The useful trees of northern NigeriaLely, Hugh Vandervaes
Science
The useful trees of northern Nigeria
Lely, Hugh Vandervaes
Plants, Useful -- Nigeria, Northern; Trees -- Nigeria, Northern
=The Leaves= are about 4 inches long and 1½ inches wide, dark green and
slightly rough on the upper surface with a white mid-rib raised on both
sides. The margin is crinkly and the tip pointed. They spring in little
rosettes from the ends of the twigs.
=The Flowers= vary in size; are generally smaller than those of the
other species but may be larger, 3½ inches across and with a corolla
tube the same length. They are white and the under surface of the
petals is very shiny. They have 6 petals, 6 stamens, consisting only
of long anthers attached to the mouth of the corolla round a clubbed
and green-ridged stigma. The calyx is irregular and a very bright,
shiny dark green. The flowers are highly scented and turn yellow when
fertilised. They appear about December and are very conspicuous by
their size, colour and perfume.
=The Fruits= are very variable in size and shape, but are always of the
same consistency, grey-green on the outside with a fibrous flesh that
surrounds a number of small, round, flat, yellow seeds in a firm pith.
They may be round or oval, ribbed or plain with roughened surface,
covered with lenticels, and from 1 to 4 inches long. They may be found
on the tree during the greater part of the year, and fall entire.
=Uses.=—The fruits are not edible and are used in the making of black
cosmetic (katambiri) for decorating the faces of women.
The tree and its branches are used for fences (shingi) round farms and
also for sticking on the tops of compound walls.
[Illustration]
=GREWIA MOLLIS= Juss.—_Kurukubi_. TILIACEAE.
A large shrub or small tree growing in higher savannah forest and not
occurring in dry latitudes. It is especially partial to granite soils
and hills. It has no very definite form, being either a dense shrub
12-15 feet high or a small, shapeless tree up to 20 feet, with crooked
branches and a mass of fine twigs. It likes the shade of high forest
and is found under the shelter of large trees. The star-shaped yellow
flowers and irregularly toothed leaves are the conspicuous means of
identification.
=The Bark= is black and rough, deeply fissured and fibrously scaled. It
presents a rough, shaggy appearance.
=The Leaves= are alternate on the long shoots and assume one plane with
their surfaces to the light. Especially in the shrubby forms is this
most marked. The leaf is 3-5 inches long and 1-1½ inches broad, borne
on a short stalk and with the edges acutely and irregularly cut into
teeth of all sizes. There are three main nerves, the mid-rib boldly
branched and the laterals less so. All the nerves point well forward,
and are prominent beneath. The basal lobes are unequal. The leaf-stalk
is dorsally flattened. The upper surface is a dull, blue green, the
under surface paler. The leaf-bearing shoots are oval in section.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account