A Hausa botanical vocabulary

damana biyu, vide ḍan arbain, a variety of bean.

damba = ?Andropogon tectorum, Sch. et Th. (Gramineæ); a tall grass of marshes, &c., used as fodder when young, and for zana when mature.

damro or dauro, a variety of millet (Pennisetum spicatum, B. and S.), similar to maiwa, q.v. cf. gero.

ḍan arbain, a variety of bean planted near water and supposed to ripen in 40 days. Syn. damana biyu (Sok. and Kano), and kaka biyu (Gobir).

ḍan damana, a variety of date; vide under dabino.

dandami, vide under lallen shamuwa.

dandana, Schwenkia americana, Linn. (Solanaceæ); a herb with narrow tubular flowers; used medicinally. Syn. parpatse or farfatse (Kano).

ḍan ḍata (ḍan ḍwata), vide ḍataniya, a bitter grass. Thelepogon elegans, Roth.

ḍan farkami (Sok.), Monechma hispida, Hochst. (Acanthaceæ); a common weed of pastures, with rough leaves and white flowers. Syn. ?fiso (Sok. and Kats.), fisawa (Katagum).

ḍan garraza = flowers of the tamarind tree—(hudar tsamiya).

ḍan kaḍafi or hankaḍafi, the name of a crab-louse, hence applied to more than one plant with seeds which adhere to the clothing like burs. (Etym. similar to “Cleavers”). Chiefly = Desmodium lasiocarpum, DC. (Leguminosæ). Syn. maḍaḍafi, q.v. Also Triumfetta pentandra, A. Rich. (Tiliaceæ), vide suren fadama.

dankali (Kano, &c.), Ipomœa Batatas, Lam. (Convolvulaceæ). Sweet Potato. Red and white varieties are known. Syn. dukuma and kudaku (Sok. and Zanfara), generally = the red one; lawur = the white one. kugundugu, a name used on the Benue, Yola, &c. = Yor. kukun duku.

dankon kuyangi, dried leaves of the convolvulus Ipomœa pilosa, Sweet, and other species; vide yako and barmatabo; used medicinally.

danko maiwari, Ficus sp. a tree in the south, yielding an inferior rubber.

ḍan kwataho, a variety of kola nut; vide under goro.

ḍan kwoloje, a variety of bean; vide under wake.

ḍan marike (Katagum, &c.), Indigofera secundiflora, Poir. (Leguminosæ). vide under marike.

ḍan Tunuga or kajiji ḍan Tunuga; the fragrant tuber of a sedge, Cyperus sp. (Tunuga = a town in French Borgu). Probably Cyperus rotundus, cf. aya aya and kajiji.

ḍan Uda or Ba-Ude, a variety of bean, half white half black; (cf. a variety of sheep of the same name. Udawa a section of Fulani); vide under wake.

danya, Spondias sp. (Anacardiaceæ); a tree with pinnate leaves and yellow plum-like fruit of pleasant flavour. The fruit is called nunu. cf. also tsadar Masar.

ḍanyen gumi = husked but unboiled rice; vide gumi and shinkafa.

danyi (Sok.), vide dayi.

ḍan zago, a kind of bean, vide under ḅarankachi.

darambuwa = armlets made of plaited grass, hence applied to several species of grass; vide karani, gaji, jema, &c.

dargăza, Grewia mollis, Juss. (Tiliaceæ); a shrub with small yellow flowers; the bark is mucilaginous and used in soup, and occasionally to harden mud floors.

dashi, Balsamodendron africanum, A. Rich. (Burseraceæ). “African Myrrh.” “African Bdellium.” A shrub with the habit of the Blackthorn, yielding a fragrant gum-resin used medicinally and as a scent for clothing. namijin dashi, Balsamodendron pedunculatum, Kotschy. et Peyr. A shrub somewhat similar to the above but less fragrant.

dashishi, vide under alkama.

ḍata or ḍwata, a small bitter native tomato; vide under gauta.

