199. Entandrophragma caudatum (Sprague) Sprague (Meliac). Mahogany. 

 Napalali, ngundangoma (N), nagalawe (Y). 



A much-branched, deciduous tree up to 60 ft. tall with a rounded crown, bark 

 buff -grey, smooth, flaking off in large concentric rings, leaves pinnate, leaflets in 4-6 

 pairs, cordate long acuminate with long petiolules, flowers in long slender racemes 

 almost as long as the leaves, fruit about 6 ins. long, a woody, five-valved capsule 

 dehiscing apically, seeds glossy brown with an apical wing about 2 ins. long. 



A dark brownish-red wood which owes its attractive grain to its numerous 

 rings of parenchymatous tissue, has a whitish sapwood, is easy to work and seasons 

 readily when not naturally defective, has more conspicuous ripple marks than 

 almost any wood, when cut green has an unpleasant sour smell but this disappears 

 on drying. In S. A. is used for furniture. Weight 46 lb. per cu. ft. (Air dry). 



Ref. 14; 22. 



200. E. stolzii Harms. Mahogany. 



Mukarikari (Nk, Su). 



A large tree up to 140 ft. tall with a lightly branched crown, leaves pinnate 

 up to 12 ins. long, leaflets 4-7 pairs with short petiolules, oblong, flowers yellow-green 

 in rather open panicles, fruit a blackish 5-valved woody capsule about 6 ins. long 

 more or less beaked or pointed at the apex and dehiscing from the base upwards. 

 Found in rain forest in the Misuku Hills, Karonga District. 



A valuable and important timber tree (Tt). 

 Ref. 26. 



201. Eriosema polystachyum Baker. (Papil.). 

 Cinkwisi (C). 



A herb with trifoliate leaves and dense spikes of small pea-like flowers. 

 The roots are eaten raw by children from January to March. 



202. E. shirense Bak. f. (Papil). 



Kamhumukire (See also Eriosema sp. No. 203), kabomola (C). 



A herb with hairy linear lanceolate, trifoliate leaves, flowers in an open raceme 

 and small densely hairy pods. 



The roots are eaten raw by children from January-March (Kasungu and Kota 

 Kota foothills). 



203. Eriosema sp. 



Kamhumukire (C) (See also E. shirense). 



A herb with elongated (2 ins. long) swollen roots, glabrous leaves and dense 

 racemes of small yellow flowers. 



The roots are eaten raw by children from January to March (Kasungu District). 



204. Erythrina abyssinica Lam. (Syn. E. tom^ntosa R. Br.) (Papil.), Kafiir 



Boom, Lucky Bean. 

 Muale, mhale (C), mlindimila (G). 



A tree growing to a height of about 50 ft., often with a flattish rounded croAvn, 

 bark thick, corrugated, corky; leaves, deciduous, compound with three leaflets, 

 terminal one large and rounded; flowers large, 2 ins. long, red, showy in dense racemes 

 produced before the leaves from September to October; fruit a thick, woody, con- 

 stricted pod, seeds bright red with a black aril Found in drier parts of lower 

 mountain and plateau areas. 



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