating though much spoilt by the fertilising fly. Sheep and goats relish them.

=FICUS ITEOPHYLLA= Miq.—_Shiriya, Shirinya_. MORACEAE.

A very well known species of fig tree distinguished by its long narrow leaves and long clusters of small figs. It grows to great sizes, over 40 feet high and with girths of 15 feet. It varies considerably in form from a tall narrow tree to one with enormous flat-topped crown 75 feet in diameter. The foliage is superficial and the shade is not very good. The bole is short, gnarled or compound, and there are many roots trailing over the ground for several feet from the base of the tree in old examples. The branches of younger trees are very erect and it is only in old age that the large spreading form is assumed. It often starts life as a parasite, the seeds being carried by birds to a crevice in another tree which it gradually surrounds and smothers. It is not unlike _F. Kawuri_, whose leaves are, however, slightly broader and whose figs are hairy and reddish.

=The Bark= is a creamy colour and a few grey scales are scattered here and there over it, giving it a mottled appearance. The bark is smooth.

=The Leaves= are 3-4 inches long and an inch wide with an inch stalk. They gradually widen from the base upwards and suddenly narrow to a point. The upper surface is dark, shiny green and the mid-rib and leaf stalk are very light green. The under surface is lighter in colour. The mid-rib is prominently raised on the underneath only. The margin is slightly waved. The leaves are arranged spirally in clusters of about 20 on the last 3-4 inches of the twigs, presenting a whorled arrangement.

=The Figs= are in 3-9 inch long clusters on the otherwise bare twigs, though they may be borne on the tree when it is in leaf. They are just over ¼ inch in diameter and when ripe are green with a red tint, round and the surface covered with small warts. They are eaten by birds which distribute the seeds to other trees where the tree starts life as a parasite. The crop of figs is a very heavy one.

=FICUS KAWURI= Hutch.—_Kawuri_. MORACEAE.

This is perhaps the largest fig tree with the exception of _Ficus polita_, “durumi,” attaining a height of 50-60 feet with girths of over 20 feet. It may start life as a parasite, when it forms the usual mass of aerial stems forming a compound bole. It grows to vast dimensions, forming a sun-proof shade with its dense, regular-shaped and clearly outlined crown. It is common in and around towns. The slash is pale red-brown with a flow of milky sap.

=The Leaves= are large, some 6 inches long and 3 inches wide on an average, 8 inches long and 3½ inches wide being the largest. They are broadly spear-shaped with cordate base and tongued tip. The upper surface is very dark green and shiny, the venation clearly marked and prominent on the surface, the mid-rib and main lateral nerves only prominent on the duller under surface. The leaves spring from the short, blunt twigs in a rosette formation.

=The Figs= are small, squat, pear-shaped and with black mouths, and are borne in small clusters of 2-4 in the axils of the leaves or behind the leaves on the wood. They turn from whitish to pink with purplish tints when ripe, and birds are very partial to them.

=FICUS PLATYPHYLLA= Del.—_Gamji_. MORACEAE.

A common species of fig tree, readily distinguished by the great size of its leaves and by the rusty colour of its bark. It attains a great size, over 60 feet in height, with enormous girths. The size of the large spreading limbs and breadth of crown are a feature. The lower limbs are horizontal and of great length and the crown is either flat-topped or round. There are small root flanges and often great lengths of root above ground. Though the leaves are few in number their size makes the tree give good shade. Life is started epiphytically.

=The Bark=, especially of younger trees and the branches of old trees, is rust red and there are large, scattered or patchy scales on the bole, which are light grey. The slash is dull pink, with a flow of milky sap.

=The Leaves= are very large and dark green. Twelve inches long and 8 inches wide, the upper surface is velvety with hairs and the veins show a pink tint. The under surface is lighter and the veins so prominently raised as to resemble rubber piping. The base is cordate and the tip pointed. The new leaves spring from the tips of the twigs above the figs.

=The Figs= are borne in clusters a foot or more in length and the crop is often a very heavy one. They ripen in December or January, or in places later, and the new foliage grows above them. The twigs on which the figs are borne are an inch thick with blunted tips. The figs themselves are an inch in diameter and have a 1½ inch stalk. They are reddish in colour with a soft skin and are covered with red warts.

=FICUS POLITA= Vahl.—_Durumi_. MORACEAE.

