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.