The leaves are cooked as a side-dish. Although the leaves appear to be very 

 tough, potashes are not used to cook them. Some of the aCewa women cook them 

 in the sour liquid, matsukwa (C), obtained after maize has been soaked and in the 

 Lilongwe District (near Dzenza, D.R.C.M.), they are eaten mixed with potato leaves. 

 The product is not much liked and only cooked occasionally. 



444. T. oblongifolia Oliv. 



Mlombwe, mnombwe (N), mwanakazi {Tu),jandalala (Ng). 



An herbaceous plant with erect stem, hairy on the internodes; leaves ovate, 

 sessile, leathery, shiny, fringed on the margin with soft hairs; calyx smooth; flowers, 

 mauve with yellow throat. Widespread at higher elevations, is very conspicuous 

 when flowering in November in the Kota Kota Hills. 



For uses see T. lancifolia. 



445. Thunbergia sp. 



Cipere dodza (C). 



The plant is used as a cure for a skin disease, cipere. 



*446. Toona ciliata M. Roem. (Meliac). (Syn. Cedrela toona Roxb.), Cedrela, 



Toon tree or Red cedar. 



Native of tropical Asia, a much-branched tree up to 50 ft. with greyish-white 

 more or less smooth bark, leaves pinnate, glabrous or nearly so, leaflets lanceolate 

 to ovate-lanceolate ; flowers small white paniculate ; fruits an oblong capsule, seeds 

 winged at both ends. 



Planted as an avenue tree but sometimes used for afforestation. 

 Ref. 14; 26. 



447. Treculia africana Decne (Morac.) African bread fruit. 

 Lyaja (Y), njayi (C), mjaya (N), rnajaja, maja (Y), names of the fruit. 



An evergreen forest tree up to 80 ft. tall, with whitish latex, glabrous, dark- 

 purple branchlets; green spherical fruits, immature and mature up to a large size, 

 often abundant on the trunk and larger branches. 



The fruits attain 18 ins. in diameter and weight 18-30 lb., the seeds are numerous, 

 buried in spongy pulp. Collected by Kirk on the western side of Lake Nyasa and 

 known at the Kota Kota Lake-shore where the seeds are eaten. Recorded also in the 

 Nchisi Forest, along the Dwambazi River and elsewhere but generally speaking a 

 rare tree in Nyasaland. 



The seeds are extracted after macerating the fruit in water and are ground to a 

 meal and cooked to add to soup in (W.A.). Almond milk is made from the meal 

 and used in Portuguese African colonies. The roasted seeds are palatable to European 

 tastes. An edible oil can be extracted from them. The blue monkeys are very 

 fond of the fruits and extract the seeds. The heart wood is yeUow with very narrow, 

 pale sapwood, very dense, fairly elastic and flexible, rather heavy, of fine even 

 structure, suitable for furniture and w^ell suited for wood carving, turnery and inlay 

 wood. It is on the market as African boxwood, but is not exploited in Nyasaland 

 owing to its scarceness. 



Ref. 14; 15; 26; 27. 



448. Trema guineensis (Schum. & Thonn.) Ficalho (Ulmac). 



Mpefu (N), majanjajuni, yesa (Y), mpesi (To), msakasa (He), musyasya (Su). 



A much-branched quickly growing shrub or small tree up to 50 ft., trunk smooth 

 white or pale grey, with alternate ovate-oblong leaves; flowers small greenish, 

 clustered in the axils of the leaves ; fruits small, black fleshy ; a pioneer species of 

 rapid growth in areas cleared of forest and bush, common in evergreen forest and 

 bush in high rainfall areas. 



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