Front matter (continued 2)

kufi, an oily extract made from the seeds of zurma (Castor Oil, Ricinus communis), chi ni da zugu (Physic Nut, Jatropha Curcas), and aduwa (Balanites ægyptiaca); used as an application for sores in domestic stock.

kugundugu, vide under dankali.

kujeme, vide under kaḍanya.

kuka, Adansonia digitata, B. Juss. (Malvaceæ). “Baobab,” “Monkey Bread Tree,” “Sour Gourd.” Inner bark used for rope, strings of musical instruments, &c. The acid and mucilaginous pulp of the fruit is used in various ways as food and drink. kwaikwaiyo (Kano) = the husk or shell of the indehiscent fruit; garin kuka = the mealy acid pulp around the seeds; guntsu (Kano) = seeds of kuka (Ful. gorgomi); daudawar kuka = fermented cakes made from the seeds (as with ḍorowa, q.v.), also called katsami (Kano and East); chusar doki = pounded leaves of kuka, with dusa and kanwa, used as food or medicine for horses; miyar kuka or kalun kuka = the leaves used for soup; kumbali = the Baobab flower.

kukuki, Sterculia tomentosa, Guill. et Perr. (Sterculiaceæ); a common tree which yields a gum like tragacanth; the bark contains an almost tasteless watery juice which is sucked by thirsty carriers, &c.

kulbutu, vide tsana.

kulla, vide kubla.

kuloko (Sok., &c.) = a black dye for leather, prepared as a fermented extract of “Sant Pods” (bagaruwa, q.v. Acacia arabica), and kwan mukera (blacksmiths’ refuse of fused iron oxide and carbon), and mixed with honey or syrup.

kulufita, a small prolific var. of the native bitter tomato; vide under gauta. (Etym. kullum fita).

kumbali = the flower of the Baobab; vide under kuka.

ḳumbar shafo, vide farichin shafo.

kumbu, vide under duma.

ḳumchi (Sok. and Zanf.), vide majiriyar kurumi.

kunda (Sok. and Kats.), an insect-gall forming a swelling on the stem of the grass katsaimu, q.v. used as a toy dart to shoot birds.

ḳundu, vide giginya.

ḳunḳushewa, Gymnosporia senegalensis, Loes. (Celastrineæ); a common shrub in the bush, with spines and delicate white flowers. Syn. namijin tsada.

kunnen zomo, vide takalmin zomo.

kununguru (East Hausa), Commelyna nudiflora, Linn.; a common weed, better known as balasa, q.v.

ḳurar shanu, Euphorbia ægyptiaca, Boiss. (Euphorbiaceæ); a small weed of pastures with milky juice; used medicinally. Syn. rapasa (Kano).

kurḍi, Burkea africana, Hook. (Leguminosæ); a large hard-wooded tree with black bark and pale twice-pinnate leaves; sometimes called baḳin maḳarfo. (In Sokoto itchen kurḍi = Melia Azedarach, vide kurnan nasara). cf. also kariye gatari.

kurḍin machiji (Katagum), Ipomœa sp. (Convolvulaceæ). A twining convolvulus with purple and white flowers. (Etym. perhaps from the resemblance of the ripe capsules to cowrie shells).

kurgum (Kanuri) = turmeric; vide gangamau.

kuringa, vide kwaranga.

kuriya (Sok. and Zanf.), Bombax buonopozense, Beauv. (Malvaceæ). “Red-flowered Silk Cotton Tree.” Syn. gurjiya, q.v.

kurna, Zizyphus Spina-Christi, Willd. (Rhamnaceæ). A thorny tree with brownish edible berries, common in towns. cf. magariya.

kurnan nasara (Kontagora, &c.), Melia Azedarach, Linn. (Meliaceæ). “Pride of India,” “Persian or Egyptian Lilac,” or “Bead Tree.” A tree with twice-pinnate leaves and panicles of lilac flowers, often planted in towns. (The ovoid yellow fruit has a superficial resemblance to that of kurna. Etym. from its exotic origin; nasara = Christian). In Sokoto called itchen kurḍi or taḅa ni ka samu (kurḍi) from some belief in luck associated with it; seeds called yayan tasbaha because used for rosary beads.

kurtu or kurtun lalle, vide under duma.

kurukubi, Grewia sp. (Tiliaceæ); a shrub with rough leaves and edible berries.

ḳuruḳuru (Sok. Kats. Katagum, &c.), Feretia canthioides, Hiern. (Rubiaceæ); a shrub with fragrant jasmine-like white flowers. Syn. lallen suri or lallen jibba (from its common habitat near ant-hills); goge (?Hausa); vide rigyakafi.

ḳurzun ḍinya, vide under ḍinya.

kurzunu, a tubercled variety of an edible gourd like a cucumber; (?a var. of the bottle-gourd Lagenaria vulgaris, vide under duma).

kusumburuwa, vide under dawa.

kututu, vide under masara.

kwachiya, a small calabash; vide under duma.

kwagiri, a woody creeper, a sort of jointed cane used for walking sticks, &c.

kwaikwaiyo, vide under kuka and aduwa.

kwakwa, Elais guineensis, Jacq. (Palmeæ). Oil Palm. man ja = palm oil derived from the outer fleshy pulp of the nut; the kernel yields a different oil.

kwakwar Attagara, Cocos nucifera, Linn. Coco-nut Palm (from the name of an Igara town on the lower Niger).

kwalli kwalli, vide under geḍa.

ḳwalo = the ripe hard-shelled nut of the palm goriba, q.v. Syn. ḳodago.

kwalshi = the edible kernel of the unripe nut of goriba chiefly (but also of giginya); q.v.

ḳwama (Sok. and Gobir), a var. of the common bean; vide under wake.

ḳwandariya, a thorny acacia yielding gum; (?Acacia caffra, Willd.); stems used for walking-sticks; said to be so thorny that biri ya kwana a ḳassa.

kwankwani, Strophanthus hispidus, DC. and S. sarmentosus, DC. (Apocynaceæ). Arrow-poison plants. The former is a shrub with lax branches, frequently cultivated, with long narrow beaked pods; the latter a tall woody climber growing on trees, &c. chiefly in ravines, and has stout obtuse pods. The seeds are the chief and the only essential ingredient in N. Nigerian arrow-poison. Syn. tantsiya (Sok. Ful. tantsiyari). yaḅi (East Hausa) = arrow-poison (from yaḅe to daub or smear); syn. zabgai.

kwankwan dafi (Sok. and Kats.), Indigofera echinata, Willd. (Leguminosæ). vide gujiyar hankaka.

kwankwarimi (Zanfara), Wissadula rostrata, Planch. (Malvaceæ). A tall stiff undershrub with small yellow flowers; the bark yields a hemp-like fibre. Sometimes called ramar kurimi.

kwankwarita (East Hausa), Trapa bispinosa, Roxb. (Onagrarieæ). “Water Chestnut.” vide under geḍar ruwa. The name includes the rhizome of bădo, q.v.

kwanta Ali da zugu, a var. of the cotton shrub; vide under abduga.

kwantal (Sok.), or gurji kwantal; vide gurji.

kwaranga or (kuringa), kwarangar wofi, Smilax Kraussiana, Meisn. (Liliaceæ); a prickly twiner with 5-nerved leaves and a tuberous root used medicinally; related to Sarsaparilla. (Etym. “bastard ladder”). Syn. ?ḳayar kusu.

ḳwaras ḳwaras, the same as kwaruru but vide under gujiya.

kwardauḍa, vide dauḍa.

kwari, a slender soft-wooded tree with long broad leaves, in ravines, sometimes called “Cabbage Tree.” (Etym. kwari = a quiver, because used for making quivers). Anthocleista nobilis, G. Don. (= A. Vogelii, Planch.) and A. parviflora, Baker (Loganiaceæ).

ḳwariya, the common calabash; vide under duma.

kwarko (Kano), or kwarkoro, Argemone mexicana, Linn. (Papaveraceæ). “Yellow Mexican Poppy,” a common prickly poppy of fields and waste places near houses. Syn. haḳorin kada (from the Ful. name); ya (or ka) ḳi ruwan Allah (because essentially a dry-season plant, and because the glaucous leaves throw off rain or dew); (kada ka taḅa yaro is a Yoruba equivalent). The root is used for cotton spools, and as a stimulant by drummers, &c.

kwaruru, Voandzeia subterranea, Thouars. (Leguminosæ). The Bambarra Ground Nut. Syn. gujiya, q.v. A species of ground bean cultivated like geḍa and like it developing its pods underground. It differs from geḍa in having 3-foliate leaves (4 leaflets in geḍa), and spherical usually one-seeded pods with variegated seeds. The allied Kerstingiella geocarpa, Harms. is cultivated in some districts in Nupé and the south. yaro da dariya = the seeds cracked and roasted (etym. from the gaping cracks); abakuru (Yoruba obokuru) = cooked ovoid cakes or balls with pepper, salt, &c. fried in oil (prepared preferably from kwaruru because it keeps better on a journey, &c.). lubatu = a kind of food made from kwaruru. (Etym. Yor. epa roro = round ground nut).

ḳwiwa or ḳwiya, Adenodolichos sp. nr. A. Auchietas, Harms. (Leguminosæ); a tall undershrub with 3-foliate leaves and slender straight branches used for tanka, &c.

ḳwododo, vide ḳabdodo.

