Part 2

=The Leaves= are bipinnate, 4 inches long with 6-7 pairs of pinnae bearing some 10-15 pairs of dusty, grey-green leaflets, covered with tiny hairs. The foliage in the mass appears bluish-green. It appears at the end of September and is susceptible to insect, caterpillar and locust.

=The Flowers=, from October to December, are in dense spikes 3-4 inches long, scented. The lower inch of the spike is flowerless. Several spikes are borne at the twig ends. Each flower has a 5-lobed cream-coloured calyx with pink centre, 40-50 stamens, and a short pistil with slightly clubbed stigma.

=The Fruits= are pods, at first green and sickle shaped, ripening to a bright orange and twisting into strange shapes. They are 4-6 inches long, 1 inch wide, concave on one side, convex on the other. They contain dark brown shiny seeds ⅜ inch long. The pods ripen in January and February and fall entire, rotting on the ground.

=Uses.=—Inferior canoes, of the stitched together type are made. The ripe pods are collected and fed to cattle, sheep and goats. The common brown kite nests frequently in its branches in March and April.

=ACACIA ARABICA= Willd.—_Gabaruwa, Bagaruwa_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This tree, the original source of gum-arabic, is very common and widely distributed throughout the north. It is very frequent round towns where it is utilised for the tannin properties of its pods. It varies largely in size from a small erect tree with umbrella crown to a large, heavy-stemmed tree with high rounded crown. It occurs gregariously in clumps or small forests, growing densely with the crowns meeting overhead. The seed germinates freely in low-lying country liable to submergence by rains or floods and the tree flourishes in such situations. It is just as partial to dry sandy soils where it abounds. With its almost black stem and branches, bluish-green foliage and graceful, symmetrical form, it is readily distinguished from other _Acacia_ species. The average height is some 20-25 feet, but trees over 35 feet with girths up to 8 feet are not uncommon.

=The Bark= is almost black, or a dull dark grey, with long stringy ridges and narrow fissures. The dark colour extends to the branches and woody twigs, the latter covered with a soft pubescence. A clear yellow gum exudes from the slash which is a pale pink colour. The slash is red brown and blackish in streaks.

=The Thorns= are in pairs on the branches and twigs, some quite short and slightly curved, others, especially on the older wood being long, straight, slender and very sharp, with a grey colour and a slight backward slope. They are up to three inches in length and generally curved a little.

=The Wood= is a deep red-brown with almost purple bands. The sapwood is yellow. In transverse section the colour is darkest, the rings show as dark, ill-defined bands, the pores are small, few and scattered about between the fine straight rays which are visible against the dark ground of the hard tissue. There are many double and nested pores and zones with very few pores. Their contents nearly close them. In vertical section the grain is twisted, there are dark bands and the pores have black contents. The wood is very hard to saw and plane but the finish is hard and takes a high polish. The grain picks up badly in places. The transverse section will polish. The weight is 75-80 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are bipinnate, some 2-4 inches long with 5-6 or sometimes more pinnae bearing 15-20 pairs of leaflets with rounded tips, ³⁄₁₆ inch long. They are a dark bluish-green with grey bloom and soft texture.

=The Fruits= are jointed pods, straight or sickle-shaped, with slightly embossed seeds. The pod surface is wrinkled and covered densely with a whitish bloom. The seeds, some 10-12 in a pod, are round, flattened, shiny and brown, ⅜ inch in diameter. The pods, ripening towards the end of the year, fall to the ground entire. They are the “Sant Pods” of commerce.

=Uses.=—Hoe and axe handles are made from the wood which rarely reaches large enough dimensions to provide canoes as it does in other parts of Africa.

A concoction of the pods, crushed with water, is used for tanning. The leaves, boiled, with the addition of a small piece of Tamarind pod, are used as a cure for a disease of the eye which causes the lashes to fall out.

From the pods a black leather dye called “kuloko” is made.

=ACACIA CAMPYLACANTHA= Hochst.—_Kumbar Shafo, Farichin Shafo, Karo, Karki_. LEGUMINOSAE.

