sweetmeat “madi.”
Where it is large enough the timber is used for mortars, but the size
is, as a rule, against this use.
[Illustration]
=DICHROSTACHYS NUTANS= Br.—_Dundu_. LEGUMINOSAE.
A very common, acacia-like shrub which occurs in dense thickets in
open situations. It averages about 10 feet high, though it will
attain nearly 30 feet, branches near the ground and is most readily
distinguished both by its flowers and pods. It is of no use in the
composition of the forest, but is quite ornamental in flower.
=The Thorns= are modified branches, each twig ending in a thorn which
bears leaves, and is almost black in colour.
=The Leaves= are bipinnate, up to 4 inches long with 10-15 opposite
pinnae, each bearing 15-20 pairs of dark, dull-green leaflets.
=The Flowers=, the most distinguishing feature of the species, are in
pendulous catkins, shaped like large acorns. Those above (next the
stalk) are functionless, except for attracting insects by their scent,
and consist of 10 long, mauve filaments. Those below (at the tip) are
yellow and consist of a pistil surrounded by 10 stamens. The whole
flower-spike is 2 inches long with a 1½ inch stalk. They first appear
in February and blossom for several months onwards.
=The Fruits= are bunches of small, brown pods which are so twisted and
contorted as to assume fantastic bundles with alternate concave and
convex surfaces outwards, each section the reverse of the next. They
hold about four small, flat, black seeds, pointed at one end. The pods
are very persistent and remain on the tree for several months. They
fall without splitting.
=Uses.=—The stems are made into a good quality bow, very commonly seen,
and also into sticks.
[Illustration]
=DIOSPYROS MESPILIFORMIS= Hochst.—_Kainya, Kaiwa_. “_Ebony_.” EBENACEAE.
This species, though typically inhabiting the banks of streams and the
depths of “kurmis,” is quite commonly found in dry situations, where
it attains large dimensions. It is the same species as is found in
abundance in the south, but while there it yields a fair proportion of
black heartwood, in the north there is but a pencil or none at all.
The form varies greatly according to locality. On stream banks in the
savannahs, the foliage extends, as a rule, down to ground level, or
near it. In the “kurmis” great, tall, tapering stems, cylindrical or,
in some cases, apparently built up of a number of stems which have
joined and formed a fluted column, or, in other cases, of a number of
separate stems forming a huge crown, are the types. In some cases,
_e.g._, north-east of Sokoto Province, a number of large trees occur in
the middle of farm land on light sandy soil. These may reach a height
of over 60 feet and a girth of over 10 feet.
=The Bark= distinguishes the tree from all others. It is almost black,
and the scales are small, regular, even-sized and rectangular. That of
very young trees is green or grey and quite smooth. The slash is salmon
pink with darker flecks.
=The Wood= of the northern examples rarely contains any black wood.
The heartwood is a mixture of shades of pink, grey and green, the
predominant colour being light red. In transverse section the rings
are faint waved dark lines, close together; the pores are small, open,
evenly scattered, mostly single, with some small chains in the line of
the extremely fine and close rays. The rays show as small red bands
in radial section. The grain is close, not very straight and the wood
seasons well and is hard and durable. Damage from fires to young trees
often extends many feet up the stem. It works fairly well with tools
but will not take nails well. The planed surface is smooth and will
take a polish. The weight is 48 lbs. a cubic foot.
=The Leaves= are a very dark and rather dull green, the under surface
with a slight sheen. The venation is very delicate and not raised on
either surface, though the mid-rib is most prominent underneath. They
are some 6 inches long and 2½ inches wide, with a short stalk. The
young foliage is bright red, which turns brownish before the final
green. The shade is dense and nothing grows under it.
=The Flowers= are borne in small clusters in the axils of the leaves
in February. They are green and not conspicuous. Each consists of a
5-lobed calyx on a longish stalk, 5 petals set in spiral formation, one
over the other and inside the closed corolla are 10 stamens attached to
the petals.
=The Fruit= is about an inch in diameter, green at first, with the
crinkly calyx much enlarged and toughened, ripening to yellow with a
crisp rind, a soft, sweet, edible flesh and from 4-6 seeds. The seeds
are very hard with shiny, rich red-brown coat and grey interior into
which the red colour of the coat runs in streaks as seen in section.
The seeds are grouped radially round the centre with thin, jelly-like
partitions between each. The fruit falls entire from March onwards.
=Uses.=—The tree is cut into planks for various uses and the timber is
very durable though a little too heavy. Canoes have been made of it.
The fruits are eaten fresh by the natives.
[Illustration]
=EKEBERGIA SENEGALENSIS= A. Juss.—_Madachin dutsi_. MELIACEAE.
