37 



d in the Kew 



October last ; the plant has since been figured in Hooker's Icoiies 

 Plantarum, vol. xxix., tt. 2838, 2839. 



The names of three British officers must always remain 

 associated with the history of ' Yeheb ' ; that of Capt. Well by as 

 having first recorded the existence, appearance, and properties of 

 the plant, and as having supplied precise records of its occurrence ; 

 that of Col. Swayne as having first recognised the possible 

 importance of its seeds as a food-stuff and appreciated how 

 necessary it was to obtain scientific evidence as to their chemical 

 composition and nutrient value ; that of Capt, Cordeaux as having 

 been the first to procure, with much pains, the herbarium material 

 required for the botanical determination of the species. 



Material for Study— If the history of our knowledge of 

 'Yeheb' be simple, the task of unravelling it has been less 

 easy. The first intimation of the existence of < Yeheb ' to reach 

 Kew was the reference here, in the beginning of April, 190(5, 

 by Professor Church, of some seeds, termed * Yebb ' nuts, with 

 the information that they were of an interesting chemical composi- 

 tion, but with no clue to their origin. A. memorandum accom- 

 panying a consignment of seeds of the same species, sent to Kew 

 by the Imperial Institute on April 23, 1906, described them as 

 "'Yebb' nuts from Somaliland," but said nothing as to their 

 properties. There was nothing to indicate, and owing to the 

 interval between their receipt it did not happen to suggest itself, 

 that there might be a connection between these two sets of seeds. 



No trace of the name * Yebb ' could be found in the literature 

 or the correspondence at Kew, but the clue to their origin supplied 

 by this memorandum led to communication with correspondents 

 who had travelled in Somaliland or were interested in its vegetation. 

 The result was not encouraging, since those consulted appeared 

 unacquainted either with the name or with the plant 



Fortunately, on June 27, 1906, the Rev. Dr. Warre, while 

 visiting Kew, learned our difficulty, and although unable himself 

 to afford direct assistance, kindly volunteered to try to help 

 indirectly. His aid was prompt and effective. On July 6, 1906, 

 Dr. Warre wrote : — " I enclose a letter which I have received 

 "from Capt. Troyte, of the K.R.R., who was all through the 

 " Somaliland business. I am afraid that it does not throw much 

 "light on the subject of the nut, but it at least indicates the 

 " quarter from which information may be obtained, viz., Major 

 '' Cordeaux, the Consul-General at Berbera." A letter asking for 

 information and help w r as despatched to Capt. Cordeaux. 



Before a reply could be received from Berbera, Professor 

 Dunstan, F.R.S., wrote to Kew, under date July 18, 1906 : 

 " Last April I sent to you a specimen of Yebb nuts from Somali* 

 " land for identification. Mr. Hemsley, in his letter of 27th April, 

 l€ stated that it had not been possible to identify the nuts, but that 



as 



determine 



I shall be glad if you 



" will let me know whether it was possible to raise any plants 



from 



