ARBORICULTURAL NOTES FROM PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA. I97 
(not having bamboos within the dry zone), I made a trial of this 
creeper for basket-work with satisfactory results, and all our 
agricultural and cotton gathering baskets are now made with 
it. The mid-rib of the leaf of one of our common dry-zone palms, 
Phenix reclinata (L.), is used as the framework. The mid-rib 
of the leaf of this palm is also used for fishing-baskets, and 
for the framework of the fish-fences that are to be seen along 
the coast, as it withstands the effects of the salt-water for a 
few years. 
Useful fibre plants which we have turned to account in 
making ropes are—Azbiscus vitifolius, Hl. calycinus, A. canna- 
binus, H. gossypinus, and HZ. tiliaceus. 
One of our best timber-trees is Zanthoxylum capense, the 
*‘knob-thorn” of the natives, a tree with curious spines on the 
trunk and branches, which are used for pipe-bowls. The wood 
is used for farm purposes, and the fruit, which is pungent, and 
is called the wild “cardamon,” is used medicinally, while the 
bark of the root is a native remedy for snake-bite. The white 
ironwood (Zoddalia lanceolata, Lam.) is a useful wood, and 
is used in waggon work. The timber of the Cape chestnut 
(Calodendron capense, Thb.), a handsome tree when in flower, 
is also used for waggon work. The white pear (Ajpodytes 
dimidiata, E. M.) yields a good hard wood. 
Zizyphus Jujuba (Lam.) and Z. mucronata (Willd.) are both 
very common. The fruit is eaten by the natives, and the 
root and leaves are used medicinally. The wood is very 
durable, and, owing to their thorny character, they are useful 
fence trees, and can be pruned into any form. hus levigata 
(L.) and &. longifolia (Sond.) yield useful, hard, heavy wood. 
Millettia caffra (Meisw.) is a small-sized tree, producing abundant 
handsome flowers. From this tree, the heart-wood of which 
is almost black, the natives make their walking-sticks and 
knob-kerries. Dalbergia multijuga (E. M.) and D. melanoxylon 
(Guill.) both yield hard useful wood, but they do not grow 
to a large size, and cannot compare with the Indian species. 
Dalbergia Sissoo (Roxb.) and Pygeum africanum (Hook.), the 
latter a large tree, not uncommon in Africa, produce good, 
useful timber. Combretum truncatum (Welw.), one of the largest 
and finest timber-trees in Africa, yields an exceedingly hard 
and heavy wood. Lugenia capensis (Harv.), £. cordata (Laws.), 
and £. sf. are all useful woods for house-building purposes. 