ḍataniya or ḍwatana, Thelepogon elegans, Roth. (Gramineæ); a bitter grass given to horses as a tonic. Syn. gishirin ḍawaki and ḍan ḍata. (Etym. from the bitter taste).

datsi, Aristida Sieberiana, Trin. (Gramineæ); a long-awned grass, common in the north. jan datsi vide jan bako.

dauḍa or kwardauḍa, Dicoma tomentosa, Cass. (Compositæ); a small thistle-like weed. Syn. farin dayi. (Etym. perhaps from use as a local application to putrescent wounds).

dauḍar Maguzawa, ?Blepharis linearifolia, Pers. (Acanthaceæ); a prickly plant with blue flowers. Syn. faskara toyi, and ?gigi, q.v.

dauḍar ruwa, vide limniya.

daudawa (Sok.), vide daddawa and ḍorowa; vide also under kiriya. daudawa beso, seeds of yakuwa (Hibiscus Sabdariffa, Linn.), q.v. boiled and prepared either for food or as a medicinal vehicle, daudawar kuka, seeds of kuka (Adansonia digitata), made into cakes, &c.

dauro, vide damro.

dawa, Sorghum vulgare, Pers. (Gramineæ). “Guinea Corn.” “Great Millet.” “Durra.”

a chi da nono (like farafara), a soft grain only used for kunu and not for tuwo;

akwuya, a yellow grain used for horses;

bakin kada, a variety with a long head;

bakin raḳumi (from the slender quivering habit), the same as ḳerama;

bugundare or Ba-Gwandare, a variety with a compact head; (cf. a variety of cotton; vide abduga);

farafara, a white variety;

giwa kamba, a white variety larger than farafara, late maturing;

hannun giwa, white with a large head of grain;

janjari (Sok. = jigari, Ful.) or janari, a red inferior grain which makes red kunu and tuwo;

jar dawa, a red grain used for horses;

kaura, considered the best for horses, common in Zanfara; in two varieties, viz.:—kaura mai farin kwono (or mai farin soshia), and kaura mai baḳin kwono;

ḳerama, a red grain with loose nodding panicle (= bakin raḳumi);

maikeri, early maturing and considered one of the best;

makafo da wayo, a soft sweet variety, a luxury (dawar sarakuna);

malle (Sokoto West), planted in wet places;

mallen Kabi, the same as ḳerama;

mallen mama or mallen Zanfara, a larger nodding variety like the last;

marmare, a soft sweet variety, nearly the same as makafo da wayo; eaten whole;

masakowa or mazakwa (Ful. maskwari), a dry-season corn, grown in alluvial soil left as the rivers fall; (chiefly in Adamawa and Bornu); sometimes eaten whole after cooking;

wayo, a red or yellow variety;

zago, the same as kaura.

Burtuntuna = Ustilago sp. a guinea corn smut, forming a black powder in the ear; also called ḳatsa ḳatsa, and bunsuru.

gyamro = secondary shoots of guinea corn from the roots left at harvest; said to be injurious to animals.

domana, a gummy blight; (?Aphis Sorghi).

karan dafi, the red leaf sheaths of certain forms of dawa, used as a red dye.

kusumburuwa, corn growing up anywhere from stray seeds; sometimes popularly believed to grow from an unhusked grain and not always maturing. The stems are used for flutes (sarewa).

sambara, dawa or gero half-grown at harvest and left to mature later. cf. also karmami and yabainya.

dawa dawa or dadawa, a grass; vide gyazama.

dawar kada (d. rafi, d. dorina, &c.), Sorghum halepense, Pers. a very tall riverside grass with pith in the stems; the probable ancestor of cultivated dawa; one of several called “Elephant Grass.”

dawo (?Hausa; Yoruba ai-da), Tetrapleura Thonningii, Benth. (Leguminosæ); a large tree with thick 4-angled pods sold as a market drug in the south; cf. kalangon daji and sandan mayu.

dayi, Centaurea Calcitrapa, Linn. (Compositæ). “Star-thistle.” A thistle with long straight spines, common in fields, &c.; eaten by camels; one of the plants sometimes called “caltrop;” cf. Tsaido. Syn. ḍanyi (Sok.), and surendi (Kats.). namijin dayi, Lactuca sp. a species of wild lettuce; probably including several field plants of the Nat. Ord. (Compositæ).

dayin giwa, vide under sare gwiwa.

