John McEwen Dalziel

“ Also Cassia Sieberiana, DC. and perhaps other species (very similar to the “Pudding Pipe Tree”—Cassia fistula) . The dark pulp around the seeds is a laxative drug. Scarcely distinguished in Hausa from the somewhat similar Cassia Arereh, Swartzia madagascariensis, Oliv. and others whose pods split longitudinally. vide under bayama, bogo zage, and haḍa fuḍa. The pods of some of these are sometimes used as a fish-poison, vide under ago and baina. ”

“ A low shrub with pink flowers appearing from the base, and pods with a rusty wool resembling cotton.
kaḍanya or kaḍai, Butyrospermum Parkii, Kotschy. (Sapotaceæ) . Shea Butter Tree. ḳwara = the kernel, used for production of the fat by boiling and skimming; man kaḍai = shea butter used as food, as an illuminant, and as a vehicle for medicines. The soft fleshy part of the fruit is edible. (hanchin kaḍai, vide ḳanumfari) . namijin kaḍai, or mijin kaḍai = Lophira alata, Banks. (Dipterocarpeæ) . “Meni Oil Tree.” A tree with white flowers and foliage which resembles that of kaḍanya. ”

“ A parasitic shrub commonly growing on various trees; e.g. on ḳadanya called kauchin kaḍai. Used medicinally and as a charm. vide also under sansami. Sometimes called W. Indian Mistletoe.
ḳaudodo, vide ḳabdodo.
kaura, a var. of dawa, q.v.
kawo, Afzelia africana, Smith (Leguminosæ) ; one of the African Mahoganies or “Mahogany Bean,” a large shade tree, with thick very hard pods and large black seeds. The seeds are sold as a medicinal charm called fasa daga, q.v. The leaves are used as a cattle food. ”

“ A large tree with milky juice and small figs. Syn. shiriya (Sok.) .
shiwaka, Vernonia amygdalina, Delile (Compositæ) . A shrub with whitish flowers, wild and commonly planted in compounds; the root is used as a tooth-stick and bitter tonic, and the leaves medicinally in various ways. maye (Sok.) , or fatte (Kano) , or fate fate (East Hausa) , is a secret medicine of women, prepared from the leaves along with other native drugs.
shiwakar jan garigari, a shrub with bitter properties like the above. (Etym. because said to grow in places of red soil) . Anaphrenium pulcherrimum, Schweinf. ”

“ The leaves are sometimes used as chusar doki; vide under kuka.
surendi, vide dayi.
sutura, a species of Euphorbia with milky juice; called also tutar yan sariki; (vide also under zaḳami) .
[90] T Taba, Nicotiana tabacum, Linn. (Solanaceæ) . Tobacco. Cultivated in most parts of N. Nigeria in alluvial soil; used for smoking and in the form of powder for chewing and as snuff. Flowers rubbed on the teeth while chewing certain varieties of kola nut, to give a red colour; fure = a flower, when unqualified generally means tobacco flowers. ”

“ A large species in the Benué district is sold for making a sweet food kunun zaḳi.
rumaya, a slender grass with tough stems, used for cordage, tying thatch, &c.
[83] rumfar gada, Cassytha guineensis, Sch. et Thon. (Lauraceæ) , a parasitic leafless and rootless twiner like dodder, with wiry stems and small clusters of white flowers and berries. Syn. ?siliyar sulkuwa.
runhu or rumfu, Cassia goratensis, Fres. (Leguminosæ) ; a small tree with yellow flowers; an infusion of the leaves and pods is used as a wash in parturition, and for fever. ”

“ One of the jute plants, cultivated in N. Nigeria more as a vegetable than for fibre. (Arab. molukhiya) .
malami or malami na mata, Mukia scabrella, Arn. (Cucurbitaceæ) ; a small twiner with rough leaves and red berries resembling Bryony. (Etym. from its frequent use as a love-charm) . Syn. gautan zomo.
malamkochi, vide zaḳi banza.
malga or marga, vide gamma faḍa.
malle, m. kabi, m. mama, m. Zanfara; varieties of dawa, q.v.
malmo, Eugenia owariensis, Beauv. (Myrtaceæ) ; an evergreen tree with fragrant flowers and leaves, and black or purple berries; common by streams and pools. ”