A tall tree somewhat resembling _Acacia Sieberiana_, especially in the case of full-grown trees of both species. A comparison of the bark, thorns and pods will readily distinguish one from the other. It is the tallest and most erect of the acacias in the north, reaching a height of 60 or more feet and girths of 4-6 feet when growing, as is very commonly the case, in dense clumps on stream banks, hillsides and on the sites of old towns. This last peculiar situation is sometimes explained locally by the fact that cattle eat the pods and deposit the undigested seeds on the site of a cattle camp in a deserted town. The bole is often 30 feet or more in length in these clumps, the crowns high and flat-topped and meeting overhead, forming a density of shade sufficient to kill all growth of grass on the floor. Old trees in the open have lower, wider-spreading and more open crowns, with shorter boles and bear a marked resemblance, at a distance, to _A. Sieberiana_. They commonly reach over 6 feet in girth.

=The Bark= is a pale yellowish colour, sometimes almost white, and is smooth, with small, regular, brownish scales which in old trees are grey and coarser. The slash is crimson with white streaks, very fibrous.

=The Thorns=, which are the readiest means of distinguishing this species from _A. Sieberiana_, are short, strong, recurved, and brown with a black point. They resemble falcons’ claws, from which they get their native name. They are in pairs at a widely obtuse angle.

=The Wood= is a very dark brown, with almost black streaks. The sapwood is white. In transverse section the rings show as irregular dark bands, the pores are small, few and connected by very thin lines of soft tissue, the rays are very fine, waved and unevenly spaced, invisible to the naked eye. In vertical section the rings show as bands of dark brown and almost black and there are lighter areas. The wood is hard, fibrous and bad to saw, not easy to plane, though the finished surface is smooth and will take a good polish. The long fibres pick up badly in places. The weight is 52 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are bipinnate, about 9-10 inches long with 20-25 pairs of leaflets which droop on each side of the mid-rib. The narrow leaflets are ³⁄₁₆ inch long, slightly curved and a dull, dark green.

=The Flowers= are in 4-5 inch spikes about ½ inch in diameter, densely crowded with cream-coloured scented flowers with numerous stamens. They appear from May-July in masses amongst the leaves.

=The Fruits= are pods, 4-5 inches long, ¾ inch wide, very flat, with the seeds slightly embossed. They are very numerous, tenacious and conspicuous on the trees from October onwards. The seeds, about six in a pod, are round, flat, shiny and dark brown, the same colour as the pods, and have strong germinating power.

=Uses.=—The wood is used for implement handles of all kinds. The branches are cut for making protective farm fences, and the pods are very much appreciated by cattle.

=ACACIA DALZIELII= Craib.—_Gaba chara, Gwanno_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This is a slender Acacia, locally very plentiful, especially in central and south-west Sokoto throughout some 1,000 square miles. It inhabits the open bush savannah of better quality where the rainfall is good and the soil contains some loam. In certain belts it is the predominant species. It is the largest leaved of all the Acacias in this zone and at a distance closely resembles _Entada sudanica_, though the leaflets are much smaller and more numerous and the flowers and thorns are both distinctive; in fact, the resemblance is one of form only. It grows 20-35 high with a girth up to 3 feet. Some trees are tall and slender with high crowns, others low-branched and spreading, but the foliage of all is very light and graceful.

=The Bark= is grey-brown with long fissures and large, shaggy scales which fall in long, irregular sections. This is largely due to fires which thicken and blacken the cork. The bark of the twigs is a silvery grey. The slash is a dull red, exposing the orange colour of the wood.

=The Thorns= are in pairs on the twigs, the leaves springing from between them. They vary considerably in size, ¼-¾ inch long, large and green on the new shoots and small and black on the wood, as a rule. They are slightly curved, and grooved along the inner side from the point where the leaf-stalk springs.

=The Wood.=—The heartwood is reddish with long, vertical streaks of black and brown in the pores. The sapwood is yellow with an orange grain. In transverse section the rings are indistinct, the pores are open and numerous, the soft tissue in wide and narrow festoons plainly visible to the unaided eye. The wood is hard, splits easily, is straight-grained, not easy to plane and weighs 65 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are 12-18 inches long, bipinnate with 20 or more pairs of pinnae bearing 50 or more pairs of long, narrow, pointed leaflets with parallel edges. Near the base on the dorsal side of the stalk is a prominent oval gland. They are a very bright, fresh green, and at first erect, finally spread and droop.

