those of maonde in addition is drunk to cure one of the venereal diseases, ntongo. 

 The roots with other roots and the heads of two snakes, kalikwiti and songo, are 

 burnt and the ashes rubbed into an incision as a cure for snake bite. Has been used 

 as a cover crop to prevent soil erosion. Leaves can be used as cattle fodder. 



Ref. 14; 15; 26. 



306. Mimusops sp. (Sapotac.) 

 Njolokwe. 



A large tree found in short grass country, flowers in November. 

 The fruits are edible. 



307. Moghania macrophylla (Willd.) O. Ktze (Papil.) (Syn. Flemingia rhodocarpa 

 Baker). 



Damate (C), name given because leaf sticks to the hands, kumata = to plaster, 

 mhuto ya cule (C) ; a place for frogs. 



A shrub with trifoliate leaves, white or pink flowers in short croAvded racemes. 

 It bears a large number of small pods covered on the outside with a bright orange 

 powder which can easily be rubbed off. Known in the hills of the Kota Kota and 

 Zomba Districts. 



The orange powder is believed to be the "waras'^ of the East Coast Africans 

 who use it to dye silk a yellow colour and for dyeing bamboos for baskets but is 

 not suitable for dyeing cotton. The pods are squeezed with water or boiled and 

 give an orange coloured liquid used by children as ink. An infusion of the roots is 

 drunk as a cure for dysentery and also for utumbidwa (N), a disease of young children 

 when they are weaned early, due to the birth of the next child. The hole from which 

 the roots are dug is left and forms a suitably xlamp place for frogs to live in, hence 

 one of the vernacular names. 



308. Momordica foetida Schum. & Thonn. (Cucurbit.). 

 Tungwi (Ml). 



A creeper from a stout perennial root ; male flowers in umbel-like cymes, female 

 solitary on long stalks, corollas very pale yellow; fruit about 3 ins. long, yellow or 

 pale orange when ripe, covered with soft prickles, bursting and exposing seeds in a 

 red pulp; flowers in March (Mlanje), leaves available all the year. 



The young shoots are cooked, often mixed with pumpkin leaA^es for a side-dish 

 (Mlanje). The product is bitter and so is usually refused by men. It is eaten by 

 women and is said to go well with bran porridge, gaga. 



*309. Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moring.) Horseradish tree. 



Camwamha (N), kangaluni (N, Dedza Lake-shore), sangoa (Port Herald). 



A small tree, native of India and Arabia, about 25 ft. high, bark pale; leaves 2-3 

 pinnate ; flowers paniculate strongly scented, petals white with yellow dots at base, 

 pods up to 13 ins. long, slender, 9-ribbed, seeds 3-winged. Commonly planted in 

 villages at low elevations in Karonga, Kota Kota, Fort Johnston and Lower Shire 

 Districts. 



The leaves with or without the flowers are cooked as a side-dish. They are 

 first pounded then cooked in a solution of potashes; pounded groundnuts and 

 tomatoes are added. The product is well liked. The fiuits are used by Indians 

 for flavouring purposes. An oil is obtained from the seeds known as " oil of Ben or 

 Behen " suitable for lubricating watch sprmgs and other delicate machinery. It is 

 considered valuable for ointments and the best fatty oil is of use in perfumery, owing 

 to the fact that it is of a clear colour, tasteless and without odour, it also keeps for 

 almost any length of time without becoming rancid. Used as a live fence tree. 



Ref. 7; 8; 23; 26. 