“ A leafless succulent plant with the habit of a small cactus, wild or planted near mosques, &c. Syn. wutsiyar damo (Sok. West) , from the resemblance of the tapering young shoots to the tail of the damo, a large lizard, Varanus exanthematicus. ”

“ More generally known as furfura ta gyatumi, q.v.
alibida, vide alubada.
aliliba, Cordia abyssinica, R. Br. (Boragineæ) ; a tree with broad leaves, white flowers, and sweet yellow berries used in making allewa, &c.
aliyara, vide ḳaguwa.
alkama, Triticum sativum, Lam. sub-race T. vulgare, Vill. “Common Wheat;” or T. compositum, Linn. “Mummy,” “Miracle” or “Egyptian Wheat;” grown chiefly in the north on river-banks with irrigation. taliya, a sort of macaroni made from alkama flour; gurasa, a sort of native wheaten bread; punkaso (Kano) , or fankaso, wheaten cakes fried in oil. ”

“ The winged seeds yield an oil (“Oil of Ben”) . Syn. bagaruwar Makka (Sok.) , barambo (Gobir) , also sometimes called taḅa ni ka samu, q.v. (cf. kurnan nasara) . The roots can be used as horse-radish and the young leaves as a vegetable.
zugu, vide under abduga.
zunguru, a var. of the bottle-gourd; vide under duma.
zunzuna, vide rawaya.
zurma, Ricinus communis, Linn. (Euphorbiaceæ) . “Castor Oil Plant.” A tall shrub with large broad leaves and erect racemes of spiny capsules containing the seed from which castor oil is made; commonly planted in compounds or growing in waste places. ”

“ Syn. gigi? dauḍar Maguzawa? (Etym. because it often remains unburnt when the grass is fired) .
fatakka, Pergularia tomentosa, L. (Asclepiadeæ) ; a plant with orbicular hoary leaves and milky juice; used by tanners as a “bating” bath after unhairing and before tanning. Syn. kwotowa (Sok.) .
fate fate, a medicine or love potion used by women, made from the leaves of shiwaka, &c. (Vernonia amygdalina) , q.v. Also a food prepared from various plants, e.g. flowers of tsamiya, or leaves of rama, yaḍiya or zoḅarodo. ”

“ Syn. intaya (Sok. Kamberi, Kamuku, &c.) , “Hungry Rice”. cf. also tumbin jaki.
a chi da gero, a chi da kara, a chi da nono, vars. of Guinea Corn; vide under dawa.
aduruku, Newbouldia lævis, Sun. (Bignoniaceæ) ; a tall slender tree with handsome purple flowers; often planted around native compounds. Syn. ba reshe?
aduwa, Balanites ægyptiaca, Del. (Simarubeæ) . “Desert Date”; a thorny tree common in the north, deciduous but with evergreen branches, bifoliate leaves and yellow bitter-sweet fruit; its gum = ḳaron aduwa; the seeds yield “Oil of Betu” (Kanuri, bito) ”

“ Saccharum officinarum, Linn.
karara, Mucuna pruriensis, DC. (Leguminosæ) . “Cowitch” or “Cowhage.” A herbaceous climber with 3-foliate leaves; the pods especially are covered with rusty pungent hairs which cause intense irritation of the skin. (A species of “Velvet-bean”) .
ḳarari = the fibrous veins of palm fronds (chiefly giginya and goriba) , used for cordage, brooms, &c. ”

“ A common twiner with half-succulent leaves and a thick greenish sap; leaves and flowers used as food, and bark for fibre.
yaḍiyar kada, Taccazea Barteri, Baill. (Apocynaceæ) . A twiner with milky juice, common on trees, &c. near streams; (including other species) .
yaji or yan yaji, a general name for spice; vide chitta, kubla, &c.
ya ḳi ruwan Allah, vide under kwarko.
yako (Sok. and Kats.) , Ipomœa pilosa, Sweet, and other spp. (Convolvulaceæ) . A rough-leaved convolvulus common on fences, &c. in towns; vide under barmatabo. The dried leaves form a medicine called dankon kuyangi. ”

