A Hausa botanical vocabulary

gayan gayan, a sort of twining bean. (?Vigna membranacea, A. Rich.), vide waken barewa.

gazara, a tall grass, used for arrow-shafts.

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

gazari or gizeri (Hadeija), Mærua sp. (Capparideæ); a tree with smooth bark, whitish flowers and small beaded pods.

geḍa (Kano, &c.), gyaḍa (Sok.), Arachis hypogæa, L. (Leguminosæ). “Ground Nut.” “Monkey Nut.” “Archides.” “Earth-pea.” In Sokoto usually called gujiya, q.v. Eaten raw or roasted or prepared in various ways. man geḍa = the expressed oil, used for cooking and as an illuminant; harawar geḍa, ground-nut hay, a valuable dry-season fodder; kwalli kwalli, balls or rings like doughnuts, made of ground-nut paste fried in oil. gujiya kolanche (Sok.), a var. of geḍa with long pods.

geḍar awaki, common leguminous weeds of fields, with yellow flowers and inflated pods, used as fodder. Syn. hudar awaki, biranar awaki, &c. (Crotalaria cylindrocarpa, DC. C. atrorubens, Hochst. C. macrocalyx, Benth. C. maxillaris, Hochst. and other species).

geḍar kurumi, Pterocarpus esculentus, Sch. et Thon. (Leguminosæ); a tree of river banks and forests in the south, with yellow flowers and short irregularly shaped 2-seeded pods; the seeds—called also gunduru—are roasted and eaten in scarcity.

geḍar ruwa, Trapa bispinosa, Roxb. (Onagrarieæ). “Water Chestnut.” “Water Caltrop.” An aquatic plant with floating leaves and edible horned fruit, cultivated in ponds. (Scarcely known in Hausa; the name is the equivalent of the Ful. biriji diam). Syn. kwankwarita (East Hausa).

gemen kusu or g. ḅera, Fimbristylis exilis, R. and S. (and other spp. Cyperaceæ); a small tufted sedge with very slender leaves and slightly fragrant root. Syn. riḍin tuji.

gero, Pennisetum typhoideum, Rich. (= P. spicatum, R. and S.). “Bulrush Millet.” “Pearl Millet.” cf. maiwa (P. spicatum, var.), and damro; (vide also under karmami and yabainya).

Some of the varieties of gero are:—

idon hawanya, with a large grain concealed in the husk;

haḳorin machiji (North of Kano), a long spike with abundant hard very small grains;

zango, with a very long fruiting spike;

zamfaruwa; bazaume or bazarme (a corruption of Ba-Zabarme);

girgera or gargasa, a white-grained variety like maiwa, but considered one of the best or most elegant (= farin gero or geron Adar, because common in French territory);

ba anguri (East Hausa), the same as or a near variety to girgera;

tarnekuwa; wuyan bajimi, a short thick spike with hard grain and much chaff;

tamangaji, a variety with pointed grains;

lawur, a short variety quickly ripe;

shibra or shura (Pennisetum Benthamii, Steud. var.?), a short and thin-stemmed variety early maturing; (also applied to infertile spikes not maturing, stripped while young and used in kunu or soup, &c.).

Lesser variations are:—

halshen damo, with a bifid spike;

gero mai geme, when the lower part of the flowering spike is compound;

gero mai gashi, a bristly spike, (considered of value because birds cannot plunder), and called gargasa (= hirsute) in Kano; the same as girgera;

gumba = gero cleaned, husked and winnowed, and ground up for eating uncooked with milk and other food.

Geron tsuntsaye, 1. Phyllanthus pentandrus, Sch. and Thon. (and other similar species of Euphorbiaceæ); a common slender-branched weed with minute capsular fruit eaten by birds; syn. hatsin tsuntsaye. 2. The fruiting head of a species of bulrush (Typha australis), called shalla, q.v.

gewayen tsamiya, usually = Vitis quadrangularis, vide ḍaḍori, but sometimes applied to several other plants growing under or climbing upon the tamarind-tree.

geza, Combretum sp. probably C. altum, Perr. (Combretaceæ); a shrub or small tree with white flowers and 4-winged fruit, well known in the north.

gigi? (Sok.), vide faskara toyi.

giginya, Borassus flabellifer, var. æthiopum, Warb. (Palmeæ). “Deleb Palm,” “Fan” or “Palmyra Palm;” common straight-stemmed palm with fan-like leaves.

muruchi = the young germinating shoots, eaten as a vegetable; shedari = a mat made of the unexpanded fronds—(called murlin giginya, vide under murli).