ḍeiḍoya (ḍoiḍoya or ḍoḍoya), Ocimum americanum, Linn. (Labiatæ); a fragrant herb allied to basil. (The name includes other introduced species planted near houses:—Ocimum viride, Willd. Fever plant of S. Leone and Liberia. Oc. basilicum, Linn. Sweet Basil. Æolanthus Buettneri, Gürke, &c.)

ḍeiḍoyar kare or ḍ. fadama, Hyptis Spicigera, Lam. (Labiatæ). A weed of waste places. Syn. riḍin kada. ḍ. gona, Leucas martinicensis, R. Br. (Labiatæ). An odorous weed with whorls of small white flowers. Syn. sarakuwar sauro (Kats.).

dinkin, the young leaves of certain plants used fresh with ground-nuts, salt, pepper, &c. made up as food; chiefly d. ḍinya (v. ḍinya); also of zuwo, q.v. and sometimes used of rama and other plants with edible leaves.

ḍinya (Kano), ḍumya (Sok.), Vitex Cienkowskii, Kotschy et Peyr. (Verbenaceæ); a common tree with digitate leaves, fragrant flowers, and a black plum-like fruit used in making maḍi; vide under dinkin; ḅurzu or ḳurzun ḍinya = ḳwalon ḍinya, the stone of the fruit.

ḍinyar biri, Vitex diversifolia, Bak., a shrub or small tree with fragrant leaves, and flowers similar to those of ḍinya.

dirin da rani (Kano), a variety of rama, q.v.

ḍiwa, Rhytachne congoensis, Hack., a tall grass; used for making screens, zana, &c.

ḍiyan hanwawa (Sok.), Ctenolepis cerasiformis Hook. f. (Cucurbitaceæ). A twiner with scarlet berries; (hanwawa or hawainya = chamæleon); syn. namijin garafuni.

ḍoḍoriya, Vitis quadrangularis, Linn. (Ampelideæ), vide ḍaḍori.

ḍoiḍoya or ḍoḍoya, vide ḍeiḍoya.

doka, Isoberlinia doka, Craib. et Stapf (Leguminosæ); a large tree with white flowers, shining leaves and large flat pods; very abundant in central Hausaland. fara doka, Isoberlinia Dalzielii, Craib. et Stapf, a large tree closely allied to the last, with paler leaves and bark.

domana, a gummy blight on Guinea Corn and other cereals; (?Aphis Sorghi).

domashi, Vernonia Kotschyana, Schultz. (Compositæ); an under-shrub with bitter root, used as a tonic-medicine, &c. domashin maza? (Katagum), vide under matsarmama.

ḍorowa or ḍorawa, Parkia filicoidea, Welw. (Leguminosæ). “African Locust Bean Tree;” a large acacia-like tree with pendulous balls of deep-red flowers and bunches of pods; the seeds and the mealy yellow pulp of the pods are used as food. kaluwa = seeds of ḍorowa, which are made into black fermented cakes called daudawa (Sok.) or daddawa (Kano), and also takaluwa; makuba = fermented extract of husks of ḍorowa pods, used for hardening beaten floors, sides of indigo pits, &c. saḅada or safada (Kano) = young fruiting heads of ḍorowa (etym. from resemblance in shape and surface to a plaited garment of that name). tutu (or turu-turu) = the red pendulous flower-balls (sucked by boys); gundar tutu = the unexpanded flower-buds; garda = the unripe pods when bright brown in colour and beginning to form seeds (the name of a brown-winged dove). The successive stages from bud to pod are:—kashin awaki, kashin raḳuma, tutu, safada, garda. harawan ḍorawa = the membranous lining of the pods used as a fibre for tying arrows, &c.

doya, Dioscorea sativa, Linn. D. prehensilis, Benth. D. abyssinica, Hochst. D. alata, L. (Dioscorideæ). Cultivated yams. vide also sakata, and ḳarasa (doyar kudu).