“ The following are delicacies made from alkama:—dashishi, cakes like masa but made with honey-water; sunasar, a preparation of wheat with meat and butter; tuwon ḅaure = tuwo made with finely ground wheat and butter instead of water.
alkaman tururuwa, Spermacoce stachydea, DC. (Rubiaceæ) ; a common weed eaten by goats, &c. (Etym. tururuwa, a species of social harvesting ant) .
alubada or alibida, Carpodinus hirsuta, Hua (Apocynaceæ) ; a woody climber ”

“ A small tree with white flowers and flattened oval fruit; the latter is used with that of kanya and ḍinya to make a sort of molasses (maḍi) .
[93] tawatsa or tawassa, Entada sudanica, Schweinf. (Leguminosæ) ; a common tree of the acacia type with white spikes of flowers and curious jointed and embossed pods; it yields an inferior gum; fibre is got from the root-bark; vide yawa and meḍi.
tazargadi, a native medicine; the pounded fragrant leaves of a plant (Artemisia sp.?) ; brought by Arabs. ”

“ A shrub, the root of which is in some districts used as an antidote to arrow-poison. makubar mahalba = a fermented extract of the bark used sometimes for hardening floors; (vide under ḍorowa) .
kirtani, a strong twine made from fibre of yawan wake, tumfafiya, and yaḍiya, q.v.
ḳi taḅewa, a medicine; sold in the form of small tuberous pieces with rootlets (probably the root of a grass) ; used in fumigation as a charm, love-potion, &c. (Etym. “fail me never”) .
ḳodagaya, a kind of bean; ?Canavalia ensiformis, DC. Cultivated as a climber on fences and trees, &c. ”

“ Acacia campylacantha, Hochst. or nearly allied species.
farin gammo, Ipomœa argentaurata, Hall. f. (Convolvulaceæ) ; a trailing convolvulus with whitish flowers and silvery-hairy leaves. Syn. ka fi boka. (Etym. ganmo, gammo or ganwo = a head-pad) .
farin sansami (Sok. and Kats.) , Lonchocarpus laxiflorus, G. et P. (Leguminosæ) ; a tree with purple flowers. The leaves are capable of affording a dye like indigo. cf. talaki. Syn. shunin biri, and cf. halshen sa.
faru, Odina Barteri, Oliv. (and other spp. Anacardiaceæ) ; a large tree with pinnate leaves and small berries; the bark yields a resin. ”

“ Two closely similar species of “Frankincense Tree” (the former more in Sokoto, Kontagora, Zaria, &c., the latter in Yola province, &c.) . Syn. ararabi (Katsina, &c.) , basamu (Sok. and Zanf.) . The fragrant gum-resin is used medicinally and as a fumigation for clothing, houses, &c. ”

“ Fruit edible; a common ingredient in fish-poison.
ago or agu (Gwari) ; a fish-poison, prepared usually from Tephrosia Vogelii (cf. baina, vide under majimfa) ; sometimes from the pods of Cassia spp. (vide gamma faḍa, &c.) ; cf. aduwa.
agugu, a native drug; the rhizome of a fern used for tapeworm; probably = “Male Fern” (Nephrodium Filix-mas) ; not indigenous; brought chiefly from Adamawa.
agushi, the seeds of a var. of the Water Melon, Citrullus vulgaris (vide guna) ; chewed raw or used in soup. ”

“ Syn. zogalagandi, q.v.
ḅarankachi or ḅaranchaki, Canavalia ensiformis, DC. “Sword Bean.” “Overlook Bean” of the West Indies. A large climbing bean common about native houses; not much eaten by Hausas; ripe pods used as a rattle by children. Syn.? ladiko, q.v. vide also waken Ankwa. ḍan zago (Kano) , is a red-seeded variety of the same. (Etym. chăki = a rattle) .
barbaji (East Hausa) , Randia nilotica, Stapf (Rubiaceæ) ; a thorny shrub or small tree found in the north. Syn. tsibra or tsura (Sok.) .
ḅare, half a kola nut; vide under goro.
ba reshe? (Kontagora) . Syn. ”

