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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.