ḳwododon kwaḍo (Kano), Amorphophallus Barteri, N.E. Br. (and other similar species of Aroideæ), an oddly shaped plant of the Arum lily family, with a flat lurid purple spathe. Syn. maḳworin maḳwododo and buran kare, q.v.

kwokiya, a var. of melon; vide under guna.

kwokwo or ḳoḳo, a small var. of calabash; vide under duma.

kwosusu, the second annual crop of indigo, said to be better than the first; vide under baba.

kwoton tadawa, vide under duma.

kwotowa (Sok.), Pergularia tomentosa, Linn. (Asclepiadeæ); vide fatakka.

kyamro or kyauro, k. kibiya, Saccharum spontaneum, Linn. (Gramineæ). A tall grass of river-banks and wet places with white plume-like flowering panicle. Stems commonly used for arrow-shafts. Syn. sheme, and ?sansari (Illo; used for arrows with detachable head). Sometimes referred to as abokin kibiya.

ḳyara, Cymbopogon Ruprechtii, Hack. (Gramineæ). A very common tall grass with sharp long-awned spikelets; used for zana after the spikelets have fallen.

ḳyasuwa or ḳansuwa, Pennisetum pedicellatum, (and P. setosum) (Gramineæ). A coarse tall grass with fluffy flowering heads; a common pest in waste places in towns, &c. Syn. fura (Kano and East). Sometimes distinguished from a somewhat similar grass of wet places as ḳ. tudu or ḳ. waje. cf. duza.

L

labaye = tofo, q.v. sprouting leaves of any plant; (sabon ganye mai tofo).

laḅayi, a var. of cotton; vide under abduga.

laḅanda, a name given to several varieties of grass used for thatching; in Sokoto and Zanfara generally = Andropogon apricus, var. africanus, Hack. vide jan baḳo.

labsur or lausur, Lepidium sativum, Linn. (Cruciferæ). “Common” or “Garden Cress.” Cultivated in Kano, &c. The seeds are a native medicine called algarif, q.v.

labuje, a var. of kola nut; vide under goro.

ladiko? a species of bean; vide ḅarankachi. (Possibly = lalego (Kano), a sort of hand-rattle used by women).

laka, vide under shalla.

lalaki (Sok.), vide under shinkafa.

lalemo (Sok.), a grass for thatching.

lalle, Lawsonia alba, Lam. (Lythrarieæ). “Egyptian Privet” or “Henna;” a small shrub planted for the sake of the leaves which are used all over the Sudan, in Egypt and the East, to dye the nails, &c.

lallen jibba or lallen suri, vide ḳuruḳuru.

lallen shamuwa (Sok.), Gisekia pharnaceoides, Linn. (Ficoideæ); a common spreading weed. (Etym. probably from the ruddy tinge of the plant). Syn. ?dandami.

lalu, Corchorus tridens, L. and C. trilocularis, L. (Tiliaceæ); common weeds related to jute, used as pot-herbs. Syn. turgunuwa; (including also the wild form of C. olitorius, vide under malafiya).

lanya, vide limniya.

lausur, vide labsur.

lawashi, vide under albasa.

lawur, 1. = Sweet Potato, vide dankali. 2. A var. of gero, q.v.

lemu, Citrus Medica, var. acida, Brandis (Aurantiaceæ). The Lime. A naturalized shrub in Nigeria. babban lemu or lemun Maka, The Orange (Citrus Aurantium, Linn.). lemun yan sariki, lemun magajiya or lemun Masar, The Citron (Citrus Medica, Linn.); rare but half naturalized near Sokoto. namijin lemu, vide innuwar gada.

liḍi, vide riḍi.

limniya or lanya = green algæ forming a slimy growth in stagnant water. Syn. dauḍar ruwa.

limniyar kwaḍi or lanyar kwaḍi, Kœmpferia æthiopica, Benth. (Scitamineæ); a plant with a conspicuous delicate purple flower growing in shady places (commonly mistaken for an orchid). Etym. = “frog-spawn,” from the slimy juice.

loda or lodar marina, Vitis pallida, Baker (Ampelideæ). Syn. dafara, q.v. A vine. The viscid extract of the root-bark gives a smooth surface to native cement used for dye-pits, &c. N.B. In Sokoto the name loda is also used for the plant with viscid juice, Rogeria adenophylla, J. Gay (Pedaliaceæ), vide baba rodo.

lojiya, vide rojiya.

loko, Chlorophora excelsa, Benth. and Hook. fil. (Urticaceæ). Iroko (S. Nigeria), or Odum (Gold Coast); a large timber tree; used for canoes, building, &c.

lubiya, vide rubiya.

luddai, a var. of the bottle-gourd; vide under duma.

lubatu, a kind of food made from the ground-bean kwaruru, q.v.

M

mabakachi, a large calabash; vide under duma.

machara, a name for more than one species of grass with hollow stems; chiefly = the tall reed-grass Arundo Donax, Linn. from which flageolets are made. Syn. gabara, q.v. Also the smaller Panicum proliferum, Lam. var. longijubatum, Stapf; used by boys to make small whistles.

maḍachi or maḍwachi (Sok.), Khaya senegalensis, A. Juss. (Meliaceæ). A large timber tree; one of the species of “African Mahogany.” The bark is much used medicinally. (Etym. from the bitter bark).

maḍachin ḳassa, Aristolochia albida. Syn. dumar dutsi; vide under gaḍaukuka.

maḍaḍafi, Desmodium lasiocarpum, DC. (Leguminosæ); an undershrub the seeds of which are covered with minute hooked hairs which adhere to the clothing; vide ḍan kaḍafi.

maḍaḍafin kusu, vide ḳarangiyar kusu.

maḍas or maḍat, a poison usually made from tururibi, q.v. used for killing fish and vermin, as well as criminally.

madobia, Pterocarpus erinaceus, Poir. (Leguminosæ). An “African Rosewood” or “Bloodwood.” A large tree with yellow flowers and flat winged fruit with soft prickles. The blood-red resin from the trunk is a variety of “African Kino,” or “Dragon’s Blood,” a medicinal astringent. The bark is in some districts used as a red dye or cosmetic like majigi, q.v. where the latter is scarce.

maga, a var. of date; vide under ḍabino.

maganin kunama (Katagum), the local name for a leguminous weed with yellow flowers and inflated pods, used as a remedy for scorpion bite; Crotalaria atrorubens, Hochst.

magariya, Zizyphus jujuba, Lam. (Rhamnaceæ). “Jujube Tree.” A thorny shrub, resembling kurna, q.v. with pale brown edible berries.

magariyar kura, Zizyphus mucronata, Willd. (Rhamnaceæ). “Buffalo-horn.” A thorny scrambling shrub with red-brown berries; not edible.

magiumfa (Zanfara), vide majimfa.

magudiya (Kano, Sok., &c.), Polycarpæa linearifolia, DC. (Caryophylleæ). A common herb with heads of small scarious flowers; a common medicinal charm and ingredient of love-philtres, &c. (maganin farin jini). Syn. fular tsofo. cf. bakin suda. Also called mai-nasara, when used as a charm in hunting or war.

mai-farin kai (Sok.), Tricholæna rosea, Nees. var. sphacelata; a grass about 2 feet high with silvery fluffy flowering panicle.

mai-kain dubu (Sok.), Alternanthera sessilis, Br. (Amaranthaceæ); a prostrate weed with numerous small clusters of inconspicuous flowers.

maikeri, a var. of dawa, q.v.

mai-lalita, vide under matsarmama.

mai-nasara, vide under magudiya.

maiwa, Pennisetum spicatum, R. and S. var. a var of millet; cf. gero and damro; less wholesome than gero, and said to be injurious to horses.

maje (Sok., &c.), Pardaniellia Oliveri, Rolfe, (Daniellia Thurifera, Bennett), “West Afr. Copaiba Balsam Tree.” Syn. kadaura (Kano, Zaria, &c.), q.v. Both names are equally well known; sometimes loosely included under the name ḳaro, q.v. ḳaron maje (in Sokoto sometimes also called ḳaron darma) = the exuded balsam or oleo-resin, a variety of West Afr. copal, used as scent to fumigate clothing, to impart a gloss to beaten dyed cloth, &c.

majigi, Baphia pubescens, Hook. fil. (Leguminosæ). Camwood, a tree the wood of which is used as a red dye and cosmetic. (Also probably B. nitida, Afzel. in the south). cf. madobia.

majimfa or magiumfa (or jimfa), Tephrosia Vogelii, Hook. fil. (Leguminosæ); an erect shrub cultivated near houses; the leaves are much used as a poison to stupefy fish. baina (Kano) = the fish-poison prepared from it. cf. ago.

majiriya (Sok. and Kats.), or minjiriya (Kano, &c.), Erythrina senegalensis, DC. (Leguminosæ). “Coral Tree;” a prickly tree with brilliant scarlet flowers and 3-foliate leaves. The scarlet seeds are sometimes called idon zakara, q.v.

majiriyar kurumi (Kano), Phyllanthus floribundus, Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceæ); a thorny scrambling shrub with small red berries. (The term ḳumchi, Sok. and Zanf. is sometimes applied to this, and more widely to any thorny thicket; cf. gumbi and dufuwa).

maka = dried bean leaves; vide under wake.

makafo, makafo da wayo, a var. of dawa, q.v.

maḳaimi, vide tsuwawun zaki.