This is one of the commonest of the fig trees, chiefly occurring in towns where it is planted for its shade. It is the densest of all the shade trees and readily identified by its very large, spherical or flat-topped crown of darkest green, and heart-shaped leaves. It branches not above 10 feet from the ground and innumerable straight branches extend in every direction to form the dense, superficial crown. In form it differs from _F. Thonningii_ in being flatter topped and not so tall, the crown being umbrella-shaped. The trunk of an old tree may be of great size and is built up of many aerial stems formed from the growth downwards of the aerial roots which anchor themselves to the soil or hang in festoons from the branches. A network of roots may often be seen spreading several feet round the base of the tree.

=The Bark= is smooth and light in colour and creeping down it or suspended from it are the aerial roots, red at the tips. The bark yields a copious flow of milky sap.

=The Leaves= are heart-shaped with a prominent tip and a waved edge, are dark green and shining above, smooth beneath, with the main veins raised on both surfaces. They have a 2 inch stalk and are 4-5 inches long and 3-4 inches wide. They are pendulous.

=The Figs= are single or in pairs on the wood of the branches and are very numerous, clustering all round the branches. They are about 1¼ inches in diameter and have square, twisted stalks over an inch long. They ripen in January.

=Uses.=—It is planted, from poles, solely for its shade and in old towns trees may be found with a shade diameter of 100 feet.

The figs are sometimes chewed by the native but not swallowed.

=FICUS THONNINGII= Blume.—_Chediya_. MORACEAE.

This species, somewhat similar to _F. polita_, is also commonest met with in towns, where it is grown for its shade. In form it differs from _F. polita_ in that it reaches a greater height, 60 feet being not unusual, and has, as a rule, a spherical, rounded-topped crown. Numerous straight branches ascend from a large, short stem and, bearing their leaves at the ends, form a dense, superficial crown. The stem itself is, as in the case of _F. polita_, composed of a large number of aerial roots which have grown downwards from the branches and entered the ground, eventually combining with the stem to form a gigantic whole. Where the main stem branches, a dense mass of small aerial roots is often in evidence. The species is commonly seen in the act of strangling another tree in some fork of which the seed has originally lodged and about which it has twined its aerials till the host is completely enveloped. It is a fast growing species and readily propagated from a branch length placed upright in the ground.

=The Bark= is light grey and smooth and a copious flow of milky sap will pour from a cut.

=The Leaves= are dark green and slightly shining on the upper surface, on which the venation is prominent. They are about 5 inches long and 2½ inches broad, with 2 inch stalks.

=The Figs= are very numerous and are under ½ inch in diameter, in dense clusters amongst the leaves. They are reddish in colour with a warty skin. They ripen about February, and are not edible.

=FICUS VALLIS-CHOUDAE= Del.—_Dulu_. MORACEAE.

A large fig tree, most commonly found along the banks of streams and only away from them farther south in moister conditions. It reaches a height of 50-60 feet with very large girths. The bole is short, not above 10 feet and the limbs, widespread, form a large open crown with superficial foliage of very large leaves. Both the leaves and the large, solitary figs are distinguishing features. It is very common indeed in Bauchi province.

=The Bark= is light grey with large polygonal scales that leave light patches. The slash is pink, with a flow of milky sap.

=The Leaves= are large, averaging 6 inches long by 5 inches broad, but exceeding these dimensions by some 2 inches in some cases, with a stalk some 2 inches long. The base is slightly cordate and the margin broadly waved or bluntly toothed at wide intervals. The venation is prominent underneath and flat above. The upper surface is dull, dark, smooth, but not shining, the lower side slightly paler.

=The Figs= are solitary and large, almost up to 2 inches in diameter, flattened or pear-shaped, with a slight, softly hairy coat, and traces of longitudinal lines. The mouth is large and protrudes very slightly. They may be found from February to June.

=GARDENIA ERUBESCENS= Stapf & Hutch.—_Gaude_. RUBIACEAE.

A common and conspicuous shrub of the savannahs whose only claim to importance lies in its frequent occurrence in large numbers over wide areas of the country. It rarely exceeds 10 or 12 feet in height as against the 20 feet to which its congener, _G. ternifolia_ may attain. It is often gregarious, occurs in rich or poor and rocky soil and is more or less a component of all types of savannah. It branches from ground level and forms a round bush. The branches are twisted and bent, stout, blunt and springy.