doyar bisa, the edible solid bulbs in the leaf-axils of certain species of Dioscorea. Syn. tuwon biri.

doyar daji, wild species of Dioscorea.

doyar kurege, Curculigo gallabatensis, Schweinf. (Amaryllideæ); a yellow-flowered herb with a stout vertical rhizome. Syn. muruchin makeruwa, q.v.

doyar giwa, vide ḳayar giwa.

dufuwa, a dense thorny thicket, cf. gumbi and ḳumchi; generally applied to the acacia called sarḳaḳiya, q.v.

dukki or dunki (Sok. and Kats.), Celtis integrifolia, Lam. (Urticaceæ); “Nettle Tree;” a large tree with serrate leaves somewhat like those of the nettle; the young leaves are used in soup and as fodder. Syn. zuwo (Kano, Zaria, &c.). cf. also dinkin.

dukuma, vide under dankali.

dulu, Ficus sp. a tree with large figs; common in ravines.

duma, Lagenaria vulgaris, Ser. (Cucurbitaceæ). “Bottle Gourd,” “Club Gourd” or “White Pumpkin;” the common white-flowered cultivated gourd with soft foliage and variously shaped fruits known by different names:—buta, gora, and gyandama, common water-bottle gourds; jallo, a small pear-shaped one used to carry ruwan alwalla; ḳoḳo, kwokwo or kwachiya, a small-sized calabash used as a cup; kumbu, ditto with cover, used as a small box for snuff, &c.; ḳwariya, common larger calabash; masaki and mabakachi, the largest-sized calabash used at market, and for separating grain from husk, &c., &c. ludai or luddai (Sok.), bottle gourd with narrow neck, split to form spoons, ladles, &c. kololo, similar to luddai, with hollow neck; gako (Sok.), like luddai with solid neck; moda, larger bottle gourd with curved neck which serves as a handle, the body pierced for use as a dipper or handled pot; shantu, long narrow gourd used as a musical instrument; bututu, the narrow portion of shantu or luddai, &c. used as a blowing horn; jemo, a short wide-mouthed club-shaped or large pear-shaped gourd, used to hold milk, &c.; zuru and zunguru, club-shaped or cylindrical gourds used in the application of lalle to the hand; kurtu, bottle or club-shaped with narrow neck, the wider portion used for immersing the hand in staining with henna, the narrow half used as a blowing horn; kwoton tadawa, an ovoid tubercled gourd, used for native ink-pots, &c. vide also kulbutu or tsana (Sok.), an edible variety resembling a cucumber, and kurzunu, a tubercled variety of the same.

dumar dutsi, vide under gaḍaukuka.

dumar kada, d. rafi, Ipomœa repens, Lam. (Convolvulaceæ); a common trailing convolvulus with broad round leaves and purple flowers.

dumar kwaḍi, Ipomœa sp. a var. of convolvulus.

ḍumya (Sok.), vide ḍinya (Kano).

ḍunḍu, Dichrostachys nutans, Br. (Leguminosæ); a thorny shrub like an acacia, with pendulous lilac-coloured flower-spikes, and clusters of twisted pods; fibre from the root-bark. vide under meḍi and yawa.

dunki, vide dukki.

durumi, Ficus Syringifolia, Werb. (Urticaceæ); a very familiar species of fig-tree with small figs and heart-shaped shining leaves, affording splendid shade.

dushe (Kano), dussa (East Hausa), Acacia Seyal, Del. (Leguminosæ); the “Talh” gum-acacia; a thorny tree with yellow flower-balls and an ochrey powder on the bark. Syn. jimshi (Sok.), and ?gishishiya (Zanfara).

duza (Sok. and Zanf.), Setaria aurea, Hochst. (Gramineæ). “Bristly Fox-tail Grass;” a grass of damp places, used for thatch. Syn. ḳyasuwar rafi or ḳ. ta fadama. cf. ḳyasuwa.

