NIGERIA 207 



places its limit at Tagalel, in Damerghu, or about 15° North 

 latitude. 



In Hausaland it is a conspicuous tree, less from its dimensions than 

 from the beauty of its foliage, sometimes umbrella-spreading and at 

 others compact, and giving a good deal of shade when in full leaf. 

 The ground becomes littered with the small leaflets in the dry months, 

 and as a rule little undergrowth is to be found beneath it. 



In Sokoto and Kano provinces, and elsewhere in the North, speci- 

 mens with a dense, compact and symmetrical crown are common, the 

 branches often reaching to within 3 or 4 feet of the ground. The fruit 

 has familiar medicinal and culinary uses, but rarely develops the soft 

 rich pulp of the Indian specimens. One of the wild silkworms, Anaphe 

 sp., feeds on the leaf, the silken nest being called " Tsamiyar'Tsamiya." 

 A familiar association which did not escape the notice of Dr. Barth 

 is that of tamarind and baobab, in which case the former is often 

 without a proper bole and spreads itself half scandent amongst the 

 stout branches of the baobab. 



Parkia filicoidia, Welw. Dorowa ; " West African Locust Bean." 

 A characteristic tree of the savannah forests, and one of the most 



typical members of the open park-like formations. It appears to be 



scarce in Bornu, but abundant from Zaria to Katsina, and its northern 



limit is probably about 14° North latitude. 



The pods afford both food and fodder, the fermented cakes called 



Daudawa, made from the seeds, being an article of local commerce. 



In the bush, far from villages, Dorowa trees are ownerless, but elsewhere 



they are generally private property. 



Burkea Africana, Hook. Farin makarfo. 



A tree of 30 to 40 feet, of irregular distribution in open savannah 

 forests, fairly common between Yola and Bornu as well as in Southern 

 Sokoto. It has light, silky foliage, flowers in pendulous, creamy spikes, 

 and dark, almost black, bark. The hard wood is used for handles 

 of axes and hoes. 



Prosopis oblonga, Benth. Kiriya. 



A common tree of the savannah region, extending beyond the 

 Anglo-French boundary, but better developed in the Benue region, 

 where fair timber specimens occur. The wood is hard, with red centre 

 wood, and takes a beautiful polish. It is recognized by its acacia- 

 like foliage, spikes of creamy flowers and stout brown pods, with seeds 

 sometimes used like those of Dorowa. 



Bauhinia reticulata, DC. Kargo. 



A shrub or small tree, one of the commonest constituents of the 

 bush savannahs ; readily recognized by the cleft leaves, rusty bark 