maḳarfo, Afrormosia laxiflora, Harms. (Leguminosæ); a hard-wooded tree with smooth bark and shining foliage; the wood is used for axe-handles, &c.; the bark and root are used medicinally. (Etym. probably ḳarifi—from the hardness of the wood). Sometimes also called kariye gatari (“break axe”). cf. baḳin maḳarfo, vide kurḍi.

makari, Digitaria sp.? A grass cultivated in some districts with a small grain like acha, q.v.

makarin dafi = any antidote to arrow-poison, usually vegetable substances containing tannin. cf. bi ta ka tsira.

makarin faḳo, Panicum falciferum, Trin. (Gramineæ). A wild grass 1½ to 2 feet high, with golden hairy flowering spike; seeds edible, sometimes gathered for food.

makasar dawa and makasha, vide ḳuduji.

makuba, vide under ḍorowa.

makubar mahalba, vide under kirni.

maḳworin maḳwododo, vide ḳwododon kwaḍo.

malafiya (or marafiya), Corchorus olitorius, L. (Tiliaceæ). “Jews’ Mallow.” 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.

mangoro, the name given to the mango, Mangifera indica, Linn. (Anacardiaceæ).

manta uwa, 1. A medicine given to a child at weaning, or to prevent a slave running away (etym. “forget mother”); the name is applied to several plants; (in Katagum the species was Crotalaria arenaria, R. Br. Leguminosæ, a low weed with small yellow flowers and inflated pods). 2. A name for some epiphytic orchids, e.g. Ansellia congoensis, Rodiges, &c. (etym. because growing on trees away from the ground). vide muruchin bissa.

marafiya, vide malafiya.

maraguwa, vide ḳini.

marasiri, vide under riḍi.

marga or malga, vide gamma faḍa.

mariḳe, Anogeissus leiocarpus, Guill. et Perr. (Combretaceæ). A tree with small pale leaves and balls of whitish flowers; a good timber; it yields a soluble gum; the fruit is used as a vermifuge for horses, &c. “Chew-stick Tree.” ḍan marike (Katagum, &c.), Indigofera secundiflora, Poir. (Leguminosæ). A weed or low undershrub with pale pinnate leaves covered with a gummy glandular secretion.

marin kusu, Pupalia lappacea, Juss. (Amaranthaceæ); a straggling spiny weed of waste places, resembling ḳaimin ḳadangare, q.v. (Etym. “mouse’s irons”).

marmare, a var. of dawa, q.v.

marsa, a var. of kola nut; vide under goro.

masaki, a large calabash; vide under duma.

masakowa or mazakwa, a dry-season var. of Guinea-Corn; vide under dawa.

masara, Zea Mays, Linn. (Gramineæ). Maize. Indian Corn. Varieties are:—m. wada, a dwarf variety; m. Fulani; m. kwona, tall with about 3 corn cobs with large white grain; kain masara or maburkaki = the terminal male inflorescence; goyon masara = the lateral fruiting spike or mealie cob; toton masara (Sok.), or kututu (Kano and East) = the cob after removal of seeds, used to make pipe-stems.

mashayi, Clerodendron capitatum, Sch. and Thonn. (Verbenaceæ). A shrub with bunches of tubular white flowers and purple berries; the pithy branches are used for pipe-stems. Etym. instrument used for smoking; cf. syn. tataba (Sok.).

mashin zomo, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Linn. (Filices). “Adder’s tongue fern,” a small fern with simple leaf and erect fruiting spike. (Etym. “hare’s spear”).

masoro, “West Afr. Black Pepper,” “Benin Pepper;” small dried berries sold for spice and medicinal use; the fruit of Piper Clusii, Cas. DC. (?P. guineense, Piperaceæ); a climbing plant on trees in the South.

masun ḳadangare, vide tsatsarar ḅera.

matakashi, a plant resembling sesame (vide riḍi); used for soup.

matsagi or matsatsagi, vide jirga.

matsarmama, Physalis angulata, L. and P. minima, L. (Solanaceæ); common weeds of waste places with inflated calyx enclosing a small berry; (related to the Cape Gooseberry, P. peruviana); used medicinally. Etym. matsarmama = gall-bladder; also called mai-lalita—lalita = a small leather pouch. Syn. ?domashin maza (Katag.).

maye, vide under shiwaka.

mazakwa, a dry-season var. of Guinea Corn; vide under dawa.

mazarin kyanwa, an insect-gall on the grass katsaimu, q.v.

meḍi, a fibre from the root-bark of the shrub ḍunḍu, q.v. and from other acacias, root of the “dum” palm &c. cf. yawa, and vide ḍakwora, goriba, &c. Used for network bags, &c., mending calabashes, &c.

mijin kaḍai, vide under kaḍanya.

mijin goro, vide under goro.

minjiriya, vide majiriya.

minu, the smallest kola nuts, vide under goro.

miya tsanya (Sok. and Kats.), Sida rhombifolia, L. (Malvaceæ); an undershrub or perennial weed with small yellow flowers and a fibrous bark. (Etym. “grasshoppers’ greens”). 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.

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.

muruchin bisa or m. sama, a name for several species of orchid, growing as epiphytes on trees,—Ansellia congoensis and other spp. vide manta uwa.

muruchin daji, a name for some ground orchids with long straight leaves; usually Habenaria spp. growing in wet places.

muruchin jibba or m. jibji, a species of fungus; vide under tumukun suri.

muruchin makaruwa, Curculigo gallabatensis, Schweinf. (Amaryllideæ). A stemless plant with straight grass-like leaves, yellow flowers, and a thickened root-stock; syn. doyar kurege.

N

naman kaza (naman angulu, &c.), Agaricus campestris, the edible mushroom. (Etym. from the pale fleshy appearance of the cut surface, but sometimes also called naman ḳassa).

nanafo, Celosia trigyna, Linn. (Amaranthaceæ). An erect weed with white scarious flowers. Used as a medicine for tapeworm, &c.

nanare (Sok.), vide under shinkafa.

nanake, Aspilia Kotschyi, Benth. and Hook. (Compositæ). A plant in the bush with rough foliage and deep purple flowers.

nata, vide under goro.

nobe, Cymbopogon sennariensis, var. proximus, Stapf (Gramineæ). A fragrant grass, 2 to 3 feet high, with very narrow leaves; much used for thatch. cf. tsabre.

nome (Sok., &c.), Sesamum indicum, Linn. Sesame or Beni seed; vide riḍi.

nonon ḅariya, Lactuca taraxacifolia, Sch. and Thonn. (Compositæ). A field weed with pale yellow flowers and milky juice. (ḅariya = a species of gazelle).

nonon giwa, vide rahaina.

nonon gwanki, Ficus sp. A tree of the fig tribe with milky juice.

nonon kura, Cucumis metuliferus, E. Mey. (Cucurbitaceæ). A climber with a cucumber-shaped fruit covered with large spines, scarlet when ripe. Also called buran zaki.

nonon kurchiya, Euphorbia hirta, Linn. (= E. pilulifera, &c.), a prostrate weed with clusters of small inconspicuous flowers and milky juice; used medicinally. (Allied species are included, e.g. E. convolvuloides, Hochst. &c.)

nunu (Sok. and Kano), the fruit of the tree danya, q.v.

P

parpatsi or farfatsi, vide dandana.

pasa daga, vide fasa daga.

pasa ḳabba, vide fasa ḳabba.

pasa ḳwari, vide fasa ḳwari.

piyaka or fiyaka, vide jibda ḳassa.

punkaso, vide under alkama.

R

Raḅa, Cyanotis lanata, Benth. (Commelynaceæ); a somewhat succulent herb growing amongst grass, which is said to cause eczema of horses’ muzzles. (Etym. from raḅa = dew, which is supposed to have a similar effect).

rahaina, Kigelia æthiopica, Decne, var. bornuensis, Sprague (Bignoniaceæ). “Sausage-tree.” A large shade tree with pendulous lurid purple flowers, and huge cucumber-shaped fruit. Syn. rawuya (Sok.), and nonon giwa.

rai ḍore, Cassia occidentalis, Linn. (Leguminosæ). An erect shrubby plant with pinnate leaves and yellow flowers, of the senna tribe; used medicinally for fevers, &c. (Etym. from attributed restorative powers). Syn. sanga sanga (Sok. and West), and Ba-Zanfare (Katagum and East).

rake (Kano, &c.), (Saccharum officinarum), Linn. (Gramineæ). One of the species of sugar-cane, grown near streams; arakke (Sok.). Called also karan sariki. cf. takanḍa.

raken giwa (or takanḍar giwa), Peucedanum sp. (Umbelliferæ); a shrub with pinnate leaves and fragrant sap; used as a scented fumigation for clothing. cf. takanḍar giwa.

rama, Hibiscus cannabinus, Linn. (Malvaceæ), and perhaps H. lunariifolius, Willd. “Bastard Jute,” “Indian Hemp.” A tall straight annual grown for its bark fibre from which cordage is made; leaves acid, used in soup. Black, white and red varieties are recognized according to the tint of the bark—jar rama, farar rama; ḳare aiki (Sok.), with black and red varieties (etym. because considered the last agricultural labour of the season); or koka rani (Katsina), and dirin da rani (Kano), jirin da rani (Bauchi), ganwon rama = coil of rama bark or fibre. ḍinkin rama = leaves of rama used for soup; vide under ḍinya. ḳeḳasheshe or tsiyayi = peeled stems of rama, used in medicine in occult practice and as a sooty application when burnt applied for mural decoration. ramar rafi, &c. wild varieties of the same botanical species; vide ḳarama mowa. ramar kurumi, vide kwankwarimi; rama rama, vide ramaniya.