ḳodago, the nut, and the kernel kwalshi, vide under goriba. cf. also gangame, kankămi and ḳarari. ḳarri (Kano) = fronds of giginya, cf. kaba.

ḳundu (Kano) = the bulging of the giginya stem.

giginyar biri, Tacca pinnatifida, Forst. (= T. involucrata, Sch. and Thon.) (Taccaceæ). A perennial herb with a superficial resemblance to a small palm, having a long-stalked divided leaf and an umbel of greenish flowers and yellow succulent fruit. The large starchy tuber is an important article of food in some countries; a var. of “arrowroot” is prepared from it in the Pacific Islands and elsewhere; vide under amara. Boys call the tall flowering stems sandan yan bori, sandan biri, or sandan dutsi, and use them as toy spears. Other names for the plant are gatarin zomo and ?yayu or tara yaya (Katagum).

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

giri giri, 1. In Sokoto = aya aya, q.v. the tuber of a sedge. 2. In Kano, Hadeija, &c. = ?Pachyrhizus tuberosus, Spreng. “Yam Bean” or “Manioc Pea;” a bean with a starchy tuberous root. (vide also sa baba sata). The name includes Vigna ornata, Welw. a tuberous-rooted bean, with handsome pink flowers, in the Benué district (Munchi-ahoma). A speckled variety of the seeds is called kashin kaza.

gishirin dawaki, a grass; vide dataniya.

gishishiya? (Zanfara), a species of acacia; vide dussa.

giwa kamba, a var. of dawa, q.v.

giyeya or giyaiya, Mitragyne africana, Korth. (Rubiaceæ); a tree with spherical heads of flowers, abundant in damp localities.

gizaḳi (Zanfara), Carissa edulis, Vahl. (Apocynaceæ); a scrambling shrub with black sweet berries. The root is put in the goran ruwa to render water agreeable. Syn. ?uwa banza.

gizari, vide gazari.

gizgiri, Cyperus auricomus, Spreng. (Cyperaceæ); a tall sedge with tuberous slightly fragrant root which is used like kajiji, q.v. Syn. kajijin fadama; (possibly the same as ḍan Tunuga, q.v.).

gizgirin kaba, vide under goriba.

godar zomo, Tinnea Barteri, Gürke (Labiatæ); an undershrub with a deep-purple flower and inflated calyx. (Etym. “hare-bell”). (Also applied to Cardiospermum Halicacabum, vide gautan kwaḍo, on account of the inflated capsule).

goga jiki, Combretum sp. ?C. leonense, Engl. and Diels.; a tree with rough fissured bark. (Etym. from the chafing of the skin when faggots are carried in the arms). A gum-yielder. ?Syn. wuyan damo, q.v. gogin damo (Zanfara).

goga masu, Mitracarpum scabrum, Zucc. (Rubiaceæ); a weed with small white flowers, used as a medicine for hair-lice, itch, &c. (Etym. “smear spears,” from its superstitious use as a preventive against wounds). Syn. harwatsi (Sok.).

goge (?Hausa), Feretia canthioides, Hiern. (Rubiaceæ). Syn. ḳuruḳuru, q.v. and lallen suri.

gogin damo, vide goga jiki.

goji, pumpkin, vide under kabewa.

gojin jima or gunar jima, Adenopus breviflorus, Benth. (Cucurbitaceæ); a wild pumpkin-like twiner growing on trees, with ovoid mottled fruit used by tanners for dehairing.

gombiliki (Sok.), vide falfoli.

gongola or gwongola, a canoe-pole of the tukuruwa palm, q.v. (gwangwala = the Nupé name for the palm Raphia vinifera).