This not very common species is found in Bauchi, Zaria, S. Katsina,
etc., and has not been observed above 11½° N. It inhabits the outskirts
of “kurmis” or the open forests where the soil is good. Considerable
quantities occur just below the 4,000 feet level on the Bauchi plateau.
The similarity of leaves, flowers and fruits and its rocky habitat are
responsible for its local name. It reaches 30 feet in height with a
girth of 2-3 feet, rarely has any bole length over 10 feet, but as a
rule a number of acutely ascending limbs forming a dense oval crown. It
stands shade well and there its growth is taller and more slender and
open and inclined to spread. The terminal foliage is noticeable.
=The Bark= is smooth and dark grey, often with marked light and dark
patches, and on younger stems or branches is covered with white
lenticels in vertical rows. The slash is crimson with white streaks.
The bark of older trees is roughish, with close-fitting, small scales.
=The Leaves= are about 15 inches long, pinnate, with 6-10 pairs of
opposite, or nearly, pointed, wavy-edged leaflets some 3 inches long,
a dull dark green above, pale beneath, with a prominent mid-rib on the
under side which is reddish, as is the stalk of the leaf. They are
borne on the last foot of the twig in erect, rosette-like bunches.
=The Flowers= are in panicles 5-6 inches long, amongst the leaves in
February and March. Each flower has 5 pale green petals, 10 stamens
with black anthers and a knobbed pistil. The filaments of the stamens
are united up to the anthers.
=The Fruits= are capsules 1-1½ inches in diameter, normally of 4
segments, but owing to the growth of one or more at the expense of the
rest, the capsule is often irregularly developed. They are light brown
in colour and at first sight resemble those of _Khaya_ but contain
brilliant red oval seeds set in a bright yellow aril, embedded in the
thick walls of the capsule, in a vertical position.
[Illustration]
=ENTADA SUDANICA= Schweinf.—_Tawatsa_. LEGUMINOSAE.
A very common species occurring everywhere in savannah forests of the
more open type; usually about 20 feet high, sometimes more, with an
average girth of 3 feet. It forks and branches low and has, as a rule,
no length of bole and a widespreading, open crown. In full leaf it is
graceful in appearance and not unlike _Parkia_. It is of no use as a
forest species except from its frequency.
=The Bark= is light grey with very long fissures and ridges set widely
apart. It peels in long strips and provides a fibre, as does that of
the roots which is in local use for rope. The slash is crimson and
white in thin streaks.
=The Wood= is a light red colour. In transverse section the rings are
well marked dark lines, close together, the pores are large, open, few,
widely scattered, single or in small nests or rows of two or three, the
rays straight, continuous, not too evenly spaced, some just visible to
the naked eye. In vertical section the pores are long, open and sparse,
and the grain fairly well marked in darker red lines. The wood is not
hard, easily worked, planes to a nice smooth finish and is sound and
compact. The weight is 50 lbs. a cubic foot.
=The Leaves=, which resemble those of _Parkia filicoidea_, though they
are a much lighter green, are bipinnate and about 18 inches long. The
pinnae, 5 or 6 pairs, are set wide apart on the mid-rib, and there
are some 15-20 pairs of inch-long leaflets, light green above and
grey-green beneath, with a waxy texture. They grow densely near the
twig tips and the mid-rib remains on the twig after the leaflets have
fallen, persistent through the dry season.
=The Flowers= are in 4-5 inch spikes, whitish in colour. Each flower
consists of 5 small green sepals and 10 white stamens with pistil. They
appear amongst the new leaves in March, and are sweet-scented.
=The Fruits= are the most conspicuous feature of the species and the
most ready means of identification for several months in the year, as
they are very persistent, in whole or in part. Each is a long, flat,
ribbon-like pod, from 6-15 inches long and over 2 inches broad with as
many as 15 seeds, embossed. A rich brown in colour, the pod splits into
sections between each seed, the outer cover falling away and releasing
the seed which has a wing the shape of each section. The seed itself
is a small, flat, brown oval, and the papery wing is veined. The seeds
fall one by one, leaving the skeleton rim of the pod itself persistent
for some time. The pods are a prominent and disfiguring feature of the
tree, in the dry season.
=Uses.=—The leaves are appreciated as cattle fodder. An infusion of the
bark is drunk as a tonic. The bark of stem and roots gives a fibre used
as rope.
[Illustration]
=ERIODENDRON ORIENTALE= Steud.—_Rimi_. _The White-flowered
Silk-Cotton_. MALVACEAE.
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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=FICUS PLATYPHYLLA= Del.—_Gamji_. MORACEAE.