ramaniya (Sok. Kats., &c.), Urena lobata, Linn. (Malvaceæ). A hard erect shrub, 2 to 3 feet high with pink flowers; the bark yields a strong fibre. Syn. rama rama, or ka fi rama; (baḳin garamani and jan tsu, vide under garamani and tsu). cf. also uwar maganni.

ramno (Sok.), or rauno (Kano), chopped grass mixed with building clay to act as mortar. cf. jan raumo.

rapasa, vide under ḳurar shanu.

rariyar ḳassa (Kontagora), Chrysanthellum procumbens, Pers. (Compositæ); a small wayside weed with yellow flowers.

rauma fada, vide roma fada.

rawaya, Cochlospermum tinctorium, Rich. (Bixaceæ); a common shrub with yellow rose-like flowers and a yellow root used as a dye and in cooking. Syn. zunzuna.

rawuya, vide rahaina.

riḍi, or liḍi, Sesamum indicum, Linn. (Pedaliaceæ). Sesame, Gingelly, Beni Seed. Simsim (Arab.). An annual with white or red flowers, cultivated for its oily seeds; leaves and seeds used as food. Syn. nome, cf. karkashi. marasiri (Ful. West) = sesamum porridge. samsam or samsamum (Arab. simsim), an extract probably of sesame, used as an eye medicine.

riḍin barewa or nomen barewa, Sesamum alatum, Thonn. (Pedaliaceæ). A wild species with divided leaves and beaked pods; not eaten.

riḍin kada, vide ḍeiḍoyar kare.

riḍin tuji, Fimbristylis exilis, R. and S. (Cyperaceæ). A small sedge; vide gemen kusu.

rigyar biri, vide tsuwawun biri.

rigya kafi (Sok.), a native prescription and reputed remedy for syphilis composed of the plants damaigi, fara biya rana, fasa ḳabba and ḳuru ḳuru, q.v.

rimani = the fruit of the pomegranate, Punica Granatum, L. cf. ruman, the flowers of the same.

rimi (Kano, &c.) or rini (Sok.), Eriodendron orientale, Steud. (Malvaceæ). White Silk Cotton Tree. The silky floss around the seeds forms the upholstery material called “Kapok;” rimin Masar, a variety without thorns on the branches when young, and with a superior cotton.

rimin agwada, Sopubia simplex, Hochst. and other spp. (Scrophularineæ). An erect herb in the bush with narrow leaves and pink flowers. (agwada = Rock dassie, Procavia sp.).

rimin samari, Oldenlandia grandiflora, Hiern. (Rubiaceæ). A common slender-branched herb of fields and waste places, with bright red 4-partite flowers. Also O. senegalensis, Hiern. a similar plant with smaller less conspicuous flowers. Used as a love-potion or charm for popularity.

rimni (Sok.), Salix sp. (Salicaceæ). A common species of willow on river-banks. Syn. ba ruwana, q.v.

risga, a cultivated plant with an edible tuber. Plectranthus sp. (Labiatæ); like the “Kaffir Potato,” P. esculentus, N.E. Br.

risgar kurege, Asclepias lineolata, Schl. (Asclepiadeæ). A shrub with milky juice and umbels of purple flowers; the spindle-shaped root tubers are used medicinally.

roba, Panicum pyramidale, Lam. (Gramineæ). A tall grass of marshy places; (probably applied to several grasses).

rogo, Manihot palmata, Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceæ). Sweet Cassava or Manioc; and Manihot utilissima, Pohl. Bitter Cassava. The former or non-poisonous species is the one chiefly cultivated in Nigeria, cf. ḳarasa. rogon sabara or r. magariya (Sok.) are terms used for Cassava grown in arid areas (sabara and magariya, q.v. being shrubs of dry scrub districts).

rogon biri, vide ḳosain rogo.

rogon daji, a species of vine with thickened roots; vide tsibiri kinkini; (also applied to other twiners with thickened roots, e.g. a wild species of yam, Dioscorea sp., a species of Clematis, &c.).

rojiya or lojiya, a perennial herb (Asclepiadeæ), with long narrow leaves milky juice and an edible succulent tuberous root-stock. rojiyar mahalba, Xysmalobium Heudelotianum, Decne (Asclepiadeæ); a somewhat similar plant with milky juice, short leaves, lateral umbels of small flowers, and a harder tuberous root edible when cooked. (The names bauje, saniya and daiyo, probably refer to the same or allied Asclepiad plants or “Milkweeds,” with tuberous roots, e.g. Schizoglossum Petherickianum, Oliv. which has short broad leaves and umbels of white flowers).

roko, a var. of bean; vide under wake.

rubiya or lubiya = the edible figs of several species of Ficus:—ḅaure, cheḍiya, durumi, gamji, q.v. (The name is sometimes extended to include other fruits of similar shape, &c. e.g. dates, the grapes of dafara, q.v., &c.).

ruguguwa, vide under kabewa.

ruḳuḅu, vide zaḳi banza.

roma fada or rauma fada, Scoparia dulcis, L. (Scrophularineæ). “Sweet Broom Weed.” A common herb with small white flowers. (Etym. from use as a charm to ensure “court favour;” roma = rakiya, to act as companion or sponsor). namijin roma fada, Heliotropium zeylanicum, Lam. (Boragineæ); a weed used medicinally; vide under Gwanja kusa; (probably applied to several plants with some resemblance to roma fada).

ruman = flowers of pomegranate; vide rimani; (ruman, the Indian name).

rumana, Gladiolus spicatus, Klatt. G. quartinianus, A. Rich. G. unguiculatus, Baker, and other species (Irideæ). Common gladioli with edible corms.

rumanan doki, a plant with a larger bulb used as a medicine for horses. 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.

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. cf. rai ḍore.

rura, Parinarium curatellæfolium, Planch. (Rosaceæ); a small tree with an edible mealy pear-shaped fruit; vide under Gwanja kusa and ḳaiḳai.

S

sa baba sata, a species of cultivated bean; ?the “yam bean,” vide giri giri.

saḅada or safada, vide under ḍorowa.

sabani, Tephrosia elongata, Hook. (Leguminosæ); a tall slender plant with pink flowers and pinnate leaves; used as a medicinal charm. Syn. samachi. (Etym. “rupture of friendship”—if a leaflet be sharply pulled apart it tears in a forked manner suggesting the parting of roads or disagreement, such as occurs when one challenges another to split it straight), cf. shege.

sabara, Guiera senegalensis, Lam. (Combretaceæ). A shrub with whitish dusty-looking leaves, very abundant in dry infertile regions; a typical plant of dry scrub localities with a small rainfall. Leaves used in various ways as medicine and also as food in some northern districts; burnt to fumigate cattle-pens, &c. to keep off flies; as maganin rongomi by women after parturition; in Sokoto a recognized prophylactic of leprosy; &c., &c.

saḅi, vide baya, Panicum albidulum, Kunth. (Gramineæ). A wild grass with edible grain gathered by sweeping a calabash across the heads. (Etym. from the method of gathering saḅi, and thus perhaps applied to more than one species). cf. garaji.

saḅi or shiḅa = carded cotton; vide under abduga.

sabko (or sauko) bubukuwa, vide bubukuwa.

sabulun kuyangi, Zornia diphylla, Pers. (Leguminosæ), a low herb with paired leaflets; sometimes used as fodder and medicinally; said to form a slight lather with water. (Etym. “slaves’ soap”). Syn. sabulun sallo.

sabulum mata (Sok. Zanf. and Kats.), Vernonia primulina, O. Hoffm. (Compositæ). An erect plant, 1 to 2 feet high, with blue thistle-like flowers. Syn. tozalin kura.

safa (Sok.), or shafa (Kano and East), spring onion; vide albasa.

sa furfura (Sok.), Crotalaria polychotoma, Taub. (Leguminosæ). A small herb with yellow flowers and pale pubescent leaves; supposed, if accidentally given to an infant, to cause the hair to turn grey before puberty. ?Syn. yauki, q.v.

sagagi (Katagum), Indigofera simplicifolia, Lam. (Leguminosæ). A stiff-branched undershrub with small narrow pods.

sa hankaki dako, Polygala arenaria, Willd. (Polygalaceæ). A small field herb, used medicinally in cases of serious internal disease, syphilis, &c. (Etym. “cause the crows to wait,” because supposed to be very poisonous). Syn. sha ni ka san ni; and gujiyar dawaki (Zanfara).

sainya (Kano, Kats., &c.), Securidaca longipedunculata, Fres. (Polygalaceæ). A shrub with purple flowers and a winged seed. The root has a rank smell and is used medicinally in many ways, as a purge, worn as a charm, &c. Syn. uwar magunguna (Sok., &c.—“mother of medicines”). It is an occasional ingredient in some prescriptions for arrow-poison.

sakata, a var. of yam, said to be inferior to others and not used for sokwara. (Dioscorea alata, L.). cf. doya.

salla, vide shalla.

samachi, vide sabani.

samarin danga, a name for the tree Moringa pterygosperma (vide zogalagandi), because commonly planted as a compound fence.

sambara = dawa or gero, &c. half-grown at harvest, and left to mature later.

samberu, a tree the leaves of which are poisonous to cattle.

samsam, vide under riḍi.

sandalu, vide under goro.

sandan biri, s. dutsi, or s. yan bori, vide under giginyar biri.