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

gora, Oxytenanthera abyssinica, Monro (Gramineæ); a kind of bamboo, common in ravines.

gorgo (?Kanuri), Solanum sp.; the flowers of a plant like the native tomato (gauta), used to rub the teeth. Syn. gautan bagirmi and jaudari (East Hausa).

goriba, Hyphæne Thebaica, Mart. (Palmeæ). “Dum Palm.” “Ginger-bread Palm.” Common palm with forked stems. kaba, q.v. = the fronds, used for plaiting various articles; gizgirin kaba = the thickened root of giginya; kwalshi = the edible kernel of the unripe nut eaten raw; ḳodago or ḳwalu = the ripe hard nut; the rind is used as food and in making maḍi (molasses) and allewa (a sweetmeat); zaḳi birri (East Hausa or Kanuri) = the rind made into cakes (waina, &c.). Fibre is got from the root, vide under meḍi. cf. also gangame, kankămi, ḳarari and murli.

goriya, vide under goro.

goro, Kola Nut; the seed of Cola acuminata, Schott. and Endl. and other species (Sterculiaceæ). (The true Kola has the seed divisible into 2 sections (cotyledons), in the other species there are usually 3 or 4. “Genuine” Kola nut = C. acuminata (Gold Coast). “False” Kola nut = C. Johnsoni and C. verticillata (Gold Coast). “Bitter Kola seeds” = Garcinia Conrauana, Engl. (Guttiferæ) (N. and S. Nigeria), eaten but not a stimulant). Imported from Gold Coast, Lagos, and Adamawa; cultivated in some southern provinces. Some of the numerous trade varieties are:—

mijin goro, Sterculia or Cola, or Garcinia sp. (vide above), “Wild Kola,” “False Kola,” used medicinally. vide also sarawan goro.

goron biri or g. ruwa, Irvingia Smithii, Hook. f. (Simarubeæ); a large evergreen tree by streams and in ravines, with scarlet plum-like fruit.

goron yan makaranta, an insect gall on the grass called katsaimu, q.v.

guda (Kano) or gudaji (Sok.), a bulb; the common onion, one of the varieties of albasa, q.v.

guḍe guḍe, Dactyloctenium ægyptiacum, Willd. (Gramineæ). “Comb Fringe Grass;” a small grass with 4-rayed spikes; a good horse fodder.

gudumar biri, vide katsaimu.

gudumar zomo (East Hausa), a name for Gloriosa superba, L. vide baurairai.

gujiya (Kano &c.), Voandzeia subterranea, Thouars. (Leguminosæ); a kind of ground-bean; the so-called “Bambarra Ground Nut.” Syn. kwaruru, q.v. N.B. In Sokoto and some other districts gujiya is also used for geḍa (Arachis hypogæa)—kwaruru or Voandzeia subterranea being distinguished as g. dukkus (Sok. and West), etym. from the dwarf habit—; similarly g. ḳwarasḳwaras (Sok. and Kano); g. tsugunne (Kano)—etym. tsugunna = to squat—gujiya al kuluga, and g. maikwokwo (from the resemblance of the pods to the smallest calabash) are names in East Hausa; g. kolanche (Sok.) = a long variety of Arachis or geḍa, q.v. bidi = one of the varieties of gujiya with spotted and mottled seeds.

gujiyar awaki, vide geḍar awaki.

gujiyar dawaki (Zanfara), Polygala arenaria, Willd. vide sa hankaki dako.

gujiyar hankaka (Katagum), Indigofera echinata, Willd. (Leguminosæ); a weed with small prickly pods, eaten by goats, &c. Syn. kwankwan dafi (Sok. and Kats.); also chuchun kariya or gaton kariya.

gumba, vide under gero.

gumbi, loosely applied to several plants which form thorny thickets; e.g. in Sokoto gumbi generally = Mimosa asperata, a thorny shrub very abundant on river-banks. vide ḳaidaji and cf. dufuwa and ḳumchi.

gumi = rice boiled and dried (in which form it is commonly sold); ḍanyen gumi = husked but still unboiled rice. vide under shinkafa.

guna, Citrullus vulgaris, Schrad. (Cucurbitaceæ). The “Water-Melon” (a very variable species). gunar mutane or kankana = the edible or garden water-melon, with red pulp and black or red seeds; gunar shanu = the common half wild and cultivated var. with deeply cut leaves, and spherical fruit with green variegated stripes when unripe; fari (Kano and East) = a large water-melon, usually white-fleshed; kwokiya = a smaller sweet melon; tamna geḍa = a small melon like kwokiya, but only eaten cooked (= garangarma, East Hausa); bambus = a variety known in the north; agushi (Yoruba egushi) = seeds of water-melon, sold for various uses—chewing, medicine, oil, and food.