=The Flowers= are in large, erect panicles, 12-18 inches high and stiffly branched, standing prominently up on the ends of the shoots. They appear in the rains and are in bright yellow balls about ½ inch in diameter.

=The Fruits= are pods, 3-5 inches long, ½-¾ inch broad, flat, dark red-brown with a grey bloom and containing from 6-12 flat, oval, brown seeds. The pod is slightly embossed at the seeds and very persistent, numbers remaining on the tree till the following rains.

=ACACIA NILOTICA= Del.—_Bagaruwa namiji_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This species is nearly allied to _Acacia arabica_ and can be at once distinguished from it by the smooth, jointed pods. In other respects it is very similar. The native distinguishes the two species by the fruits, the _Acacia arabica_ with its large grey “sant pods” being known as the female, “ta mata” as against the name “namiji” of _A. nilotica_. As a rule this species is a much larger tree than _A. arabica_ and two forms are commonly met with. The one, which is common in low-lying country liable to inundation, has a short bole and a large number of slender branches which ascend to a great height and spread out wide, forming a large semi-spherical crown almost reaching the ground. The other has a long bole with a girth of 10 feet or more and a high rounded crown. The latter type yields a large volume of timber.

=The Bark= is almost black with deep fissures and very long, ragged scales, which fall in large pieces. The slash is red-brown, with darker streaks.

=The Thorns= are in pairs, quite small near the twig tips and up to 2 inches or more in length elsewhere, straight or curved, more often the latter, white, slender and very strong and sharp.

=The Wood= is reddish-brown in colour, almost blood-colour in cross section, with marked rings. It is very close grained, the cross section being able to be planed quite smooth. The grain is irregular and picks up. The weight is about 75 lbs. per cubic foot. See _A. arabica_.

=The Leaves= are 2-3 inches long with some five pairs of pinnae bearing 10-20 pairs of leaflets, bluish-green with a grey pubescence.

=The Flowers= are very numerous from February onwards in clusters of 2-5 at the nodes, the slender stalks over an inch long and the sweet-scented, yellow flower balls over ½ inch in diameter. As a rule the ends of the twigs on which the flowers are borne have no spines, these appearing later.

=The Pods= are very variable in size, up to 6 inches in length and their peculiarity is the marked jointing which, before they are full grown, gives them the appearance of a string of beads. They are smooth, with a slight bloom and contain some 6-8 oval, flattened seeds which ripen from March onwards.

=Uses.=—The wood is used for axe, hoe and tool handles.

=ACACIA SENEGAL= Willd.—_Dakwora_. LEGUMINOSAE.

A small tree some 15-20 feet high on an average, which is commonly met with in the more northerly provinces, especially in Sokoto, where it grows in dense thickets. It branches low down and is often shrub-like in its young stages, later producing a bole some 6 feet in length. The branches, ascending at an angle of about 60 degrees, repeatedly fork and form an open, flat-topped crown from which some of the long straight twigs protrude some feet above. It is a source of gum-arabic.

=The Bark= of young trees is very light in colour with a creamy tint, that of older trees, especially those which grow in the open, is purple on the bole, with patches of the lighter tint here and there. All over it are minute, whitish scales, so fine that they rub off in the hand as a fine powder, like that of _Acacia Seyal_. Here and there, according to season, are larger, thicker grey scales, chiefly about wounds or on the swollen forks. The bark is very thin and if scratched with the nail shows the bright green cambium layer just under the surface. The slash is mottled red.

=The Thorns= are in threes at the swollen nodes. The centre thorn is sharply recurved like a claw, the two side thorns being almost straight and pointing forward towards the tip of the twig. All are short, very sharp, with broad bases, like rose thorns, dark brown to almost black in colour, with a greyish bloom.

=The Wood= is white, but of such small dimensions that it is not used.

=The Leaves= are bipinnate, 3-4 inches long, with some six pairs of pinnae, each with some 20 pairs of leaflets, blue-green in colour and paler below than above. The ribs are covered with very short hairs.