sandan mayu, a name for more than one tree with magical uses; vide under bakin mutum and dawo.

sanga sanga (Sok. and West), Cassia occidentalis, Linn. Syn. rai ḍore, q.v.

saniya, an Asclepiad plant with milky sap; vide under rojiya and tafo ka sha mama.

sankachen dawa, s. gero = corn reaped and laid out in lines to dry.

sankwo (Kano), Syncolostemon ocymoides, Sch. et Thon. (Labiatæ); a wild herb related to tumuku, q.v. with wrinkled leaves, spikes of deep red flowers, and a tuberous root. Syn. tumukun biri.

sansami (or sasămi), Stereospermum Kunthianum, Cham. (Bignoniaceæ). A small tree with smooth bark, beautiful pink flowers and long narrow pendulous pods. The bark is used medicinally. Syn. jiri. (This tree is apparently held in much respect; in Sokoto, &c. called ḍan sarikin itatuwa, and not cut for firewood). kauchin sansami, the parasitic plant Loranthus (vide kauchi), when growing on this species is considered a lucky find.

farin sansami, vide shunin biri, and halshen sa.

sansami (Sok. and Kats.) = foliage.

sansari, vide under kyamro.

sarakuwar sauro (Katsina, &c.), Leucas martinicensis, R. Br. (Labiatæ); an odorous weed with whorls of small white flowers. (Etym. because supposed to be incompatible with mosquitoes). Syn. ḍeiḍoyar gona.

saran waga, vide under goro.

sarawan goro, cf. proverb sarawan goro a zanche ni—2 calabashes of kola nuts being bought by two persons are divided for fairness into equal halves, either buyer taking one-half of each.

sare gwiwa, Hygrophila spinosa, T. Anders. (Acanthaceæ); an erect hard plant of damp places with blue flowers and long spines. (Etym. “prick the knee”). Syn. zazar giwa, and dayin giwa.

sarikin jibji (s. juji), vide under fasa ḳabba and babba juji. (Species of Boerhaavia, Trianthema, and Portulaca are all somewhat succulent weeds of waste places and rubbish heaps, and their names are often interchangeable).

sarḳaḳiya, Dichrostachys platycarpa, Welw. (Leguminosæ); a very thorny scrambling shrub in the bush forming dense thickets; a sort of “wait a bit thorn.” Sometimes loosely called dufuwa, baḳin gumbi and ḳumchi, q.v.

sarri? (Bauchi), a plant used as a neutralizing bath in tanning leather. (? = katsari).

sasabani (Hadeija, &c.), Parkinsonia aculeata, L. (Leguminosæ). “Jerusalem Thorn.” (Arab. sasaban, Sesbania ægyptica, Poir.). An exotic tree with yellow flowers and narrow pinnate leaves, planted in towns. In Sokoto called by the Ful. name sharan labbi. cf. alambo.

sawaye, vide under abduga.

sawu dubu, Ipomœa dissecta, Willd. (Convolvulaceæ). A small ground trailer with white flowers and deeply divided leaves. (Etym. “1000 foot-prints,” from the numerous dissect leaves).

sawun gauraka, vide ḳafar fakara.

sawun gwanki, a flat-leaved stemless herb, used as a medicine for hunters.

shafa (Kano), or safa (Sok.). A variety of onion; vide albasa.

shair (Arab.), Hordeum sativum, Pers. Barley; rarely grown in N. Nigeria.

sha ka sani, vide sa hankaki dako.

shalla (Kano and East), or salla (Sok.). A tall reed with light stems growing in marshes in the north; stems used for screens called feḍḍa, &c. A bulrush. Typha australis, Sch. and Thonn. bambana = the flowering or fruiting head, called also geron tsuntsaye (Kano), or tumun shalla. laka = the soft edible core of the immature flowering head.

shamrayi, vide karan kabau.

shanshera, unhusked rice; vide under shinkafa.

shantu, a long narrow var. of the bottle-gourd; vide under duma.

sharan labbi (Sok. Ful.), vide sasabani.

sha shatau, a malam’s charm to secure favour, hence applied to some plants with a similar use, e.g. Jussiæa villosa, Lam. (Onagraceæ), an erect weed of wet places with yellow flowers, used as a medicine or charm by wrong-doing slaves and others. (Etym. shashasha = simpleton or irresponsible person who is treated with lenient ridicule rather than seriously).

shedari, a mat made from the unexpanded fronds of the Fan Palm, vide giginya and murli.

shege, a term similar to sabani, q.v. applied to several leguminous weeds with leaves which tear in an irregular manner.

sheḳani or sheḳar zomo, Vernonia sp. near V. pumila, (Compositæ); a low herb with thistle-like flower and broad flat leaves; the root-tubers are bitter and used medicinally for venereal and other diseases. (Syn. ba gashi? Kontagora—from the bristly pappus).

sheme, vide kyamro.

shiḅa or saḅi = carded cotton; vide under abduga.

shibra or shura, vide under gero.

shinaka (Sok. Kats., &c.), Ctenium elegans, Kunth. (Gramineæ). A grass about 2 feet high with a single one-sided bristly flower-spike. Syn. wutsiyar kusu. (The name includes the similar species Schœnefeldia gracilis, Kunth. with several one-sided flower-spikes). Used in thatching.

shinkafa, Oryza sativa, Linn. (Gramineæ). Rice; cultivated in marshes and inundated localities. shanshera or burungu = rice grain in the husk; ḍanyen gumi = husked but unboiled rice; gumi = husked rice boiled and dried; bawu (Sok. Ful.?), or shinkafa wutsiya = rice unsown but growing sporadically from fallen grains; often harvested and eaten.

shinkafe, or lalaki (Sok.), Oryza silvestris, Stapf. Wild Rice; common in marshes and pools; much used for thatch and eaten in scarcity; (= Ful. nanare, name used equally by Hausas in Sokoto). Syn. shinkafar rishi (Katsina and East; rishi = wart-hog, gadu or mugun dăwa, which eats the roots).

shirinya, Ficus sp. (Urticaceæ). Narrow-leaved fig-tree. 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. (Anacardiaceæ), and probably others.

shuni, prepared indigo; the blue dye-stuff extracted from baba, usually sold as blue cones or lumps.

shunin biri (Kontagora), Lonchocarpus laxiflorus, G. et P. (Leguminosæ). A small tree with bunches of purple flowers. Syn. farin sansami (Sok. and Kats.), halshen sa (Zanfara). In some pagan districts this is called babar talaki, and used as a dye; vide talaki.

shura or shibra, vide under gero.

siliyar sulkuwa, vide under rumfar gada.

siyayi or tsiyayi = ḳeḳasheshe; vide under rama.

soso, Luffa ægyptiaca, Mill. (Cucurbitaceæ). “Loofah gourd;” a climber with yellow flowers and cucumber-shaped fruit with a fibrous vascular skeleton used as a scrubber or strainer, &c. Pulp of immature fruit eaten cooked. soson yama, Luffa acutangula, Roxb. a species with larger fruit with longitudinal ridges; (called also soson wanka, because more used as a loofah in washing).

subtu or sutu; cotton before carding, pulled by hand after removal of the seeds by a roller on a stone; vide under abduga.

sunasar = a food made from wheat; vide under alkama.

sure (Sok.) = yakuwa, q.v. Hibiscus Sabdariffa, Linn. “Red Sorrel.”

suren fadama (Sok.), Triumfetta pentandra, A. Rich. (Tiliaceæ); an erect branching undershrub with small echinate fruits which adhere to the clothing; vide ḍan kaḍafi. 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).

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.

taḅa ni ka samu, a name applied to several trees affording useful products; e.g. Ficus Vogelii, Miq. of which the latex forms a variety of rubber. cf. kurnan nasara, and zogalagandi.

tabar angulu, tabar kura, a species of fungus; vide tumukun suri.

tabarman zomo, vide takalmin zomo.

tafarnuwa, Allium sativum, Linn. (Liliaceæ). Garlic. Cultivated like the onion; vide albasa, from which it differs in having flat leaves (hollow or fistular in the onion), and the bulb divided into several lesser bulblets. Only used as a medicine, commonly for fevers and stomach complaints.

tafasa, Cassia tora, Linn. (Leguminosæ). An undershrub of the senna tribe with yellow flowers; leaves used in soup and as a mild laxative.

tafashia, Sarcocephalus Russegeri, Kotschy (Rubiaceæ). A shrub with large balls of white flowers and a red edible fruit; bark and root used medicinally; a common “Chew-stick.”

tafo ka sha mamarka, Schizoglossum sp. nr. S. Petherickianum, Oliv. (Asclepiadeæ). A small herb with umbels of white flowers and milky juice. (Etym. “come and take the breast;” probably used for others of the same Natural Order, the “milkweed” family; vide tatarida, saniya, and rojiya.)

taga rana, vide idon zakara.

takalmin zomo (Kano, Sok., &c.), Cadalvena Dalzielii, C. H. Wright (Scitamineæ). A low stemless herb of the ginger family, with 4 flat succulent leaves and yellow flowers. Syn. tabarman zomo (Zaria), and kunnen zomo.

takaluwa, a synonym for daddawa, q.v.

takanḍa, Sorghum vulgare, var. saccharatum (Gramineæ). One of the species of sugar-cane; grown like Guinea Corn to which it is botanically akin. cf. rake.