gunar jima, vide gojin jima.

gunar kura, Cucumis Figarei, Del. (Cucurbitaceæ); a wild prostrate gourd with ovoid slightly prickly fruit; better known as tsuwawun zaki, q.v.; also called maḳaimi.

gunda, gundar kabewa = the small immature fruits of the pumpkin (vide kabewa), used in soup. gundar turu turu = unexpanded flower-buds of ḍorowa, q.v.

gunduru, vide under geḍar kurumi.

gunguma, a long-leaved plant (?Amaryllideæ), used to stupefy birds, and sometimes added to arrow-poison. ?Syn. murtsunguwa.

guntsu = seeds of kuka, q.v.

gurasa, vide under alkama.

gurdugu, Grewia sp. (Tiliaceæ); a shrub with small yellow flowers and sweet edible berries. Syn. kamu mowa, q.v. and ?kimbar dutsi.

gurguzu = seeds of the “Red Sorrel” or yakuwa, q.v.

guriya (Sok.) = seeds of cotton; vide under abduga.

gurji, Cucumis Melo, Linn. var. agrestis, Naud. (Cucurbitaceæ); a small prostrate gourd with ovoid striped fruit used in soup; much used in East Hausa and Bornu; probably more than one variety; e.g. kwantal or gurji kwantal—a smaller one less used. Syn. gwalli (Sok.). gurjin daji, applied to some wild gourds, e.g. Cephalandra indica, Naud. a wild climber with white flowers and cucumber-like fruit turning red and succulent; not edible.

gurjiya, Bombax buonopozense, Beauv. (Malvaceæ). “Red-flowered Silk Cotton Tree;” a tree like rimi, q.v. but smaller, with red tulip-like flowers and stout thorns on the branches. The silky hairs are used to stuff pack-saddles, armour-quilts &c. Syn. kuriya (Sok. and Zanf.).

guro (Sok.), Hibiscus esculentus, Linn. The okra. Syn. kuḅewa, q.v.

gursami, a plant with radiate tuberous roots eaten in scarcity.

gusu? (Zanfara). Syn. for tsa, q.v. a shrub—Phyllanthus reticulatus.

gutsuri, vide under goro.

gwabsa (Sok. Kats. and Zanf.), Cussonia nigerica, Hutch. sp. nov. (Araliaceæ); a tree with large digitate leaves, corrugated bark and odorous sap; often called takanḍar giwa, q.v.; also hannun kuturu (from the bare leafless branches in the dry season). namijin gwabsa (or takanḍar giwa, Sok. Kats. and Zanf.) = Hannoa undulata, Planch. (Simarubeæ); a tree with pinnate leaves, fragrant white blossoms, and black plum-like fruit.

gwaḍayi or gwoḍeyi, Hippocratea obtusifolia, var. Richardiana, Loes. (Celastrineæ); a twining shrub with tough stems used as tie-tie for tanka, &c., resisting white ants. (Perhaps several plants of similar habit and use are included in the Hausa name; cf. kana kana). cf. the expression gwaḍayi, ba saranka, ba ja—if not cut first it cannot be broken by pulling.

gwaigwaya? (Katagum &c.), Cyperus exaltatus, Retz. (Cyperaceæ); a tall sedge of wet places, with 3-angled stem, and radiating numerous flower-spikes. Syn. karan masallachin kogi.

gwalli, vide gurji.

gwanda or g. Masar, Carica Papaia, Linn. (Papayaceæ). The “Pawpaw” or “Melon Tree.”

gwandar daji, Anona senegalensis, Pers. (Anonaceæ); a species of Custard Apple common in the bush, with yellow edible fruit and fragrant leaves.

gwandayi (Kano &c.), Stylochiton Dalzielii, N.E. Br. sp. nov. (Aroideæ); a plant of the Arum-lily family, with arrow-head leaves and a yellow root; young leaves and root sometimes eaten as a pot-herb after prolonged boiling to remove the acrid principle. Syn. kinchiya (Sok. and Kats.).