=The Flowers= which appear in April are in 3-4 inch long spikes, one or two at the nodes. From ½-1 inch of the spike is flowerless, the rest densely covered with small creamy-white flowers, each having a pale green 5-lobed calyx, five pale green petals and a large mass of short, white stamens with a pistil indistinguishable amongst them.

=The Fruits= are pods, varying in size according as they contain 1-6 seeds. They ripen in November and remain on the tree till April, often a very heavy crop on the leafless tree. They are 1½-4 inches long and an inch broad, flat, slightly shiny, embossed at the seeds, sometimes the same width throughout, sometimes indented on the margin between one seed and another, sandy in colour, with often blotches of a darker colour. They split either whilst on the tree or fall entire and open on the ground, the seeds remaining attached to each half alternately and the two halves attached at the stalk. The seeds are round, flat, green-brown, with a U-shaped scar on each side and attached to the pod edge by a short, thick stalk. The pod is prominently cellular veined.

=Uses.=—The bark of the roots is twisted into ropes which are of great strength.

=ACACIA SEYAL= Del.—_Dushe, Dussa, Jimshi, Erafi, Gishishiya_. “_Talh_.” LEGUMINOSAE.

This very common species is noted for its occurrence as pure forest over large areas of country. It can be distinguished at a glance from _A. Sieberiana_, which it resembles in small trees, by its powdery orange or rust-coloured bark, or in the case of the variety _A. fistula_, by the colour being a milky white. It is generally a small tree from 15-30 feet in height, resembling _A. arabica_ in form, with an umbrella-shaped or flat-topped crown formed by the ascending and spreading branches. Sometimes the secondary branches are practically horizontal and the crown wide and quite flat on the top. It bears a profuse mass of bright yellow flower-balls, highly scented and very conspicuous. It occurs in clumps or isolated examples on stony ground, not in loose sand, but where the ground is broken up and barren looking.

=The Bark=, the most distinguishing feature, is powdery and comes off in the hand with the appearance of minute flakes like bran. It is a rust-red or orange colour and in the case of the variety _A. fistula_ the bark is green with the powder milk-white in colour. A clear white or yellow gum exudes from the slash, which is light red and white, with brown edges. _A. fistula_ is light red with green edges.

=The Thorns= are similar to those of _A. arabica_, but shorter, 1-2 inches long, white with black points, straight, strong and sharp and at an angle of about 100° to each other. The base is frequently largely swollen. Near the tips of the twigs little recurved thorns occur in place of the long, straight ones.

=The Wood= is whitish, a brown colour being given it by the lines of hard tissue. It is apt to discolour with mould. In transverse section the close concentric rings of hard and soft tissue are very distinct, the pores are very numerous in the bands of soft tissue of varying width, the alternating bands of hard tissue being almost free of pores. The rays are straight, the larger plainly visible, the finer often closer together, showing as light-reflecting bands in radial section. In tangential section the hard tissue makes a well-defined grain of light brown. The wood is soft, the grain coarse; it works easily with tools, the plane giving a rough finish. Weight 50 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves= are bipinnate, about 2 inches long with 6-8 pairs of pinnae cut up into some 15 pairs of leaflets. There are typically three in the angle of each pair of thorns and they are dark green when full grown.

=The Flowers= are in yellow balls about ½ inch in diameter, 1-4 in the axil of a leaf. They have 1½ inch stalks, are sweet scented and appear from January onwards in masses which make the tree all yellow at a distance. The young leaves appear just as the flowers are going.

=The Fruits= are slightly curved, flat, jointed, embossed pods, 3-5 inches long, light brown with green tinges and finely veined. When ripe the pod splits up both edges, and the seeds, 6-10 in number, remain fastened to the edges by the long twisted attachments, from which they break loose gradually, the pod sections remaining attached to the tree for some time before this occurs. Many pods fall with the seeds still attached to them. The clusters of curved, split pods are most conspicuous and they contract considerably during the ripening stages.

=ACACIA SIEBERIANA= DC.—_Fara kaya, Bauji_. LEGUMINOSAE.