takanḍar giwa (Kats. Sok. and Zanf.), Hannoa undulata, Planch. (Simarubeæ). A tree with pinnate leaves, white fragrant blossoms and black plum-like fruit. Syn. namijin gwabsa (Kontagora, &c.). 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.

tamaseki, vide under baba.

tamba, Eleusine corocana, Gaertn. (Gramineæ). A grass about 2 feet high, wild and cultivated as a kind of millet; flowering head with many crowded rays, “Kurakan”—Ceylon; “Marua” or “Ragi” Millet—India.

tambari, a herb; ?Grangea maderaspatana, Poir. (Compositæ). A weed with small solid heads of yellow flowers and divided leaves.

tamna geḍa, a small var. of water-melon; vide under guna.

tamraro or tauraro, Anthericum sp. (Liliaceæ). A small liliaceous plant with yellowish stems and white flowers opening in the evening; somewhat resembling “Star of Bethlehem.” (Etym. “star.”). In Zanfara used also for Cyanotis cæspitosa, Kotschy. et Peyr. (Commelynaceæ), a small stemless plant with azure blue flowers (and probably other species).

tandara, vide idon zakara.

tankwa (Sok.), red pepper; vide barkono.

tantaroba, Indigofera diphylla, Vent. (Leguminosæ). A low spreading herb with 2-foliate leaves and pink flowers; used medicinally.

tantsiya, vide kwankwani.

taramniya, Combretum verticillatum, Eng. and Diels, and several other species (Combretaceæ). A tree with white spikes of flowers and 4-winged fruit; a source of gum. (C. geitonophyllum, Diels, and others).

tara yaya, vide giginyar biri.

tarin gida (Sok., &c.), Glossonema nubicum, Decne. (Asclepiadeæ). A low branched herb of fields and waste places in the north, with milky juice and follicles covered with soft prickles. Syn. tatarida. (Etym. of both names from the pods crowded to bursting with silky seeds). Sometimes called tafo ka sha mama, q.v. Eaten by goats and capable of being used as a vegetable.

tarnekuwa, a var. of gero, q.v.

taru, Combretum herbaceum, Don. (Combretaceæ). A low undershrub with 4-winged fruit and hard root (hence also called kariye galma, q.v., or “break hoe”).

tasshi, vide under gawo.

tataba (Sok.). Syn. mashayi, q.v.

tatarida, vide tarin gida.

tatasai, large chillie peppers; vide under barkono.

taura, Detarium senegalense, Gmel. (Leguminosæ). 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).

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.

terkon ḅera, vide tsatsarar ḅera.

tinya or tunya (Kano), tumniya (Sok. and Zanf.), Euphorbia unispina, N. E. Brown. a cactus-like shrub, with an acrid milky juice; a common accessory ingredient of arrow-poison. (E. Poissoni, Pax, and perhaps other species are included).

tofa or toha, Imperata arundinacea, Cyrill (Gramineæ). A stiff-leaved grass with a white cottony flower-spike, growing up in fields, &c. after harvest or burning, especially in damp situations; used for thatch and stuffing cushions.

zakaran tofa = the sharp young shoots which pierce the heel.

tofo or toho, the young leaf-buds or sprouting of any tree or grass. Syn. labaye. cf. fuda.

toshshi or twashshi, vide under barkono.

toton masara, vide under masara.

tozalin barewa (Katagum), Vernonia pauciflora, Less. (Compositæ); a field-herb with blue thistle-like flowers.

tozalin kura, vide sabulun mata.

tsa or tswa (Sok.), Fluggea microcarpa, Blume (Euphorbiaceæ). A slender-branched small-leaved shrub with white berries; the tough stems are used for making wicker traps, native beds, &c. (hence also called itchen gado); occasionally planted near houses. vide faskara giwa.

tsabre or tsaure, Cymbopogon giganteum, Stapf (Gramineæ); a tall fragrant grass, used for zana, screens, &c.; (sometimes confused with the narrow-leaved grass nobe, q.v.).

tsada or tswada (Sok.), Ximenia americana, Linn. (Olacineæ); a shrub with small yellow plum-like fruit of acid taste.

tsadar Lamarudu or tsadar Masar, Spondias lutea, Linn. (Anacardiaceæ); “Hog Plum;” “Yellow Spanish” or “Jamaica Plum.” A tree with alternate pinnate leaves, warty bark and a yellow drupaceous fruit with acid aromatic taste. (Benué region and the south. Lamarudu was a historic king in the time of the Prophet).

tsaido or tsidau (Kano, &c.), tsaida (Sok.), Tribulus terrestris, Linn. (Zygophylleæ). “Caltrop;” (cf. dayi). A prostrate yellow-flowered weed with a strongly-spined fruit that injures the foot; a common pest of paths and waste places. (Etym. probably = “stop”).

tsakara, Anchomanes Dalzielli, N. E. Brown, and other allied species (Aroideæ); an aroid with a large much divided leaf on a tall prickly stem; the tuber is eaten in scarcity after prolonged boiling to remove the acridity. cf. also hansar gada?

tsamiya, Tamarindus indica, Linn. (Leguminosæ). Tamarind Tree. A large tree with pinnate leaves and yellowish or red-striped flowers; the acid pulp of the pods is used in various ways as food and drink and as a laxative medicine. (The tree is the host of one of the species of wild silkworm—Anaphe sp. also called tsamiya). ḍan garraza (Kano), tun jamjam? (East Hausa) = flowers of tsamiya eaten fresh and made up into comestibles.

tsamiyar makiyaya, ts. mahalba, or ts. ḳassa, Nelsonia campestris, R. Br. (Acanthaceæ); a soft-leaved prostrate weed with slightly acid leaves and close spikes of small pink flowers.

tsana, an edible cucumber-shaped var. of the bottle-gourd? vide under duma.

tsarariya, a var. of the common country bean, wake, q.v.

tsarkiyar kusu, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Vahl. (Verbenaceæ). “Devil’s coach-whip.” A weed with a long narrow spike of pale blue flowers; used medicinally. Syn. wutsiyar kusu (or w. ḅera), and sometimes wutsiyar ḳadangare.

tsarkiyar zomo (Sok.). Dub Grass, vide kiri kiri.

tsatsagi, vide jirga.

tsatsarar ḅera, or terkon ḅera, Asparagus Pauli-Guilelmi, Solms. and Laub., A. africanus, Lam. and other spp. (Liliaceæ). A straggling half-climbing prickly plant with graceful fronds and very narrow leaves; tough stems used to make snares and traps for small animals. (Etym. tsatsara, a basket-like fish trap). Syn. ḳayar ḳadangare, q.v. and masun ḳadangare. cf. also karangiyar kusu.

tsatsarar kura, Vitis quadrangularis, Linn.; vide ḍaḍori.

tsaure, vide tsabre.

tsawa, vide under bagayi.

tsibiri kinkini, Ampelocissus Grantii, Planch. (Ampelidæ); a vine with edible berries and a thickened root, hence also called rogon daji, q.v. Used medicinally. Syn. farun makiyaya. Other species of Cissus and Ampelocissus are included, e.g. the “Forest Grape,” A. Bakeri, Planch.

tsibra or tsura (Sok.), Randia nilotica, Stapf (Rubiaceæ); an erect thorny shrub or small tree. Syn. barbaji (East Hausa).

tsidau, vide tsaido.

tsidaun kare, Aneilema beniniensis, Kunth. A. Schweinfurthii, C. B. Clarke, and other species of Commelynaceæ; weeds with delicate blue flowers and tufted fibrous roots. cf. kariye galma.

tsidufu, small hot chillie peppers; vide under barkono.

tsikar daji (Sok.), or tsikar dawa; also kibiyar daji Cymbopogon diplandrum, Hack. var. a tall grass covering large areas of uncultivated ground; used for thatch, &c. (Etym. from the recurved pointed flowering spikes). Syn. tuma da gobara, q.v. (Other tall species of the same genus are probably included).

tsikar gida or tsikar sabra (ts. saura) (Sok.), Leonotis pallida, Benth. (Labiatæ); a tall weed better known as kain mutum or kain ḅarawo, q.v.

tsintsiya, 1. Panicum subalbidulum, Kunth. (Gramineæ). A grass 3 to 4 feet high; used for thatching and for brooms, and planted as a field boundary.