Gwanja kusa, a name for several plants supposed to have properties resembling kola and other economic products of Gwanja in G. Coast, N. Terr. e.g. often applied to the “Akee Apple”—Blighia sapida, Koenig. (vide alale), which has scarlet fruit reminiscent of kola; also Parinarium curatellæfolium (vide rura), a tree the young leaf of which is sometimes chewed and reddens the mouth; the flowers of Trichilia emetica (vide jan saye), similarly used; the herb Heliotropium Zeylanicum, Lam. (Boragineæ), used as a tonic, and staining the lips like kola. Also several plants which turn black in drying (chiefly Scrophularineæ), and are sometimes mixed with indigo, e.g. Cycnium camporum, Eng. with white petunia-like flowers.

gwanno (Sok. and Zanf.), vide gabachara.

gwano rafi, Olax subscorpioidea, Oliv. (Olacineæ); an evergreen shrub with an unpleasant odour; (gwano = the stink ant).

gwaska, itchen gwaska, Erythrophlœum guineense, Don. (Leguminosæ). “Sasswood.” “Ordeal Tree.” A forest tree; the bark (“sassy bark”) is used by some pagan tribes in an ordeal brew and as an occasional ingredient in arrow-poison.

gwaza, Colocasia antiquorum, Schott. (Aroideæ). The “Koko yam” (Yoruba—koko); an aroid plant with huge arrow-head leaves, cultivated for the starchy tuber. gwazar giwa, one of many names for an aroid with large lurid purple flower-spathe, a much-divided leaf and a bulky tuber with acrid juice; called also hansar giwa (“elephant’s breast”), kunnen jaki, buran jaki, and sometimes kinchiya, q.v.) = Amorphophallus dracontioides, N.E. Br.

gwazkiya (Zanf.), vide bogo zage.

gwoḍeyi, vide gwaḍayi.

gwolon zaki, vide tsuwawun zaki.

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

gyaḍa, the ground-nut, vide geḍa.

gyamro, vide under dawa.

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

gyazama, Rottbœllia exaltata, Linn. fil. (Gramineæ); a tall harsh-leaved grass, eaten by horses; called also dadawa and dawa dawa.

H

haḍa fuḍa (Sok.), a name for Cassia Kotschyana, Oliv. (Leguminosæ), and probably other species of Cassia; vide under gamma faḍa. (?a corruption of a Fulani name).

haguguwa, a species of Ficus; vide uwar yara.

haki, pl. hakukuwa, any kind of grass or weed.

hakin furtau (Sok.), Sporobolus festivus, Hochst. (Gramineæ); a small slender grass with delicate panicle of small purplish flowers; sometimes mixed with others for thatching. (Etym. furtau = a quail).

haḳorin kada, Argemone Mexicana, Linn. Yellow prickly poppy; vide under kwarko.

haḳorin kare, Panicum fluitans, Retz. (Gramineæ); a grass with hollow stem, in wet places; used as fodder. (Etym. “dog’s tooth,” from the shape of the flower spikelets.)

haḳorin machiji, Achryanthes aspera, L. (Amaranthaceæ); a troublesome weed of waste places, with small sharply pointed reflexed flowers; commonly also called ḳaimin ḳadangare, q.v.

halshen saniya, 1. In Sok. Kats. Bauchi, &c. = Portulaca oleracea, Linn. “Purslane,” a common weed of waste places, with yellow flowers and succulent spathulate leaves, commonly called fasa ḳabba, q.v. and cf. also dabrin saniya, vide under gadon machiji. 2. In Zanfara, &c. halshen sa = a name for Lonchocarpus laxiflorus, G. et P. a leguminous tree with purple flowers; leaves given to goats as fodder. vide shunin biri and farin sansami.

halshen damo, a var. of gero, q.v.

hana gobara (Zanfara), vide under dali.

hana taḳama, vide under gadon machiji.

hanjin rago, Oxystelma bornouense, R. Br. (Asclepiadeæ); a slender twiner with milky juice and white and purple flowers, commonly growing on bushes by streams.

hankufa, Waltheria americana, Linn. (Buettneriaceæ); a common erect weed or undershrub with soft leaves and small yellow flowers; used medicinally.