A comparison with _G. ternifolia_ shows _G. erubescens_ to have larger, paler and brighter green leaves, with less crinkled margins; crisp, not fibrous fruits of more uniform and oblong shape; stouter, blunter and browner twigs, and a more shrub-like growth.

=The Bark= is smooth, grey-brown, with a powdery surface and small, thin scales which leave lighter scars. The slash is yellow, with green edges.

=The Wood= is yellow, hard, crisp under the axe, planes well, seasons well, is sound and clean and weighs 50 lbs. a cubic foot. In transverse section the rings are clearly visible as fine white lines, the pores are minute, open, evenly distributed and more numerous in the light annual rings. The rays are extremely fine, rather far apart and wavy.

=The Leaves= are about 5 inches long and 2½ inches broad, bright green and shiny on the upper surface, lighter beneath, with the mid-rib raised on both sides. The margin is wavy or not, and some leaves are narrow at the tip and others blunt and flat. They do not form as marked rosettes as those of _G. ternifolia_.

=The Flowers= are large, white, tubular, 6-petalled blooms, 3 inches in diameter with a very long, narrow corolla tube from which protrudes a ribbed club-like stigma, surrounded by 6 stamens consisting only of long anthers attached by their centres to the corolla. They are very highly scented and are conspicuous from their size, colour, number and perfume about December.

=The Fruits= are fleshy, potato-like, yellow, with a smooth surface and variable in size and shape, though usually long. The flower-parts are persistent at the top. The firm, juicy flesh surrounds a number of small, flat, yellow seeds in a bright yellow, pithy pulp, and is sweet and edible. They are eaten by antelopes.

=Uses.=—The fruits are eaten fresh or made into a sauce as an ingredient of soup.

The whole plant is cut for fencing farms as protection from goats, etc., and the twigs are stuck on the tops of compound walls.

=GARDENIA TERNIFOLIA= Thunberg.—_Gauden kura_. RUBIACEAE.

This species, similar to _G. erubescens_, is found in the same situations, but is less plentiful as a rule. It may be seen mixed with the other species or over considerable areas by itself. It is, or can be, a taller species, occurring as a tree about 20 feet high with a less spreading habit, and a flat-topped crown. It branches from just above the ground and the branches are crooked and very springy, but not so stout and blunt as those of _G. erubescens_, in fact, the straight twigs of this species are very distinctive.

A comparison with _G. erubescens_ shows _G. ternifolia_ to be a larger or taller tree, less shrub-like; to have greener bark; to have smaller, darker, rougher and more crinkled leaves with pointed tips, and to have fibrous, grey-green fruits which vary exceedingly in size and in shape.

=The Bark= is smooth and grey or green with a powdery surface, and there are small, thin, grey scales which leave greenish-yellow scars. The end of the twig is covered with knobs of soft green cork. The slash is yellow, with green edges.

=The Wood= is yellow, close-grained, tough and hard to cut with the axe.

=The Leaves= are about 4 inches long and 1½ inches wide, dark green and slightly rough on the upper surface with a white mid-rib raised on both sides. The margin is crinkly and the tip pointed. They spring in little rosettes from the ends of the twigs.

=The Flowers= vary in size; are generally smaller than those of the other species but may be larger, 3½ inches across and with a corolla tube the same length. They are white and the under surface of the petals is very shiny. They have 6 petals, 6 stamens, consisting only of long anthers attached to the mouth of the corolla round a clubbed and green-ridged stigma. The calyx is irregular and a very bright, shiny dark green. The flowers are highly scented and turn yellow when fertilised. They appear about December and are very conspicuous by their size, colour and perfume.

=The Fruits= are very variable in size and shape, but are always of the same consistency, grey-green on the outside with a fibrous flesh that surrounds a number of small, round, flat, yellow seeds in a firm pith. They may be round or oval, ribbed or plain with roughened surface, covered with lenticels, and from 1 to 4 inches long. They may be found on the tree during the greater part of the year, and fall entire.

=Uses.=—The fruits are not edible and are used in the making of black cosmetic (katambiri) for decorating the faces of women.

The tree and its branches are used for fences (shingi) round farms and also for sticking on the tops of compound walls.

=GREWIA MOLLIS= Juss.—_Kurukubi_. TILIACEAE.

A large shrub or small tree growing in higher savannah forest and not occurring in dry latitudes. It is especially partial to granite soils and hills. It has no very definite form, being either a dense shrub 12-15 feet high or a small, shapeless tree up to 20 feet, with crooked branches and a mass of fine twigs. It likes the shade of high forest and is found under the shelter of large trees. The star-shaped yellow flowers and irregularly toothed leaves are the conspicuous means of identification.