ḍwata or ḍata, a small native bitter tomato; vide under gauta.

ḍwatana, vide ḍataniya.

F

fafewa (Sok. and Zanf.), Pennisetum unisetum, Benth. (Gramineæ); a tall grass with hollow stems and sharp leaf-edges. (Etym. because it rasps the hand—fafe = to scrape.) Syn. karan kauje and korkoro (Kontagora).

falfoli (Sok.), Æschynome sensitiva, Swartz. (Leguminosæ); a tall slender plant of marshes, with spongy pith used for floats (karu), &c. Syn. gombiliki, and bambamko (East Hausa).

fankaso or punkaso, vide under alkama.

fara doka, Isoberlinia Dalzielii, Craib. et Stapf (Leguminosæ); a large tree; vide under doka.

farafara, a white var. of dawa, q.v.

fara geza, Combretum aculeatum, Vent. (Combretaceæ); a shrub with white flowers (somewhat resembling hawthorn), and 4-angled fruit.

fara ḳaya, Acacia Sieberiana, DC. (Leguminosæ); a gum-yielding acacia with long white thorns, dark foliage, and white flower-balls. Syn. bauji (East Hausa).

fara saura, Pulicaria crispa, Clarke (Compositæ); a white-leaved weed with yellow flowers, common in fields. (Etym. saura or sabra = fallow fields). Syn. bafuri, and balbela, q.v.

farfatse or parpatse, vide dandana.

fari, vide under abduga.

fari, a var. of Water Melon; vide under guna.

farichin shafo, or ḳumbar shafo (= “falcon’s claw”); a tall acacia with strong curved thorns, the same as or closely similar to ḳarḳara, q.v. Acacia campylacantha, Hochst. or nearly allied species.

farin gammo, Ipomœa argentaurata, Hall. f. (Convolvulaceæ); a trailing convolvulus with whitish flowers and silvery-hairy leaves. Syn. ka fi boka. (Etym. ganmo, gammo or ganwo = a head-pad).

farin sansami (Sok. and Kats.), Lonchocarpus laxiflorus, G. et P. (Leguminosæ); a tree with purple flowers. The leaves are capable of affording a dye like indigo. cf. talaki. Syn. shunin biri, and cf. halshen sa.

faru, Odina Barteri, Oliv. (and other spp. Anacardiaceæ); a large tree with pinnate leaves and small berries; the bark yields a resin. Syn. tuḍi (Zanfara), or farun biri (Sok.). In Sokoto faru or farun mutane = Odina sp. different from the above, with paler and smoother foliage.

farun makiyaya, a wild vine; vide under tsibiri kinkini.

fasa daga, the seeds of the tree kawo, q.v. Afzelia africana, Sm. (Leguminosæ), sold as a medicine or charm in fight, &c. (Etym. from its use as a charm in battle—daga—to put the enemy to flight, suggested by the explosive dehiscence of the pods scattering the seeds). Also called fasa maza.

fasa ḳabba, or fasa kumburi, Portulaca oleracea, L. and other spp. (Portulacaceæ). “Purslane.” A weed with succulent leaves, used as a local application to swellings. (Etym. “disperse swellings”). Syn. sarikin jibji, and harshen saniya or dabrin saniya; cf. gadon machiji and vide rigya kafi.

fasa ḳwari, Zanthoxylum senegalense, DC. (Rutaceæ); a thorny tree with pinnate leaves, found in ravines in the Benué district; the fragrant bark is sold as a medicine and spice.

faskara giwa, Ormocarpum bibracteatum, Baker (Leguminosæ); a shrub with tough flexible branches, small pinnate leaves and purple flowers. (Etym. from the tough texture of the wood which the elephant cannot break). In Zanfara this is sometimes called tsa q.v.

faskara toyi, Blepharis linearifolia, Pers. (Acanthaceæ); a prickly herb with blue flowers and spiny leaves used to trace ornamental lines on earthenware. Syn. gigi? dauḍar Maguzawa? (Etym. because it often remains unburnt when the grass is fired).