hannu biat or yatsa biat, a plant with 5-digitate leaves; used medicinally.

hannun giwa, a var. of dawa, q.v.

hannun kuturu, vide under gwabsa.

hannun marini, a var. of bean, vide under wake.

hannu ruwa, a var. of kola nut; vide under goro.

hano (Sok. and Kats., &c.), Boswellia Dalzielii, Hutch. sp. nov. and Boswellia odorata, Hutch. sp. nov. (Burseraceæ). Two closely similar species of “Frankincense Tree” (the former more in Sokoto, Kontagora, Zaria, &c., the latter in Yola province, &c.). Syn. ararabi (Katsina, &c.), basamu (Sok. and Zanf.). The fragrant gum-resin is used medicinally and as a fumigation for clothing, houses, &c. (Etym. from hana, to prevent, from a prejudice some have against it, believing that it prevents success in trade, &c.; a form of deceit is to adulterate or substitute it for other resins such as ḳaron maje, &c. cf. the name ba samu indicating the same idea).

hansar gada, hansar giwa, names given to several Aroid plants; vide tsakara, gwazar giwa, &c.; (hansa = the breast).

hanza, vide anza.

harawa, stem and leaf of bean and ground-nut plants, used as fodder, harawan wake, harawan geḍa. harawan ḍorowa, vide under ḍorowa.

harḳiya, Digitaria debilis, Willd. (Gramineæ); a common fodder grass, 1½ to 2 feet high, with several slender flower rays. “Finger Grass.”

harwatsi (Sok.), Mitracarpum scabrum, Zucc. (Rubiaceæ); a common weed. Syn. goga masu, q.v.

hatsin manoma (Sok.), Pancratium trianthum, Herb. (Amaryllideæ); a bulbous herb with beautiful white lily-like flowers appearing with the early rains; (sometimes called “Spider Lily”).

haujeri (Katagum, &c.), haujerin mutane, Capparis corymbosa, Lam. (Capparideæ). A climbing thorny shrub, with white flowers and yellow fruit like a small orange, sometimes eaten. The leaves are sometimes used as food. haujerin raḳumi, Capparis tomentosa, Lam. A thorny woody climber similar to the last, more common and with larger fruit, not eaten. Generally called ḳabdodo (Sok. Kats., &c.); ?chauchaka (Zanfara).

haukat yaro, Datura Metel, Linn. (Solanaceæ). “Hairy Thorn Apple.” vide zaḳami, and babba juji. A large weed of waste places, with long trumpet-shaped white flowers. (Etym. from its deliriant property).

hawayen zaki, Anaphrenium abyssinicum, Hochst. (= Rhus insignis, Del.) (Anacardiaceæ). A tree with milky juice; the stems are commonly used as sticks to apply kwolli.

huda, vide fuda; hudar awaki, vide under geḍa and biya rana.

I

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

iburu (or aburu), a common cereal much planted in Zaria and other districts.

idon saniya (Kano and East), Solanum incanum, Linn. and other species of Solanum; (the equivalent of the Ful. name giti nai or “ox-eye”). vide gautan kura.

idon zakara, Abrus precatorius, Linn. (Leguminosæ). “Prayer Beads,” “Jequirity,” “Bird’s Eye” (S. Leone). A twiner with pinnate leaves and clustered pods containing small scarlet seeds with a black spot; used chiefly as a medicinal charm. Syn. tandara (Kano and Kats.), taga rana (Kano market), (idon zakara is also used for the scarlet seeds of minjiriya, q.v. Erythrina senegalensis).

ingidido, Cratæva Adansonii, G. et P. (Capparideæ); a tree with 3 fol. leaves, white flowers and a yellow-shelled fruit.

ingirichi = chopped-up hay as fodder.

intaya, vide acha, a small grass cultivated as a cereal.

innuwar ḅauna, Morelia senegalensis, A. Rich. (Rubiaceae); an evergreen shrub with white flowers, common on the banks of streams.

innuwar gada, Opilia celtidifolia, Endl. (Olacineæ); a climbing shrub with fragrant whitish flowers; used medicinally for horses, &c.; sometimes called namijin lemu.