=The Bark= is black and rough, deeply fissured and fibrously scaled. It presents a rough, shaggy appearance.

=The Leaves= are alternate on the long shoots and assume one plane with their surfaces to the light. Especially in the shrubby forms is this most marked. The leaf is 3-5 inches long and 1-1½ inches broad, borne on a short stalk and with the edges acutely and irregularly cut into teeth of all sizes. There are three main nerves, the mid-rib boldly branched and the laterals less so. All the nerves point well forward, and are prominent beneath. The basal lobes are unequal. The leaf-stalk is dorsally flattened. The upper surface is a dull, blue green, the under surface paler. The leaf-bearing shoots are oval in section.

=The Flowers= appear in April and persist till well on in June, the fruits almost ripening before the last flowers are over. They are in axillary clusters, 2-3 on a stalk and 2-4 stalks in an axis. They are ½ inch in diameter, bright yellow, with 5 long, narrow yellowish sepals, 5 small, round yellow petals and a mass of yellow stamens surrounding a knobbed pistil.

=The Fruits= are blackish when ripe, green with a pubescence before ripe, 2-lobed, with a cell in each lobe. They are edible.

=GUIERA SENEGALENSIS= Lam.—_Sabara_. COMBRETACEAE.

A shrub, or, very occasionally, a small tree, which covers wide areas of otherwise barren land in the Bush savannah. In north-west Sokoto, for example, there are miles of this scrub covering what were large areas of cultivation at one time. It also covers the bare rocky slopes and summits of the flat-topped hills. On these it is associated with the smaller _Combretum_ species “geza.” In appearance it is a bushy plant with several stems, dusty grey-green in colour from a few feet to about 15 feet in height. It is most conspicuous in fruit. The stems are very subject to a gall caused by a grub whose brown excretions fill the cavity in the gall. A small black and brown ant is found covering the plant at times.

=The Bark= is grey, and that of the young stems and branches is brown and covered with loose, brown fibres running vertically.

=The Wood= is cream-coloured with a reddish tinge. In transverse section the rings are darker bands, the pores are very small, single, in nests and in festoons, the contents closing most of them; the rays are very fine and evenly spaced, close together. The grain is coarse and twisted and the wood is tough and of no practical value. Weight 55 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= vary much in size, being from 1-2 inches long and ¾-1½ inches wide. They have a slightly cordate base, a pointed tip and are broadly oval. The stalk is ¼ inch long. They are in pairs and opposite. They are a dusty grey-green, but a fresh green when new, and are rather dry and leathery in composition.

=The Flowers=, which are found at most times of the year, are in greeny-yellow, spherical heads about ½ inch across, enclosed at first in a sheath of bracts which splits open first into two parts and finally into four, which bend right back and persist in the fruiting stage. The head of flowers is on an inch long stalk in the axil of a leaf and bears a pair of tiny bracts about half-way up. Each flower has a 5-lobed calyx, 5 slender petals and 10 long stamens round a straight pistil. The whole is covered with minute black dots which are raised.

=The Fruits= are 1½ inches long, slightly curved, pointed at both ends, extremely hard, and covered with long silky straight hairs. In section they are 5-lobed, occasionally more, and contain one long seed. They may be seen for several months in the year, chiefly in the dry season, and are very conspicuous with their silky hairs. They have often a pronounced pink tint.

=Uses.=—The shrub is burnt round cattle, sheep and goat camps to keep off the flies and as a remedy for colds in such herds.

The leaves, concocted with water, are a medicine for internal complaints, a preventive of leprosy and, applied externally, a cure for skin irritations. They are also drunk by women after child-birth. The leaves are often added to food to prevent indigestion.

It is commonly cut for fencing farms against herds.

=GYMNOSPORIA SENEGALENSIS= Loes.—_Kunkushewa, Namijin tsada, Mangaladi, Bakororo_. CELASTRACEAE.

A shrub or small tree, occasionally as tall as 25 feet with a girth of 2 feet, but more generally a shrub found in large numbers in open secondary growth after cultivation. It does not grow in the far north and requires well-watered and more loamy soils than are found above 13° N. Sometimes it exceeds 50 per cent. of the vegetation on old farm lands, and such land being burnt every year the tree increases very slowly in height and broadens into a compact shrub. The crenate-edged leaves with bright red stalks, the small sharp thorns, small white flowers and globular fruits are distinctive characters.