fatakka, Pergularia tomentosa, L. (Asclepiadeæ); a plant with orbicular hoary leaves and milky juice; used by tanners as a “bating” bath after unhairing and before tanning. Syn. kwotowa (Sok.).

fate fate, a medicine or love potion used by women, made from the leaves of shiwaka, &c. (Vernonia amygdalina), q.v. Also a food prepared from various plants, e.g. flowers of tsamiya, or leaves of rama, yaḍiya or zoḅarodo.

feḍḍa, screens made usually of the bulrush shalla, q.v.

fidda hakukuwa, Dyschoriste Perrottetii, O. Kunth. (Acanthaceæ); a water-side plant. (Etym. from the use of the seed to remove spicules of grass, &c. from the eye, the foreign particle adhering to the mucilaginous coat of the seed when placed in the eye).

fidda sartsi, or fidda saruta (Gobir), Euphorbia lateriflora, Sch. et Thon. A shrub with milky juice much used for hedges. (Etym. from its use as a poultice to extract a splinter).

fideli, Cassia Absus, L. (Leguminosæ). “Four-leaved Senna;” an undershrub with viscous foliage used medicinally.

filasko, Cassia obovata, Collad. (Leguminosæ). “Italian,” “Senegal” or “Tripoli Senna;” a low shrub with yellow flowers and flat sickle-shaped transversely ribbed pods; one of the varieties of commercial senna.

filfil, a spice; probably a var. of Capsicum (Arab. felfel).

fisawa or fiso? vide ḍan farkami.

fita, Clinogyne filipes, Benth. (= Donax filipes, Schaumann) (Scitamineæ); a water-plant with spear-head-shaped leaves commonly used to wrap up food.

fiyaka, vide jibda ḳassa and gaḍaukuka.

fuda or huda = young flower-buds of any tree; cf. tofo and labaye. hudar awaki, vide geḍar awaki.

fular tsofo, Polycarpæa linearifolia, DC. (Caryophylleæ); a herb with heads of white chaffy flowers. Syn. magudiya, q.v. cf. bakin suda.

fura, a grass, Pennisetum pedicellatum. Syn. ḳyasuwa, q.v.

fure = a flower; (when unqualified generally = flowers of the tobacco plant).

furen gadu (f. gyado), vide awarwaro.

furen yan sariki, Lonchocarpus sp.? a tree with panicles of blue or purple flowers; used as a charm by one who hopes to be king.

furfura ta gyatumi (or jatumi), Ærua tomentosa, Forst. (Amaranthaceæ); a hoary white erect plant; vide alhaji. (Etym. “hoary locks”). The name is loosely applied to some other plants of white habit.

G

gaba chara (Sok. and Zanf.), Acacia Dalzielli, Craib. (Leguminosæ); a tree with panicles of yellow flower-balls. (Etym. the name of the yellow-breasted thrush Cossypha albicapilla). Syn. gwanno.

gabara (Sok.), Arundo Donax, L. (Gramineæ). “Spanish Reed;” a very tall grass of river-banks, with hollow stem and large silky flowering head; stems used for flutes and pipe-stems. Syn. machara, q.v. and wutsiyar giwa.

gabaruwa, syn. bagaruwa, q.v. Acacia arabica, Willd.

gabu, vide under albasa.

gaḍakuka or gaḍaukuka (Katagum, &c. the Ful. name); Aristolochia albida, Duch. (Aristolochiaceæ); a twiner with oddly shaped lurid black-purple flowers; sometimes confused with jibda ḳassa, q.v, and the bitter root sold as such; a remedy for Guinea-worm, &c. and a bitter tonic. Syn. maḍachin ḳassa, dumar dutsi, and ?fiyaka.

gadagi, Alysicarpus vaginalis, DC. (Leguminosæ); a common herb, used when ripe as a fodder for horses; (including the similar A. rugosus, DC.).

gadon machiji (Sok.), Trianthema monogyna, L. and T. pentandra, L. (Ficoideæ). “Horse Purslane;” two very similar and common succulent weeds, forming a thick growth in waste places. Synonyms are hana taḳama (because one has to walk warily amongst it), and dabrin saniya (= “cow’s lip” but cf. halshen saniya or fasa ḳabba). The name is elsewhere commonly applied to a species of convolvulus, yamḅururu, q.v.