2. Eragrostis sp. (?E. biformis, Kunth.). A grass of wet places, used for thatch; the species commonly sold for brooms.

tsira faḳo, Stylosanthes erecta, Beauv. (Leguminosæ). A herb with fragrant viscid leaves and small yellow flowers. (Etym. from growing up on hard bare areas).

tsiyayi = ḳeḳasheshe; vide under rama.

tsu or farin tsu, Pavonia hirsuta, Guill. et Perr. (Malvaceæ). A shrub with broad harshly hairy leaves and large yellow flowers with purple centre. (Urena lobata, Linn. Malvaceæ, is sometimes distinguished as jan tsu; vide ramaniya).

tsuku or tsuwuku (Kano), Biophytum sensitivum, DC. (or Oxalis sensitiva, Geraniaceæ); a small pinnate-leaved herb with the habit of a tiny palm and salmon-pink flowers; as in the “Sensitive Plant” the leaves contract when touched. (Popular names are mata gara ḳafafunki, rufe rumbu, ka buḍi ka noḳe, &c. (noḳewa = contracting or withdrawing).

tsura, vide tsibra.

tsuwawun biri, Vitis cornifolia, Bak. (Ampelideæ), an erect plant of the vine family, with ovoid pointed berries; root medicinal. Syn. ?rigyar biri.

tsuwawun zaki (Sok. Kats. and Zanf.), Cucumis Figarei, Del. (Cucurbitaceæ). A wild ground trailer of the gourd family with ovoid slightly prickly fruit. Syn. maḳaimi (Katagum), kashin gwanki, gunar kura; gwolon zaki (East Hausa). Used medicinally and as a medicinal charm for chickens.

tswa, vide tsa.

tswada, vide tsada.

tubani, a food prepared from beans; vide under wake.

tubanin dawaki, Peristrophe bicalyculata, Nees. (Acanthaceæ). An erect annual with pink flowers; can be used as fodder.

tuḍi, vide under faru.

tugandi, large mild chillies; vide under barkono.

tuji or chiyawar tuji, Eleusine indica, Gaertn. (Gramineæ). 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); leaf for various plaited articles (e.g. kabido, q.v. a kind of waterproof hood; and kororo, cowrie bags); bami or palm-wine is usually made from this species in N. Nigeria. vide also murli, gangame, &c.; a mealy layer between the husk and the hard nut is eaten in Munchi as a food and medicine, &c.

tuma da gobara (Sok. and Zanf.), Cymbopogon diplandrum, Hack. var. A tall grass with reflexed flower-spikes, very abundant in the bush; used for thatch. (Etym. from the crackling and jerking of the dry spikes when burnt). Syn. tsikar daji, q.v.

tumbin jaki, Paspalum scorbiculatum, Linn. (Gramineæ); a wild grass used in some districts as a cereal; a sort of “hungry rice” or “bastard millet.” (Etym. probably from observed unwholesome effects).

tumfafiya, Calotropis procera, R. Br. (Asclepiadeæ). “Dead Sea” or “Sodom Apple.” (Arab. ashur, and closely related to the Indian mudar or ak—Calotropis gigantea). A large “Milkweed,” a common shrub of peculiar appearance with broad hoary-white leaves and milky juice, umbels of pink and purplish flowers and bladdery capsular fruit; only found near habitations and used in many ways, medicinally, for cordage, &c.

tumkiya, a grass; (applied loosely to several plants with white flowers or pale foliage). cf. Ba-Fillatani, and karani.

tumkiyar rafi (Sok., &c.), Heliotropium ovalifolium, Forsk. (Boragineæ). A coarse weed with small white flowers; used medicinally.

tumniya, vide tinya.

tumu, ears of early ripening gero or maiwa and other cereals excluding maize, eaten roasted (not boiled, &c.).

tumuku, Coleus dysentericus, Baker (Labiatæ). A cultivated annual with tuberous potato-like root.

tumukun biri, Syncolostemon ocymoides, Sch. et Thon. (Labiatæ). A wild plant very similar to the above, with small tubers. Syn. ?sankwo (Kano).

tumukun suri, Potaxon pistillaris, Fr. An erect club-shaped fungus with brown dusty spores as in the puff-ball, commonly found on ant-hills. Synonyms numerous, e.g. muruchin jibba or m. jibji (Kano), wutar barewa (the Beri Beri equivalent, from the smoke-like cloud of spore-dust when burst), tabar angulu, tabar kura, geron kantu.

tumun shalla, vide shalla.

tuna (often pronounced tunam or tunas), Pseudocedrela Kotschyi, Harms. (Meliaceæ). A tree with undulate-edged leaves like the oak; a good timber; bark used medicinally.

tun jamjam (?Hausa), flowers of the tamarind-tree; vide under tsamiya.

turgunuwa, vide lalu.

turri, a dye; generally a synonym for gangamu or turmeric, q.v.

tursuje (Ful.), Hæmatostaphis Barteri, Hook. f. (Anacardiaceæ). A tree with pendulous racemes of purple plum-like edible fruit; bark used medicinally. “Blood Plum.”

tururubi, Lasiosyphon Kraussii, Meisn. (Thymeleæ). A small erect herb with yellow heads of flowers and a thickened root; leaf and root are very poisonous.

turu turu, vide under ḍorowa.

tutar yan sariki, vide sutura.

tutubidi, vide babar more.

tuwon biri, vide under doya.

tuwon ḅaure, vide under alkama.

twashshi, vide under barkono.

U

umara, vide kokara.

uwa banza?, vide gizaki.

uwar maganni, Urena sinuata, Linn. (Malvaceæ). A shrub 6 to 8 feet high with pink flowers and deeply lobed leaves, planted in compounds (Sokoto West) for its strong fibrous bark used for cordage. (Etym. ?uwar magami, “mother of joinings”). This species is scarcely distinguishable from the wild U. lobata, or ramaniya, q.v. and is often so named.

uwar mangunguna (Sok. Zanf., &c.), Securidaca longipedunculata, Fres. (Polygalaceæ). vide sainyia. (Etym. “mother of medicines”).

uwar yara (Kano, Katagum, &c.); Ficus capensis, Thunb. (Urticaceæ). A species of fig-tree with dense clusters of edible figs growing on the trunk and older branches. (Etym. from the abundant fruiting clusters). Syn. haguguwa (Kano, Bauchi, &c.), garicha (Zanfara), and farin ḅaure.

W

wadda, Rauwolfia Welwitschii, Stapf. (Apocynaceæ); a tree somewhat resembling the shea-butter tree, with milky sap; (Benué district and south).

wa or ya (Sok.), Ficus sp. (Urticaceæ). A species of fig-tree with rounded cordate leaves and large single figs. wan kurumi, another species of Ficus.

waiyaro, vide ḳaguwa.

wake, Vigna sinensis, Endl. (V. Catjang, Walp.), and perhaps other species. The common cultivated bean of the country. Chowlee (India), Tow Kok (China).

Numerous varieties are recognized, some of them probably of different species:—

farin wake, and jan wake, waken damana;

ḳwama (Sok. and Gobir) = small brown beans usually given to horses but also used as human food;

tsarariya, also a brown bean, sometimes mottled;

zaḳo, mai zaḳi, or ba-zaḳa (Gobir), a well-flavoured bean which can be cooked without salt;

ḍan Uda, or Ba-Ude (Kano), a bean which is half black or brown and half white like a similarly marked variety of sheep (Udawa, a Fulani tribe); roko, also a piebald bean;

yaro da manda, a spotted black and white bean;

hannun marini, with a blue pod and seeds black-speckled;

ḍan kwoloje, a larger white bean;

ḍan arbain, planted in damp places and said to be ripe in 40 days after planting;

damana biyu or kaka biyu, perhaps the same as ḍan arbain, because two crops can be grown in one season;

ka nannaḍe, q.v. a brown-speckled bean in curled pods; bidi, also a speckled bean.

Beans are used as food in the following ways:—

1. Fresh leaves used as a vegetable or in soup.

2. Young pods eaten raw or cooked.

3. Beans eaten boiled; the husks given to cattle.

4. Tubani, dried beans pounded, kanwa added, tied up in folded palm or other leaf and boiled.

5. Ḍan wake, bean meal with kanwa boiled in lumps and balls, eaten with a soup or sauce of ground-nuts, salt, pepper, &c. (romon geḍa).

6. Ḳosai, dried beans soaked in cold water, ground moist, and then boiled in ground-nut oil and made into balls or dough-nuts; (mucilage of yoḍo, q.v. may be added for cohesion); ḳosai of beans nearly corresponds with kwalli kwalli of ground-nuts, and abakuru of kwaruru, q.v.

7. Wasa wasa, porridge of ground beans.

8. Maka (East Hausa), bean leaves dried and used in soup.

harawan wake = bean straw used as fodder.

kowar wake = bean pods or husks.

jimḅirin wake = immature bean pods used as a vegetable often uncooked.

The following saying is applied to the bean:—“na gazawa garkuwar maiḳi niḳa, ka ḳi fari uku, ka ḳi a gona, ka ḳi a tukunya, ka ḳi a chiki.” These are nicknames for the bean, which is both an unprofitable crop and an inconvenient and coarse kind of food, but the stranger goes home and describes them as novelties which he has seen—the bane of the indolent who will not take the trouble to grind it—in the field it occupies more space than its value—in the pot it requires long cooking—in the stomach it disagrees.

waken Ankwai, waken bisa, a large climbing bean, cultivated in some districts; probably the white-seeded var. of Canavalia ensiformis, DC. “Sword Bean,” vide under ḅarankachi. (Ankwai, a pagan tribe in Muri).

waken baibayi or waken Gwari, Dolichos Lablab, Linn. A cultivated climbing bean on fences, trees near houses, or on hut roofs, &c.; called also w. damfami, w. darni, &c.

waken barewa or waken damo, Vigna membranacea, A. Rich. and other spp. Wild twining beans in fields &c. vide gayan gayan. (Vigna vexillata, Benth. Vigna pubigera, Baker, &c.).

waken gizo, Vigna triloba, Walp. A bean twining on fences, &c. greatly resembling the common cultivated bean; eaten by goats, &c. The saying ka yi ḍiya ka watsas, is used of this (from the scattering of the seeds when the pods burst).

waken tumḳa, vide yawa.

waken Turawa or waken Masar, W. Stambul, &c. Cajanus indicus, Spreng. “Congo Pea,” “Pigeon Pea.” An erect shrub introduced for cultivation. A form of Indian “dal.”

walkin tsofo or walkin wawa, Trichodesma africanum, R. Br. (Boragineæ); a coarse herb with white flowers, common near villages, &c. (Etym. “old man’s” or “fool’s apron”).