innuwar tufi (Sok.), a floating plant in pools, &c. (tufi = a sp. of fish). ?Æschynome crassicaulis, Harms. vide kaiḍajin ruwa.

itchen gado, Fluggea microcarpa, Blume (Euphorbiaceæ); a shrub the stems of which are used for native beds, &c.; more generally called tsa, q.v.

itchen kurḍi, 1. In Sokoto = Melia Azedarach, Linn. (Meliaceæ). “Pride of India,” “Persian” or “African Lilac.” A tree with twice-pinnate leaves, bunches of lilac flowers and ovoid yellow fruit. (Etym. “taḅa ni ka samu kurḍi,” from a supposed virtue as a charm). Syn. kurnan nasara (Kontagora, East Hausa, &c.), q.v. 2. Burkea africana, Hook. (Leguminosæ); a large tree with pale twice-pinnate leaves, spikes of creamy flowers and small flat pods. vide kurḍi.

itchen Masar, Croton Zambesicus, Müell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceæ); a shrub sometimes planted in native compounds; (name given to several exotic plants).

J

jallo, a small var. of bottle-gourd; vide under duma.

jan baḳo (Sok. and Zanf.), a name given to certain thatching grasses which turn red in colour when mature; e.g. Andropogon apricus, var. africanus, Hack. and Andropogon exilis, Hochst. (vide jan rauno). Syn. jan bauje, jan datsi; vide also laḅanda.

jan itache, vide jan yaro.

janjari (Sok.), a var. of dawa, q.v.

jan karago, vide under goro.

jan rauno (or jan ramno, Sok.), Andropogon exilis, Hochst. (Gramineæ). A grass about 1½ to 2 feet high, turning russet-red in autumn; used for thatch, and chopped up to mix with building clay; also a fodder grass. Syn. jan bauje; cf. also jan baḳo, and vide ramno.

jan saye (Sok., Zanf., Kontagora), Trichilia emetica, Vahl. (Meliaceæ). A tree common in central Hausaland. The seeds yield a less important oil; root used in native medicine. vide Gwanja kusa.

jan yaro (or jan itache), Hymenocardia acida, Tul. (Euphorbiaceæ). A shrub or small tree with a reddish bark.

jaudari (East Hausa), Solanum sp. Syn. gorgo, q.v.

jawul = Myrrh, the gum-resin of Balsamodendron myrrha, Nees. (Burseraceæ); brought by Arabs; (possibly also that of Odina Wodier, Roxb. called jewul or jiyal in India).

jema, Vetiveria zizanioides, Stapf. (Gramineæ). “Vetiver” or “Cus Cus,” a tall clump-grass of marshy places; used for zana, and for plaiting straw armlets called darambuwa, q.v. In some districts the large swamp-grass with red-purple flowering heads—Rhytachne gigantea, Stapf.—is included.

jemo, a short club-shaped var. of the bottle-gourd; vide under duma.

jibda ḳassa, Cissampelos Pareira, Linn. (Menispermaceæ). “Velvet-leaf” of “False Pareira Brava.” An ivy-like twiner with greyish velvety leaves; the bitter root is sold as a medicine for many purposes, and is considered sarikin ḍachi as zuma is sarikin zaḳi. (The name is sometimes corrupted into judar ḳas). Also called fiyaka or piyaka. vide also under gaḍaukuka.

jigari (Ful.), a var. of dawa, q.v.

jimbiri, “haricots verts,” uncooked bean pods used for food, vide under wake.

jimfa, vide majimfa.

jimfi or jimpa jimpa (Kats. Sok. and Zanf.), vide gajiri.

jimshi, vide dussa.

jina jina (Sok. and Zanf.), vide bajini.

jinin mutum, Arnebia Hispidissima, DC. (Boragineæ); a rough-leaved weed with small yellow flowers and a red root capable of use as a dye.

jirga (Sok. and Kats.), Bauhinia rufescens, Lam. (Leguminosæ). A shrub with small bifid leaves and black twisted pods; used medicinally and as a charm. Syn. tsatsagi (Sok. Zaria, Kano, &c.) or matsagi.

jiri, Stereospermum Kunthianum, Cham. (Bignoniaceæ). A tree with beautiful pink flowers, smooth bark and slender pendulous pods; more commonly called sansami, q.v.