each containing one large flat seed. The seed portion of the coccus is
net-veined and the wing portion longitudinally veined.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
[Illustration]
=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.
=The Leaves= are 12-15 inches long, pinnate, with 3-5 pairs of opposite
leaflets and a terminal leaflet. The leaflets are obovate with broad
tip and small point, and are increasingly longer and larger from below
upwards, the lowest pair about 2½ inches long and 1½ inches broad,
the upper pair 4-5 inches long and 2-2½ inches broad, the terminal as
broad, but not so long. The nerves are prominent beneath but grooved
above. The colour is light green and shining, smooth beneath. The
margins may be serrate, the teeth quite sharp, or may be quite entire.
=The Flowers= are in panicles up to 4 feet in length hanging from
the branches in February to April. The short flower stalks are
curved, the calyx is fleshy, 4-lobed and pale green, and the corolla
has a trumpet-shaped tube some 3 inches long, ending in a large,
reddish-purple, wrinkled and lobed mouth on the lower side of which
lie the 4 stamens and pistil with flattened stigma. The outside of the
curved tubular portion is white with reddish lines, and the shape and
length of this tube decides the species. There is an unpleasant odour
to the flower. The corolla falls entire with the stamens attached.
=The Fruit= is like an elongated marrow, 12-20 inches long and 3-4
inches broad, greyish in colour with a slightly rough skin. The apex
is pointed. Scattered about in the fibrous pulp are a number of small
seeds which are let loose by the rotting of the fruit, which takes a
long time to mature.
[Illustration]
=LONCHOCARPUS GRIFFONIANUS= Dunn.—_Tuburku_. LEGUMINOSAE.
This is a large deciduous tree which extends up to 11° by way of the
streams and “kurmis” and which, below that latitude will grow away,
though not far, from their influence. It attains a height of 60 feet
with a girth of 8 feet or more and has an enormous spreading crown with
drooping twigs and delicate pinnate foliage which gives heavy shade.
Bole lengths of 30 feet are seen in close forest and in the open there
may be a number of stems from the ground level or near it. The pods,
like strips of tanned leather, are the most distinctive feature, as
they persist for some time.
=The Bark= is smooth, with small, very thin, close-fitting scales which
remain attached by their centres before falling. The colour is grey or
light brown. The slash is pale yellow, soft and thick.
=The Wood= is whitish-grey. In transverse section the rings are
indistinct lines, the pores are very irregular festoons, dense on some
zones and single and scattered in the rings. The rays are very fine and
close and much waved, and are visible as a fine stippling in vertical
sections. In vertical section the pores are open and their brown colour
adds a tint to the wood. It is soft, very easy to work with all tools,
the planed surface having a slight sheen. Weight 40 lbs. a cubic foot.
=The Leaves= are pinnate, 9-10 inches long with three to four pairs and
a terminal leaflet. The main stalk is very slender and those of the
leaflets very short. The leaflets are obovate, with a tongued tip, the
lowest pair rounded, the intermediate pairs narrower and the terminal
larger and broader. The upper surface is dark and shiny, the under side
paler and smooth. The mid-rib is prominent beneath and slightly sunken
above. There is a marked contrast between the colour of the leaflet
stalks and the under side of the leaflets when viewed from beneath.
=The Flowers= appear on the leafless tree in February or March. They
are on 6-7 inch long spikes all over the bare twigs, and are a delicate
blue or mauve colour and pleasantly scented. They are “pea-flowers,” ¾
inch long, the calyx reddish-purple, the standard petal with a cream
centre splash and the keel white. The flowering period is very short
and the leaves follow and cover the tree in a few days.
=The Fruits= are flat pods, 3-5 inches long and ¾ inch broad, very
slightly embossed at the seeds, light brown with a grained surface,
very like tanned leather, containing up to 3 flat, bean-shaped, dark
brown seeds. A large number of pods fall entire without producing seeds.
[Illustration]
=LONCHOCARPUS LAXIFLORUS= G. & P.—_Farin Sansame, Shunin Biri, Halshen
Sa_. LEGUMINOSAE.
A small tree some 15-20 feet high, occasionally 30 feet, occurring
commonly throughout the drier savannahs, often in small patches or
clumps. It resembles _Stereospermum Kunthianum_ (Sansame) in form and
leaf but in no other detail. The form is stunted and similar to the
majority of the trees in the northern bush savannah, though larger
examples with big oval crowns and a 10 foot bole are not uncommon. A
curious branching habit is noticed where the main stem grows partly
round the base of the side limb forming an enlarged joint. The branches
are markedly drooping. The pale bark, purple flowers, narrow flat pods
and greyish-green leaves are distinctive features.
=The Bark= is light grey or yellowish and fairly smooth, the scales
being small, close together and corky. Narrow ridges of cork form on
the branches and that of the stem thickens for protection against
fires. The slash is yellow with black streaks, very distinctive.
=The Wood= is light yellow, of uniform colour. In transverse section
the rings are marked and the concentric lines of hard and soft tissue
very plainly seen. The pores are large and small, few, scattered
about in the lines of soft tissue in festoons. The rays are straight,
variable in width, some visible, others not, to the unaided eye.
The areas of hard tissue are clearly divided into rectangles by the
sharp lines of soft tissue and the rays. The wood is hard, heavy, not
difficult to saw and planing to a smooth finish with a slight sheen.
The weight is 55 lbs. a cubic foot.
