Treculia.] cxxiiic. MORACEiE (Hutchinson). 227 



glabrous. Seeds numerous, embedded in the syncarp, according 

 to Welwitsch sometimes more than 1500 in a single fruit, ellipsoid, 

 about 4 lin. long and 3 lin. in diam., with thin and smooth coats.^ 

 Walp. Ann. i. 658 ; Hook. f. in Bot. Mag. t. 5986 ; Ficalho, PI. Uteis, 

 272 ; Henriques in Bolet. Soc. Brot. x. 162 ; Engl. Monogr. Morac. 

 Afr. 32, tt. xii.-xiv. fig. B ; Hiern in Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. i. 1022. 

 Myriopeltis edulis, Welw. ex Hook. f. I.e., name only. Ficus Welwit- 

 schii, Miq. ex Hook. f. I.e., name onlv, not of Warb. Treculia 

 affona, N.E.Br, in Kew BuUetin, 1894,^ 360, and in Hook. Ic. PI. 

 t. 2353. T afrkana, var. nitida, Engl. I.e. 33. T. Dewevrei. De 

 Wild. & Dm-and, Contrib. Fl. Congo, i. 54, and III. Fl. Congo, 139, t. 

 Ixx. Ficus Whytei, Stapf in Johnston, Liberia, ii. 650 ; Mildbr. & 

 Bm-ret in Engl. Jahrb. xlvi. 269. 



Upper Guinea. Seiiegambia, Hcudelot. .Sierra Leone : iScarcics Valley ; 

 woods near Tawia, Scott Elliot, 4477 ! Liberia : Sinoe Basin, Whyte, 21 ! 

 Southern Nigeria : Onitsa, also with a range from the Niger Delta to 30 milca 

 above the confluence of the Niger and Benue Rivers, Barter, 432 ! Oloke Mcji, 

 Forster, 150 ! Yoruba, Millson ! Cameroons : Ambas Bay, Mann, 773 ! 

 Bipinde, Zenker, 3404 ! Batanga, Dinklage, 1411 ! and without precise locality, 

 Lmmbach, 3a. 



Nile Land. Niamniani : near Kulenjo, Schweinfurth, 2869 ! Uganda : 

 Busiro, Dawe, 145 ! Buvuma Island, Victoria Nyanza, Bagshawe ! 



Lower Guinea. Princes Island, Barter, 2001 ! St. Thomas Island, Quintan, 

 Hid ! Welwitsch, 2589 ! Gaboon : probably introduced from St. Thomas 

 Island, Klaine, 2097 ! Angola : Barra do Dande ; cultivated on Fazenda do 

 Bombo, on the right bank of the River Dande, Welwitsch, 2588 ! Golungo 

 Alto ; Alto Queto Mountains, Welwitsch, 2587 ! 



South Central. Belgian Congo : Niamniam ; on the Yuru River, Schwein- 

 furth, 3340 ! Assika River, Schweinfurth, 3318 ! Monbuttu ; Bumba River, 

 Schweinfurth, 3586 ; Umangi, Dewevre. 



Mozamb. Distr. Nyasaland : west shore of Lake Nyasa, Kirk ! 



De Wildeman {Contrib. Fl. Congo, i. 55) has laid considerable stress on the 

 value of the number of stamens as a specific character, having found only 2 in 

 the plant described by him as T. Dewevrei, pointing out that the type specimen 

 of T. africana from Senegambia was described as having 3-4 stamens. The 

 number of stamens seems to be of little account, for in the same head may be 

 found flowers with either 2 or 3 stamens, one of the anthers being often smaller 

 than the others, whilst in other heads there are some flowers with 3 and others 

 with 4 stamens. 



According to Barter, T. africana is the "Bread-tree " of the Lower Niger; 

 the fruit weighs from 18 to 30 lbs. ; the seeds are ground by the natives and 

 used as meal. 



Forster on his label states that the " fruits are poisonous to lioraes." 



According to Millson the fruits are placed in heaps and fermented : the seeds 

 are aftei-wards gathered, ground into a paste and cooked by frying in palm oil. 

 Although the fruits are regarded as poisonous to horses, sheep and goats, they 

 are, according to Millson, the favourite food of elephants. 



In Prince's Island Barter states that the plant is known as Oque by the Eboe 

 tribe. 



Welwitsch (cf. Hiern, I.e. 1023) states that in Angola the seeds are 'edible 

 when cooked, as large as Pin us Pinea, L., and not dissimilar in taste, sometimes 

 boiled, sometimes roasted or })repared like sweetmeats and so eaten by negroes, 

 especially by the Mahungos and abo by the colonists, and used in the preparation 

 of a kind of almond-milk which is tnily refreshing drink in these hot countries, and 

 alleviates in a very great degree the thirst of those striken down with fever."' 