This common and widely distributed species has, when full-grown, some similarity to _Acacia campylacantha_, especially when the species occur in the open. Its long, white thorns distinguish it from the latter. It is occasionally met with as pure forest, but should not be confused with _Acacia Seyal_, the “Talh” acacia, which is very like the small _A. Sieberiana_ and has yellow flower-balls and ochrey bark. Old trees are a height of about 50 or more feet with girths of 5-6 feet. They have large round crowns and sometimes rather persistent lower twigs, though 20 feet boles are not uncommon. It grows well in dry situations and frequently occurs, mixed with _A. Seyal_, in open, dry country.

=The Bark= of young trees is yellowish and smooth, this feature persisting on the branches of older trees, which have rough, small, square scales, grey in colour on the stem and larger limbs. The bark exudes a gum which is white, clear and brittle when dry, making a fair mucilage. The slash is yellow, with dark red edges.

=The Thorns=, persistent everywhere except on the bole and largest limbs, are fine, straight and white, with very acute points. They are in pairs at about 120° to each other, pointing slightly forward, up to 3 inches long. On new shoots they are green and soft, hardening as the shoot ages. Quite small thorns are found at the tip of the shoots.

=The Wood= is a dull yellow colour, very subject to bluish discolorations, due to mould. In transverse section the rings are indistinct and inseparable from the numerous concentric lines of hard and soft tissue which are clearly marked. The pores are open, very numerous, of different sizes, the large ones plainly visible, mostly single with little soft tissue, except along the rings where the pores are in rows, each separated by a ray. There are a few double pores, nests and small chains. The rays are slightly waved, fairly evenly spaced except where the finer rays are closer together. The rays show as light-reflecting bands in the radial section. The wood is soft, rather coarse in grain, easily worked, planing to a rather rough, untidy surface. The weight is 45 lbs. a cubic foot.

=The Leaves=, which spring from between the thorns, are bipinnate, about 5-6 inches long with 10-25 pairs of pinnae, the numerous and dark green leaflets being ⅛ inch long with rounded tips.

=The Flowers= are in white balls slightly over ½ inch in diameter, with ¾ inch stalks, in loose bunches. Their colour distinguishes them from those of other species similar and likely to be confused. They are sweet-scented and visited by bees.

=The Fruits= are large, brown pods, from 6-7 inches long, 1 inch wide and ½ inch thick, straight or slightly curved. They are not very numerous, but conspicuous by their size. The seeds, about 12 in number are quadrangular, rounded, flattened, very hard and dark and light brown.

=Uses.=—The young trees and the branches of the old are used for handles of implements, the angle of branching being especially suited to the shape of the large hoe (galma) handle.

The gum, in solution, is applied to turban and gown cloth and a sheen produced by beating.

=ADANSONIA DIGITATA= B. Juss.—_Kuka_. “_Baobab_.” MALVACEAE.

The Baobab tree is so well known as hardly to need description. The enormous girth up to some 50 feet, large white flowers and pendulous fruits are familiar. From its earliest years it assumes the shape, in miniature, of the older trees. Though nature plays the largest part in the shaping, the cropping of leaves for food, the stripping of bark for rope and the ringing of large branches by beetles till they fall to the ground, all help to accelerate the abnormal form. Widely distributed, it is locally more than generally common, and abounds in groups. The majority of large native towns are full of it. Occasionally it can be seen without the usual stunted appearance, with slender branches and well-formed crown. An association with _Tamarindus indica_ (Tsamiya) is fairly common, the latter growing long slender stems about the former and partly embracing its trunk.

=The Bark= is grey, with all shades of purple and a sheen. It has great callus-growing properties and appears vigorously alive in its power to cover up wounds. The outer bark is soft, spongy and full of sap, and it is the inner layers which are stripped off for the rope making. The slash is mottled red and white.

=The Wood= is not used. It is very light, soft and crumbling, rotting rapidly under exposure.

=The Leaves= are digitate with some six or seven lobes, 2-3 inches long, borne on a 4-5 inch leaf-stalk. They have sinuous margins and a tongued tip; the mid-rib is sunken and the veins regular. The surface is dark green above and smooth, but downy beneath. The leaves appear soon after the flowers.