=The Bark= of old trees is dark or light grey and covered with very small, close-fitting rectangular scales. That of the shrubs is pale-grey, sometimes almost white, and smooth. The slash is crimson.

=The Thorns= are in the axils of the leaves and in their axils is a bud. On the new shoots they are green with crimson bases, ¼-½ inch long, very sharp and straight. On old wood and twigs they are brown and very strong.

=The Wood= is whitish, hard, straight grained, sound and clean and weighs 45 lbs. a cubic foot. The rings are visible as extremely fine lines of alternate hard and soft tissue, the pores and rays both invisible except under good magnification. Planes and saws well but splits in seasoning.

=The Leaves= vary a great deal in size and shape, but the type is obovate or spoon-shaped with a tapering base and a rounded, broad tip, with or without a cleft of variable depth. Often the tip of the leaf is very deeply cleft, the edge is finely crenate or serrate, the surface smooth, the laterals hardly visible except when held up to the light. The mid-rib is prominent beneath, the laterals waved, the stalk crimson, the length up to 4 inches and breadth 2½ inches. The leaf droops in the sun and becomes limp in texture.

=The Flowers=, from December to February, are in small cymes in the axils of the leaves, on the old wood or new shoots. On the new shoots there is generally one cyme in each axil, on the older twigs there may be four separate cymes. Each flower is ⅙ inch in diameter, with a very small 5-pointed calyx, 5 white, oval petals, 5 minute stamens and an ovary with a bifid, branched style. There are male and female flowers on the same tree, the female having no stamens.

=The Fruit= is a capsule, ½ inch in diameter, with 3 cells each containing 2 seeds. They are conspicuous in clusters, turning from pale green to red.

=HANNOA UNDULATA= Planch.—_Takandar giwa_. SIMARUBACEAE.

A medium-sized tree which abounds, though not further north than 12° and very local, in Tree savannah and the better type of Bush savannah. Its bark and leaves, once recognised are a ready means of identification. It attains a height of 35 feet with girths of 3-5 feet. It grows erect, with vertically ascending branches which form a high, narrow crown. A bole-length up to 10 feet, but not often more, is common. It is very subject to attacks by a caterpillar which skeletonises the leaves and covers the twigs with a lot of silk.

=The Bark= is dull, grey with long vertical ridges and fissures of very soft, thick cork. A curious effect, due to the absence of marked scales, is that the bole appears to have no bark at all, but resembles a dead tree whose trunk has turned grey with exposure. The slash is reddish.

=The Wood= is pale yellow. In transverse section the rings are faintly visible, the pores are mostly in little chains of 2-6 or so, having the appearance of being one long pore divided by partitions, the groups running in radial direction between the rays. Thin lines of soft tissue connect the groups. The wood is soft, saws and planes very easily, with little picking up. The wood requires well seasoning as it is liable to mould and rot. The weight is 35 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are pinnate, up to 12 inches long with 3 or 4 opposite pairs and a terminal leaflet. The leaflets are far apart and on slender stalks an inch or more in length. They vary in size on the one leaf, up to 2 inches long, excluding the stalk, and almost as broad as long in the case of the lowest pair and the terminal leaflet, with broadly cleft tips and abruptly tapering bases. The margins are sinuous, the mid-rib prominent on both surfaces and the lateral grooved on both surfaces. They are a dull, dark green above and a yellowish green beneath. The leaflets are almost at right angles to the main stalk.

=The Flowers= appear from October to November and are in large, loose panicles, some 12 inches long. Each is about ⅜ inch in diameter with a small cup-shaped calyx, 6 yellowish petals, 12 stamens, the lower half of the filaments being covered with hairs, and a short blunt pistil on a 6-part ovary. The flowers are scented.

=The Fruits= are formed by the growth of the several carpels, one or two of which generally crowd out the rest and grow at their expense. Rarely more than two reach maturity and occupy their respective positions on the stalk with their angular side facing the centre. Each is ¾ inch long and half as wide, a flattened or angled oval, with a brown or blackish wrinkled or lined skin, a hard shell and white kernel with light brown coat. Only a small proportion, as a rule, reach maturity, and these are very persistent on the tree, falling with the first rains 3 or 4 months later.

=Uses.=—The wood is used for all purposes that _Bombax buonopozense_ is, namely basins, stools and cattle troughs, and occasionally drums.