wasa wasa, a food made of beans; vide under wake.

wayo, a var. of dawa, q.v.

wutar barewa, a species of fungus; vide under tumukun suri.

wuta wuta, vide ḳuduji.

wutsiyar ḅera, vide tsarkiyar kusu.

wutsiyar damo, vide karan masallachi.

wutsiyar giwa, vide gabara.

wutsiyar jaki, vide katsaimu.

wutsiyar ḳadangare, vide tsarkiyar kusu.

wutsiyar kurege or bundin kurege, a grass about 12 to 18 inches high, with a bottle-brush-like flowering spike. A name somewhat loosely applied, and including Trichopteryx hordeiformis, Stapf, and Perotis latifolia, Ait.

wutsiyar kusu or w. ḅera, vide tsarkiyar kusu and shinaka.

wutsiyar raḳumi, Platycoryne paludosa, Rolfe (Orchideæ). A small ground orchid with orange-coloured flowers. (Etym. from the long spur of the flower; probably applied to several orchids with spurred flowers).

wuyan bajimi, a var. of gero, q.v.

wuyan damo, Combretum leonense, Engl. and Diels. and perhaps other spp. (Combretaceæ). A tree with corrugated bark and 4-winged fruit; a gum yielder; bark used as an astringent medicine. (Etym. from the rough scaly bark resembling the skin of the large lizard, damo, Varanus exanthematicus).

Y

ya, a species of fig-tree; vide wa.

yaḅi = arrow-poison; vide kwankwani. (yaḅa = to smear). Syn. zabgai.

yabainya (Kano), the young plants of dawa or gero, (which contain prussic acid and are in some circumstances highly poisonous until they reach a certain stage of growth).

yaḍiya, Leptadenia lancifolia, Decne. (Asclepiadeæ). 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.

yakuwa, Hibiscus Sabdariffa, Linn. (Malvaceæ). “Red Sorrel,” “Rosella.” A cultivated plant with acid leaves and succulent calyx (usually red in colour), used as a vegetable. Syn. sure (Sok.). gurguzu = seeds of yakuwa; daudawar beso = seeds boiled and crushed and the oil extracted, used for soup and as a medicinal vehicle. zoḅarodo = the fleshy calyces of yakuwa used in food, as a beverage, &c.

yakuwar fatake or y. mahalba, vide ayana and buḍa yau.

yakuwar ḳaya, y. kwaḍi, y. daji, y. ḳaimamowa, &c. = wild varieties of Hibiscus cannabinus, Linn. a very variable plant; vide ḳarama mowa and rama.

yalo, a variety of the native tomato; vide under gauta.

yama, a common tall grass of meadows, &c. Cymbopogon rufus, Kunth. used for zana and thatch.

yamḅururu (Sok.), Merremia angustifolia, Hill. fil. (Convolvulaceæ). A prostrate convolvulus with narrow leaves, wiry stems, and small pale yellowish flowers. In some districts called gadon machiji, q.v. Syn. gammon bawa, q.v. The name yamḅururu in Kontagora and elsewhere = Ipomœa eriocarpa, R. Br. and other spp.; the smaller variety of twining convolvulus common on fences, &c.

ya manya (Sok.), vide kain fakara.

yanbama (Sok.), Pennisetum Benthamii, Steud. var. (Gramineæ), a tall grass, 6 to 8 feet high, with cylindrical flower-spike like a smaller gero. “Elephant Grass.” cf. dawar kada.

yandi, a large tree used in native house-building. Ficus sp.

yan guriya = cotton seed; vide under abduga.

yar gari, a var. of cotton; vide under abduga.

yaro da dariya, vide under kwaruru.

yaro da manda, a var. of bean; vide under wake.

yaron kogi, vide under ḳaidajin ruwa.

yar unguwa, vide gasaya.

yaryaḍi, 1. Ipomœa sp. (Convolvulaceæ). A convolvulus or “Morning glory” (probably including several species). 2. yaryaḍi or yaryaḍin gona, a wild leguminous twiner with hairy leaves and pods in clusters. Vigna luteola, Benth. var. villosa, Baker.

yaryaḍin kura (Katagum), Gymnema sylvestre, R. Br. (Asclepiadeæ). A twiner with milky juice.

ya tabshi, a var. of the cotton plant; vide under abduga.

yatsa biat, vide hannu biat.

ya tsauri, a var. of the cotton plant; vide under abduga.

yauḍo, yabḍo, or yoḍo (Sok.), Ceratotheca sesamoides, Endl. (Pedaliaceæ). A herb related to sesame (vide riḍi), with mucilaginous juice and pink flowers; used in soup and medicinally; added to cereals and pulses to give cohesion in preparing various comestibles. (Etym. probably from the viscid sap). Syn. karkashi.

yauki (Kontagora), ?Crotalaria polychotoma, Taub. (Leguminosæ). A low pubescent herb with small yellow flowers; used medicinally. vide sa furfura.

yawa, fibre from various sources. 1. Chiefly that from a var. of the cultivated bean, Vigna sinensis, Endl. grown for the strong fibrous bark of the flowering peduncles, used for fishing lines, nets, horse-girths, &c. Syn. waken tumḳa (Sok.), waken tuḳa (Gobir), waken tuka (Kano). 2. the root-bark of the acacia ḍakwora, q.v. (Acacia Senegal), and other species of acacia, e.g. ḍunḍu and twatsa, q.v. used for strong ropes, &c. cf. meḍi. 3. Applied also to the fibre of Polygala butyracea, Hack. (cheyi of Kabba, enyigi of Nupé), grown by pagans in the south, Munchi, Togo, &c.

yaya kai ka fito, vide ḳaḳa kai ka fito.

yayan dara, seeds of various trees used in the game dara, and hence applied to a leguminous tree in the south, with prickly pods containing two large round seeds—Cæsalpinia Bonducella, Fleming.

yazawa or zazawa, an undershrub, wild or planted in compounds; the root is an acrid poison and is used for making tribal marks, and as an ingredient in some recipes for arrow-poison.

yoḍo, vide yauḍo.

Z

zabgai, arrow-poison; syn. yaḅi; vide kwankwani.

zabibi, a plant with a tuberous rhizome yielding a yellow dye. Curcuma sp. (Scitamineæ). cf. gangamau.

zabiya, a variety of date; vide under dabino.

zabo (Sok.), Aloe sp.—probably A. Barteri, Baker (Liliaceæ). An aloe with stiff speckled and hard pointed leaves; two varieties occur; 1. a bush variety with orange-yellow flowers. 2. zabon dafi, a cultivated variety planted near houses, having bright red flowers and becoming very succulent; used as an ingredient of arrow-poison; also called zabo ko. Syn. kabar giwa (Kano, Zaria, &c.).

zago, a var. of dawa, q.v.

zaḳami, Datura Metel, Linn. (Solanaceæ). “Metel” or “Hairy Thorn Apple.” A coarse branched annual with broad leaves and long white trumpet-shaped flowers, common in waste places about towns, &c. The seeds, in globular prickly capsules, are a deliriant poison. Syn. haukat yaro (from its use as an excitant to youths at sharo contests). In Sokoto and Katsina called babba jibji, q.v. The epithet sutura (East Hausa) is applied to this plant (from the folding of the unopened corolla).

zaḳi banza, Amaranthus viridis, Linn. (Amaranthaceæ). A common weed with spikes of inconspicuous greenish flowers; a form of native spinage used as a vegetable and sometimes cultivated. (Etym. from the insipid taste). Syn. ruḳuḅu (Sok. and Kats.), and malamkochi (Katsina).

zaḳi birri, vide under goriba.

zaḳo, a var. of bean; vide under wake.

zamarke, Sesbania punctata, DC. (Leguminosæ). A tall slender leguminous shrub of wet places, with pinnate leaves and yellow flowers; a sooty pigment got by scorching the stems is used to decorate huts; the stems are used for arrow-shafts. Syn. checheko (East Hausa) cf. also alambo.

zamfaruwa, a var. of gero, q.v.

zango, a var. of gero, q.v.

zayi? (Katagum, &c.), Boscia senegalensis, Lam. (Capparideæ); a low shrub with bunches of small whitish flowers and berry fruit; leaves and berries used as food. cf. anza.

zazar giwa or zazar gwiwa, vide sare gwiwa.

zazawa, vide yazawa.

zindi (Katagum, Kanuri?), Combretum sp. nr. C. Hartmannianum, Schweinf. (Combretaceæ); a tree with shining foliage and 4-winged fruit; probably the same as chiriri (C. Kerstingii, Engl. and Diels.), q.v.

zoḅarado, the calyces of the “Red Sorrel” or yakuwa (Hibiscus Sabdariffa Linn.), q.v. used as food, medicine, and a beverage.

zogalagandi, Moringa pterygosperma, Gaertn. (Moringaceæ). “Horse-radish Tree.” A tree with graceful foliage white flowers and long pendulous pods, frequently planted around houses, and therefore also called samarin danga. 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. The oil is chiefly used externally by Hausas, for sores on camels, &c. kufi = a dark oily extract from the mixed seeds of zurma, bi ni da zugu, and aduwa, q.v.

zuru, a var. of the bottle-gourd; vide under duma.

zuwo, Celtis integrifolia, Lam. (Urticaceæ). A large tree. “Nettle-tree.” Syn. dukki, q.v. cf. also dinkin.