“ I. tinctoria, Linn. I. Anil, Linn., &c. cf. talaki. kwosusu = the second crop of baba, said to be the better; shuni = prepared indigo, the extracted blue dye-stuff, usually sold in cones or small masses and not used in dye-pits; shuḍi = cloth or thread dyed blue; tamaseki = a sort of home-made indigo prepared by women, from baba in pots.
baba hun (nasal baba hm) , Gynura cernua, Benth. (Compositæ) ; a common weed with purple flowers and lyrate leaves; used in soup, &c.
babar fadama, Indigofera sp. wild species growing in damp places. ”

“ N.B. In many districts the name is applied to the tree Cussonia nigerica, Hutch. or gwabsa, q.v. cf. also raken giwa.
takeyi, vide under kuḅewa.
talaki or talakin Yarubawa, Lonchocarpus cyanescens, Benth. (Leguminosæ) . “West African Indigo.” “Yoruba Wild Indigo.” A woody climber. The indigo dye prepared from the leaves, better than that from baba, is imported into N. Nigeria (e.g. to Sokoto from Illorin) , and dyeing is done in pots not in pits. vide also shunin biri.
taliya, a sort of macaroni made from flour of alkama, q.v. (Etym. probably from Italy) .
tamangaji, vide under gero. ”

“ A coarse tufted grass with digitate flower-spikes; resembling but smaller than tamba, q.v. a good fodder and capable of being used as food.
tukurra (Sok.) , Melochia corchorifolia, Linn. (Malvaceæ) . An erect plant of wet places; 2 to 4 feet high; stems used for tanka; bark used for cordage, and leaves sometimes used in soup.
tukuruwa, Raphia vinifera, Pal. Beauv. (Palmeæ) . “Bamboo Palm.” “Wine Palm.” Stems used for roofing, canoe-poles, &c. (= gongola; gwangwala, the Nupé name for this palm) ”

“ Syn. basko, or basgo (West Sokoto) .
akwuya, a var. of dawa, q.v.
alale, Blighia sapida, Koenig (Sapindaceæ) . “Akee apple”; a tree found in the southern provinces, with red capsular fruit; the spongy white aril around the seeds is edible. (?Nupé ella = the name of the fruit) . In Hausa generally called Gwanja kusa, q.v.
alambo, Sesbania leptocarpa, DC. (Leguminosæ) ; a slender branched tree with yellow flowers and narrow jointed pods, common on river-banks. (Kanuri, paiya paiya) . Other species are included, e.g. S. aculeata, Pers. S. ægyptiaca, Poir, &c. ”

“ It is one of the plants included in kaskaifi, q.v.
moda, Sansevieria sp. (Liliaceæ) . “African Bowstring Hemp;” a stemless plant with long straight mottled leaves affording a useful fibre; root and leaf used medicinally.
[77] murli = the unexpanded fronds of any palm (kwakwa, giginya, goriba, tukuruwa) . shedari = a mat made from murlin giginya.
murtsunguwa, a long-leaved stemless plant, sometimes added to arrow-poison. Syn. ?gunguma.
muruchi, the young germinating shoots of the Fan Palm, vide giginya, used as a vegetable. ”

“ Wood oil Tree. A large tree, the source of much of the West African copal. Syn. maje (Sok., &c.) , q.v.
kaḍai, vide kaḍanya.
ka fafogo, Uapaca guineensis, Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceæ) ; a tree resembling a fig-tree, with broad shining leaves and yellowish ovoid fruit; sometimes an ingredient in arrow poison.
ḳafar fakara, or ḳafar gauraka (Sok. and Kats.) , Chloris breviseta, Benth. (Gramineæ) (and C. virgata, Sw.) . A grass about 2 feet high with radiating flower-spikes; seeds edible. ”