=HYMENOCARDIA ACIDA= Tul.—_Jan Yaro, Jan iche_. EUPHORBIACEAE.

A small, erect tree up to 25 feet in height and 2 feet in girth. It is very widely distributed from quite near the coast up to 12° N. As most commonly seen, in open forest, it is not above 15 feet, erect, with ascending, crooked branches and a close, compact little crown. In this form it occurs in great quantities in secondary growth and is very familiar with its pale reddish stem. Older trees may have an 8 feet bole with a compact rounded crown. The male and female are on different trees (dioecious), both very readily distinguished, the first by its red catkins, the second by its red, heart-shaped, double-seeded, winged fruit. The male is often called “taramniya” by the native, owing to the resemblance of its flower-spikes to those of _Combretum_ species.

=The Bark= is a light reddish or orange colour, sometimes almost white, with a dusty covering up to the extremities of the twigs. Here and there on older trees are a few scattered grey scales. The slash is a dull pink with a thin green edge.

=The Wood= is pinkish, hard, 55 lbs. per cubic foot, splits in seasoning, planes well with the grain, coarsely against it, exhibiting a bright sheen in cross section, the rings well marked fine dark lines, the pores very small and evenly scattered along the extremely fine rays in chains. The wood darkens considerably on exposure, being almost orange in transverse section.

=The Leaves= are some 3-4 inches long and 1-1½ broad, rounded or narrow at the base, bluntly pointed at the tip, which is variable, with ½ inch stalks. The mid-rib is prominent beneath. The leaf has a tendency to fold up along the mid-rib, especially towards the tip which is often recurved. The colour is at first a most delicate green, conspicuous from a distance but the leaf turns dark, toughens and loses the few hairs it had when young. They are arranged spirally round the twigs and stand erect.

=The Flowers=, male on one tree and female on another, appear in February and March. The male are in spikes, which are at first, in bud, short and bright red, gradually lengthening and turning whitish as the stamens open, finally becoming pendulous and as much as 4 inches long. Often they are in great masses and flies and small insects haunt them. Each consists of a small 5-lobed red calyx, no petals and 5 radiating stamens joined below into a short column, the anthers large, whitish and with a bright yellow gland at the tip beneath. There is a rudimentary red ovary with a bifid tip. The female flowers are almost invisible at first but grow into sight very rapidly after fertilisation. They consist of a calyx with long red sepals, varying in number from 5-8, and an ovary with two styles which become very prominent and grow long. These are wrinkled and bent or twisted and beneath them the ovary enlarges till it is about an inch long and 1¼ inches broad, gradually changing from the limp green to the dark red double-seeded, winged fruit so familiar in masses and often persistent till the new leaves of the following year.

=The Fruits=, as described above, ripen and split into their two cocci, each containing one large flat seed. The seed portion of the coccus is net-veined and the wing portion longitudinally veined.

=HYPHAENE THEBAICA= Mart.—_Goriba_. “_Dum Palm_.” PALMACEAE.

This very common palm is found all over N. Nigeria and is distinguished from all others by its branching habit. It thrives in dry country, farther north than any other palm. The height is some 30 feet and the girth about 3 feet. The main stem branches into two and each of these may divide again and even a third time. In agricultural land the ground is densely covered with the seedlings which are cut down each year by the farmer.

=The Bark= is smooth, the rings of the leaf sheaths clearly marked except at the base of old trees where the stem has the appearance of decay and an uneven surface.

=The Wood= is very fibrous and has no local use beyond that of roof or door supports. It has been used as fuel.

=The Leaves= are about 4 feet long, the segments inverted V-shaped, about 18 inches long, with smooth margins, united for a few inches of their length only. The stalk is curved back at the tip and the segments at the base are higher up on one side than on the other. The stalk is heavily armed with black spines and the sheath is divided at the base, remaining clasped to the stem for some time.

=The Flowers= which appear in March, when the fruit is ripe or fallen, are male and female on different trees. The spadix of both sexes is similar, up to 4 feet long with 2-3 spikes rising from the small branches at intervals along the spadix. The males are small green flowers with 3 sepals, 3 petals and 6 stamens, massed on the spikes, often spirally in rows up the spike. The females have very short stalks and have 3 sepals, 3 shorter petals, 6 rudimentary stamens and a 3-lobed ovary.