gadu (Zanfara), Pavetta Barteri, Dawe (Rubiaceæ); a shrub the leaves of which are used by some pagan tribes as food, with kunu of cereals, &c.

gagayi, an aphrodisiac prescription of 12 ingredients; vide gangawari; applied also to several plants supposed to have the same property, e.g. baḳin gagayi = Fadogia agrestis, Schweinf. (Rubiaceæ), an erect plant with a tough root.

gaji (Sok.), a grass used for plaiting armlets, &c. (Syn. ?karani and darambuwa).

gajiri, Cymbopogon hirtus (Gramineæ); a tall grass used for thatching, for zana, &c. Syn. jimfi, or jimpa jimpa (Sok. Kats. and Zanf.). The name probably includes more than one species.

gamba, Andropogon Guyanus, Kunth. (Gramineæ); a very common tall grass with bifid flowering spikes; perhaps the most commonly used grass for zana.

gamji or ganji (Kano), Ficus platyphylla Del. (Urticaceæ). “Gutta-percha Tree;” a large tree with broad conspicuously veined leaves and small edible figs (vide lubiya). The latex forms an inferior kind of rubber (“Red Kano rubber”).

gamma faḍa (Kano, &c.), Cassia Kotschyana, Oliv. (Leguminosæ); a tree with laburnum-like yellow flowers and long cylindrical pods which do not split. Syn. malga or marga (Sok. Gobir, &c.). Also Cassia Sieberiana, DC. and perhaps other species (very similar to the “Pudding Pipe Tree”—Cassia fistula). The dark pulp around the seeds is a laxative drug. Scarcely distinguished in Hausa from the somewhat similar Cassia Arereh, Swartzia madagascariensis, Oliv. and others whose pods split longitudinally. vide under bayama, bogo zage, and haḍa fuḍa. The pods of some of these are sometimes used as a fish-poison, vide under ago and baina. (Etym. gamma faḍa—“leading to feud,” from unskilled or improper use as a drug.)

gamma gari, vide under goro.

gamma sanwa, vide bakin mutum.

gammon bawa, Merremia angustifolia. Syn. yamḅururu. (Etym. the equivalent of a Beri Beri name—“slave’s head-pad”).

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

gangamau, Curcuma longa, L. (Scitamineæ); Turmeric, a plant like ginger; the rhizome is sold in the form of slices and used as a yellow dye for leather, &c. Syn. turri. (Kanuri kurgum, Arabic and Hebrew kurkum). cf. zabibi.

gangame (Sok.), the expanded fronds of the palms goriba or giginya, &c. Syn. kari (Kano); nearly the same as kaba, q.v.

gangawari, the thickened root of a sedge or grass; one of the constant ingredients of the aphrodisiac gagayi, q.v.

ganji (Kano). Syn. gamji, q.v. Ficus platyphylla, Del.

ganji gaga, a var. of kola nut; vide under goro.

ganwon rama = coils of undressed hemp fibre, vide under rama.

garafuni, Momordica balsamina, L. (Cucurbitaceæ). “Balsam Apple;” a twiner of the cucumber family, with yellow flowers and orange-yellow tubercled fruits; used medicinally and in soup, and as a soap forming a viscid solution in water.

namijin garafuni, Ctenolepis cerasiformis, Hook. f. a twiner of the same family, with scarlet cherry-like fruit. Syn. ḍiyan hanwawa (Sok.).

garafunin fadama or g. kwata, vide gautan kwaḍo.

garamani (Sok.), Sida cordifolia, L. (Malvaceæ); a hard-stemmed weed with soft cordate leaves and yellow flowers; (a pest in Sokoto, &c.). Syn. farin garamani as distinct from baḳin garamani or ramaniya, q.v. In East Hausa sometimes called mai-ḳafo (from the paired long processes on the carpels); also kardafi (Katagum). The bark yields a fibre.

