Squirrels store the nuts in great quantity and gnaw at the hard shell to get 

 at the kernel inside. 



Beer is made from the fermented fruit (S.R.) and it is very rich in vitamin C 

 A gum exudes from the bark, which when mixed with soot is used as a substitute 

 for ink (S.R.). The fruit makes a good jelly. The timber is of medium weight, 

 grey-brown with good figure ; fairly durable and is used for dugout canoes. Probably 

 useful for structural purposes and furniture. 



Ref. 9; 14; 22; 26; 27. 



♦401. Secale cereale L. (Gram.), Rye. 



A grain crop only known in cultivation, it has been tried in various parts of the 

 country and found to do well. It has been grown successfully in a small way for 

 some years in the Southern Province, sowing the seed at the end of February or 

 early March on the ordinary dry agricultural soils. It is a crop well suited to light 

 sandy soil and will grow under conditions of considerable soil acidity. On the Vipya 

 it gives heavier yields by far than maize and it is tough or tougher than finger millet 

 in the way it resists drought and can produce a crop. 



The flour makes good porridge for African use when mixed with an equal amount 

 of maize flour. If used alone the product is said to taste too sweet for most palates. 

 It is not as glutinous as wheat and has an advantage in this respect for porridge 

 making. The grain can also be used sprouted as malt for beer. For European use, 

 the flour ground whole in an ordinary maize mill and mixed with equal quantities 

 of wheat flour makes good bread. This mixture with the addition of 10-20 per cent, 

 soya meal makes an excellent loaf. 



Ref. 13; 23; 27. 



402. Secamone sp. probably S. whytei N.E. Br. (Asclepiad.). 



Bwazi (C). 



A herb growing to about 4 ft. 



The leaves are cooked as a side-dish in parts where there is extreme shortage, e.g., 

 Kasungu. The fibre is used for string. 



*403. Sechium edule Sw. (Cucurbit.). ^ Chayote, Shosho, Chocho. 



Citungula (Y), ngowe (N). 



This plant, native of the West Indies, was apparently introduced into the country 

 in about 1928 by a French Father from Madagascar and is now fairly widely dis- 

 tributed. It is a climber which bears large, yellowish-green fruits about 6-8 ins. 

 long, with deep furrows longitudinally. The fruit contains a large single seed and 

 after it has lain for a short while on the ground the young root and shoot begin 

 to show themselves. The fruit should only be partly covered with earth when it is 

 planted. Does very well at high elevations, e.g., Mwera Hill at 5,000 ft. 



The fruit when boiled resembles a gourd in consistency and in lack of flavour. 

 It is used for a side-dish in the Southern Province, the fruit is cut into small pieces, 

 boiled till soft when onions and pounded groundnuts are added. The product is 

 very appetising and well liked. The tubers, especially of 2-3 year old plants are 

 cooked and eaten as a delicacy in the Dutch East Indies. 



Ref. 13. 



404. Securidaca longipedunculata Fresn. (Polygal.), Tree violet. 



Bwazi (N), a generic name applied to a great many string-producing plants, cosi, 

 ciguluka (Y), njefu (To), nakabwazi (N), muluka (He), muvmluka (Tu, Nk). 



A shrub or small tree up to 20 ft. in height, bark grey and slightly rough, or 

 smooth with sometimes spiny branchlets; leaves deciduous, alternate, simple; 



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