=The Fruits= are 2½—3 inches long and 2-2½ inches broad, light brown when ripe, reddish-brown before ripe, roughly showing 3 lobes on the exterior, smooth and hard. They contain a large, hollow kernel, very hard. The fruit ripens in March.

=Uses.=—The leaves are used for mats, hats, baskets, fans and various plaited articles. The unripe kernel is eaten raw and the rind of the fruit is used for making sweets. Elsewhere the kernels have been used for buttons.

=ISOBERLINIA DALZIELII= Craib & Stapf.—_Fara doka_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This species is very similar to _I. doka_, the outstanding difference being its generally paler colour in all its parts, especially in the leaves which are covered with a grey bloom. Its habit is the same and its form similar, though it differs in having a higher and rounder crown when small, the leaves not drooping so markedly as those of the other species. The bole is longer and the tree attains a greater height than does _I. doka_. A height of over 60 feet with a girth of 8 feet is not uncommon in forests of this species as well as in single examples. Long, clean boles with short, rounded root-flanges and high, flat-topped crowns are typical. It regenerates with the same profusion and is as susceptible to fire as _I. doka_, hollow stems in old trees being the general rule. This species seems to prefer stony and shallow soils and over large areas of such it grows pure, often to the total exclusion of _I. doka_.

=The Bark= is light grey, smoother than that of _I. doka_, and has rather large, oval scales which leave light brown scars. The slash is pale crimson.

=The Wood= is light red in colour with open grain of this colour and silvery streaks. The sap is dirty white. Weight 50 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are large, very variable in size and averaging some 18 inches. They have usually 7 leaflets covered with a soft grey bloom which gives them a bluish appearance. They are rounder, paler and softer in texture than those of _I. doka_, and the bloom is particularly marked in young leaves which pass through the same grades of colouring from pink to green as do those of _I. doka_.

=The Flowers= are in large panicles and appear in December. Each is composed of 5 irregular white petals and 5 narrow, pointed sepals, and 10 long stamens, the whole enclosed in a blackish-green, hard, rounded case which splits into two halves in the axil of which the flower sits.

=The Fruit= is a long, broad, flat pod, covered with a green velvet. It is about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide and splits with a report, the two halves curling up and the seeds being violently projected. This occurs in May and June.

=Uses.=—The young poles are used for local building purposes, but they are very soft and liable to attacks from white ants and borer-beetles and last only one season. Larger trees are locally cut into planks, and provide an inferior timber.

=ISOBERLINIA DOKA= Craib and Stapf.—_Doka_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This species, with its congener _I. Dalzielii_, is a type tree of the Tree savannah and the most common of all trees in that formation. It occurs as high-crowned forest over many hundreds of square miles of the northern provinces, though it does not extend to the extreme north. It is found in all stages according to age, from the dense covering of the cleared farm land to the 40-50 feet high-crowned forests with little undergrowth except that of its own shoots or seedlings. It grows long straight boles, usually forking at 10-15 feet, and its wide-spreading limbs form a high open crown which closes the roof of the forest. Trees in a 25 feet forest have girths of, as a rule, not more than 2-3 feet, and the crown is ¾ of the total height, and narrow, the branches ascending vertically. A girth of 5-6, or more, feet is common in trees 50 feet high. The species is very susceptible to fire and the majority of large trees have hollow centres from this cause. The stem is often a mere shell, filled with the earth of white ants or with a copious volume of reddish sap which flows out and bubbles up from the base when felled. This species seems to be more exacting as to soil conditions than _I. Dalzielii_, the latter predominating on higher or more stony ground, the change from one species to the other often being very marked. As a rule the species are mixed indiscriminately, especially on level country.

=The Bark= is dark grey with large, even-sized, rather shaggy scales. It is darker and rougher than that of _I. Dalzielii_. The slash is light red, the sap sticky.

=The Wood= is red, varying from bright red to greyish-red, with long, silvery streaks. In transverse section the pores are large, in rows, festoons and small groups, and the rays are extremely fine and close together, showing as small red bars in radial section. In the plank the pores are long, open red lines, the grain often being strikingly waved. The sapwood is silvery with a reddish tinge. The timber saws and planes well, with a smooth finish and no polish. The weight is 50-55 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are large and pinnate with an average of 7 leaflets, dark-green and shiny. The young leaves are bright red and glistening and pass through every shade from this to the ultimate brilliant green of the new mature leaf. This is most noticeable after a fire when the forest is a blaze of colour. The leaves vary very considerably in size and average some 15-18 inches, those of smaller trees being much larger.