=The Leaves= are a foot long with 5-7 leaflets, the terminal longest,
the lowest pair shortest. They are grey-green and waxy to the touch and
with the exception of the mid-rib the venation is raised on the upper
and not on the lower surface. They are 3-4 inches long and tapering to
both ends.
=The Flowers= are in numerous panicles at the twig ends, a mass of
purple at first erect, then drooping. The panicles are up to a foot
long and the flowers are papilionaceous with a white splash on the
face of the standard petal. The calyx is dark purple. They appear from
January to March and are fertilised by bees, flies and wasps and other
insects.
=The Fruits= are pods, from 2-5 inches long according to the number
of seeds, generally 2, rarely 3, and an inch in width. They are flat,
light brown or whitish in colour, in pendulous masses, very conspicuous
and the seeds are chestnut brown, ½ inch long, shiny, flat and with a
deeply indented hilum. They remain on the tree for a long time.
=Uses.=—An infusion of the roots with water is used as a tonic.
[Illustration]
=LOPHIRA ALATA= Banks.—_Namijin Kadai, Mijin Kadai_. “_Meni Oil Tree_.”
DIPTEROCARPACEAE.
This is one of the type species of the tree savannah and strongly
resembles at first sight the Shea, since both have strap-shaped
leaves. This is the only close resemblance and even they are easily
distinguished from one another, see below. It attains a height of some
40 feet with a girth up to 6 feet, and has a tall, regular, rather
open crown occupying at least two-thirds of the height and often more.
The branches ascend at an acute angle to the stem so that the form is
narrowed, another distinguishing feature between it and the Shea. It
prefers good deep soils and its northern limit is about 12° N.
=The Bark= is light grey with even-sized scales 1-2 inches long, 1 inch
wide and ¼ inch thick. That of the smaller branches is softly corky.
The scales are not prominent, nor is there a milky sap, two other
features distinguishing it from the Shea. The slash is crimson with
bright yellow edges.
=The Wood= is a dull reddish-brown. The transverse section shows
indistinct light rings, close together, the pores small and scattered
singly and widely throughout the hard and soft tissue which is clearly
separated in thin, wavy concentric dark and light lines. The rays are
exceedingly fine and invisible to the naked eye. In vertical section
the pores show as if filled with some chalky matter and the grain is
straight with the hard and soft tissue marked in fine lines, and the
rays as numerous small bands in radial section. The wood is hard to saw
and plane, picking up in places, but elsewhere finishes smooth. It is
tough and strong and weighs 65 lbs. a cubic foot.
=The Leaves= are strap-shaped, some 12 inches long, 3-4 inches broad,
with an inch stalk. The margin is waved, the mid-rib alone prominent on
both surfaces. The venation is extremely delicate, visible when held to
the light. The new leaves are bright red, the red colour fading from
the base upwards. The surface is shining, the texture soft. Clustered
round the end 3-4 inches of the twigs, they appear like rosettes. The
delicate venation, short stalk and red tips distinguish it from the
Shea.
=The Flowers= are in clusters on long stalks amongst the leaves and
resemble Apple blossom. They are white, cup-shaped, 1½ inches across,
with 5 notched white petals and a ring of numerous yellow stamens round
a stout bifid pistil. The calyx consists of 5 sepals, 3 small and
round, 2 larger and red tipped, the latter enlarging to form the wings
of the seed. They are scented, visited by bees and appear from November
to February.
=The Fruits= are winged seeds, the wings formed by the enlargement of
the 2 sepals. At first red, they become light green and leathery, the
larger 4 inches, the smaller 2 inches long. The fibrous-coated seed
elongates till it is a pointed cone an inch long, light brown as are
the now dry wings. The seed contains a single kernel, loose when ripe,
about March. Few natives will allow that this tree has any seeds, even
when shown them, a popular obstinacy.
=Uses.=—The wood is too tough to carpenter satisfactorily, but is
suitable for building posts. The seed contains some 45 per cent. of
oil, said to be suitable for soap after testing, but this is not
extracted locally.
[Illustration]
=MAERUA ANGOLENSIS= DC.—_Chichiwa_. CAPPARIDACEAE.
A small tree, widely distributed throughout savannahs of both types,
flourishing equally well in dry sandy soils and richer loamy soils. It
is straggling, often growing in the shade of other trees and partly
supporting itself by them. In the open it is a slender tree about 15
feet in height, the stem dividing and the open low crown with drooping
branches. Occasional examples will reach 25 feet with a 2 feet girth.
It extends up to 13° N.
=The Bark= is dark grey to almost black. That of the smaller branches
is dark brown, profusely spotted with small white lenticels which give
it a mottled appearance, a most distinctive character. Galls on the new
twigs and on the stem are very common.
=The Leaves= are simple, ovate, but variable in length to breadth,
averaging 2 inches long and 1 inch broad. The tip is rounded or
slightly cleft with a small projection of the mid-rib. The colour
is pale and the surface smooth. The mid-rib is prominent beneath,
otherwise the venation is practically unnoticeable. The stalks are ½-1
inch long and the last ¼ inch is thickened and bent at an angle and
when the leaf is plucked the stalk nearly always parts at this bend.
=The Flowers= can be found from November to April and the individual
flowers for a long time, almost ripe fruits and new flowers occurring
at the same time. They are in leafy racemes of large size. Each has a
slender stalk, a long column-like torus, 4 sepals which bend right back
and finally fall off, no petals and a number of long white stamens, in
the middle of which is the long slender style with the ovary at the
tip. The lower part of the calyx is tubular, with the torus inside, and
round its mouth is a toothed ring.