garaji, a fodder grass with edible grain. ?The same as baya and saḅe, q.v.

garangarma, vide under guna.

garasa, vide katsaimu.

gardayi, Acacia macrostachys, Reich. (Leguminosæ); a gum-yielding acacia common in Sokoto province.

garicha (Zanfara), Ficus sp. (Urticaceæ). vide haguguwa and uwar yara.

gasaya (Kano, &c.), Gynandropsis pentaphylla, DC. (Capparideæ); a common herb near habitations, with 5-foliate leaves and white flowers; used as a pot-herb. Syn. yar unguwa (Sok.). The name namijin gasaya is applied loosely to several weeds, e.g. Amaranthus polygamus, L. (Amaranthaceæ), Polanisia viscosa, DC. (Capparideæ), Croton lobatus, L. (Euphorbiaceæ), &c.

gatarin kurege (Sok.), Gloriosa superba, L. a climbing lily, more generally known as baurairai, q.v.

gatarin zomo, Tacca pinnatifida, Forst. more commonly known as giginyar biri, q.v.

gaton kariya or chuchun kariya, vide gujiyar hankaka.

gauḍe, Gardenia erubescens, Stapf and Hutch. (Rubiaceæ); a shrub, common in the bush, with fragrant white tubular flowers, tough wood and yellowish ovoid edible fruit. The fruit is used by women in the preparation of a form of the black cosmetic katambiri, q.v.

gauḍen dutsi (Sok.), Gardenia Sokotensis, Hutch. a low shrub with white flowers, found on rocky hills.

gauḍen kura, Gardenia ternifolia, Thunberg (= G. Thunbergii, Linn. f.), a shrub similar to gauḍe, with coarse not edible fruit.

gaugayi, vide ḳuduji.

gauta, Solanum sp. Native bitter tomato; probably a var. of Solanum Melongena. ḍata or ḍwata (gautan ḍwachi) is a small very bitter variety, scarlet when ripe, and usually lobed; used in soup; kulufita, smaller than gauta; yalo, a large var. scarlet when ripe, often eaten raw = Solanum Melongena, var. inerme, Hiern. (N.B. The “Brinjal” or “Aubergine” or “Egg Plant” is S. Melongena, Linn.).

gautan bagirmi, vide gorgo.

gautan kaji, Solanum nodiflorum, Jacq. (= S. nigrum, var. guineense, Linn.) “Black Nightshade;” an erect branching weed of waste places with white flowers and small black berries. cf. gautan tsuntsu.

gautan kura, Solanum incanum, L. a prickly undershrub with hoary leaves, a yellow tomato-like fruit, and white or lilac-purple flowers; a deliriant poison. The name includes other poisonous species of Solanum in different districts. Sometimes called idon saniya = “ox-eye,” from the Ful. name giti nai.

gautan kwaḍo, Cardiospermum Halicacabum, L. (Sapindaceæ). “Balloon Vine,” “Winter Cherry,” or “Heart Pea;” a straggling plant of damp and waste places, with tendrils and graceful foliage, small white flowers and bladdery 3-angled capsule. Syn. garafunin fadama or garafunin kwata (kwata = water-side); vide also godar zomo.

gautan tsuntsu, Solanum scalare, C. H. Wright; a plant of the native tomato tribe, with small red edible berries, cultivated near houses. (The name is often confused with gautan kaji, q.v.).

gautan zomo, Mukia scabrella, Arn. (Cucurbitaceæ); a rough-leaved twining plant (like Bryony), with small red berries. Syn. malami, q.v.

gawasa, Parinarium macrophyllum, Sabine (Rosaceæ). “Ginger-bread Plum;” a broad-leaved tree found in the northern provinces, bearing a dry plum-like fruit.

gawo, Acacia albida, Del. (Leguminosæ); a large acacia-tree very common in the north; bearing creamy-white flower-spikes and orange-yellow twisted pods; it is leafless during the rains and blooms from October onward; foliage a good camel food. A sort of pack-saddle called tasshi (East Hausa), is made from the bark.