=The Flowers=, which are similar in both species, are in large panicles, and each consists of 5 white, uneven-sized petals and 10 long stamens. The sepals are small, narrow and white, and the whole flower is enclosed in a hard, round, blackish-green sheath which splits into two portions in which the flower rests. They appear in February.

=The Fruit= is a large, broad, flat pod some 12 inches long and 3 inches wide, a dull green in colour with a smooth surface. It contains some 4 or 5 large oval, flat, pale-brown seeds which are distributed by the violent splitting of the pod, the two halves separating with a report and curling up into a spiral.

=Uses.=—The young trees are used for house-building poles, but only last for a season as they are very soft and readily attacked by white ants and borer-beetles. Large trees are cut into planks for local use, but the timber is very inferior.

=KHAYA SENEGALENSIS= Juss.—_Madachi_. “_Mahogany_.” MELIACEAE.

This common and well-known Dry Zone Mahogany occurs more or less plentifully all over the north and has a distribution from the rain forest to the French boundary. Its habitat is the banks of streams but its soil and water requirements are comparatively modest and any little valley or moist hollow is sufficient. It abounds in the more northerly “kurmis,” and on the edges of “fadammas” often shows a gregarious habit, clumps of a dozen or so growing close together. Normally it is a small tree some 50-60 feet high with a girth of 6-8 feet, but 70-80 feet and a 10 feet girth are common. Usually not more than 20 feet of its height is clean bole, but no rule can be laid down, as the stem may or may not divide into 2 or 3 large limbs which ascend vertically and form the characteristic open, wide-spreading crown. In the gregarious clumps the tree may have as many as 5 or 6 of these false stems and form an enormous crown. The bole and main limbs show a wavy habit, especially noticeable in smaller trees. The base of the bole is often much swollen by the repeated bark chipping for the bitter tonic.

=The Bark= is dark grey and covered with small, thin scales. A red sap exudes from the bright crimson slash.

=The Wood= is a deep red-brown, generally with a pronounced purple tinge which distinguishes it from _K. grandifolia_, the typical mahogany hue being absent. In transverse section the rings are indistinct colour variations; the pores are small, open, single and scattered about between the long wavy rays which are close together and visible to the naked eye. In vertical section the pores are open and dark coloured, the grain showing as waved bands of varying depth of colour speckled with the pores. The wood is very hard, sometimes badly cross-grained and tough, but at others sound and fairly straight, enabling it to be sawn and planed fairly easily. It is very apt to pick up, but the finished surface takes a good polish. The pore contents glisten. The sapwood is grey with a purplish tinge. The weight is up to 60 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are pinnate with 4-6 pairs of leaflets. The leaves of young trees will bear as many as 10 leaflets. The leaf is bright and shiny when young but darkens and dulls and the greyish under surface is typical.

=The Flowers= are in lax panicles amongst the end leaves and are found from December to April, earlier in some parts. The panicles are 6-8 inches long and the small flowers are white with 4 sepals and petals and 8 stamens whose filaments are united to form a crown round the knobbed pistil. The tree often flowers out of season.

=The Fruits= are capsules, grey, and erect and conspicuous on the top of the tree. They are from 2-2½ inches in diameter and split into 4 sections in each of which the flat, winged, mahogany-brown seeds are tightly packed one above the other. They ripen from March onwards of the next year, the seeds falling from the split capsule on the tree.

=Uses.=—The wood for furniture, canoes and mortars.

The bark as a bitter tonic after boiling with water, and powdered as a cure of sore backs of horses.

The leaves are gathered for camel and cattle fodder.

The seeds, dried, fried, beaten up and boiled to extract the oil, are used for anointing the body, by pagans.

=KIGELIA AETHIOPICA= Decne. _var._ =BORNUENSIS= Sprague.—_Rawuya, Rahaina, Nonon Giwa_. “_Sausage Tree_.” BIGNONIACEAE.

A large tree up to 50 feet in height with a girth of 6-7 feet. It occurs in the north mostly in “kurmis” up to 11° N. or more. It is not a savannah tree but has penetrated a great distance into them by way of the streams. It is low-branching or forking, and has large limbs forming a high or wide crown of great spread and dense foliage. Either in flower or fruit it is unmistakable.

=The Bark= is grey or light brown with small, soft, corky scales, rather scattered and leaving lighter brown patches.