142 NORTH-EAST AFEICA. 



Flora. 



Thanks to its variety of climate, the flora of Abyssinia is extremely diversified. 

 The two chief zones of vegetation are naturally those of the upland plateaux and 

 lowland valleys ; but many of the species flourish in both regions. Each plant 

 has its particular zone, differing in range and vertical height along the slopes. 

 The shores of the Red Sea have their special flora, characteristic of which are the 

 kudel {cassipourea africaim^ and the shora {avicennia tomcntosa'j, trees growing 

 on the strip of coast which is alternately flooded by the tides. On the shores of 

 Hawakil Bay these trees are similar in appearance and nearly as large as the 

 European beech. At the foot of the range in the Sahel zone, often described as 

 barren, the vegetation consists merely of scrub, except in the vicinity of the 

 streams. The flora of the kwallas is distinguished especially by its wealth in 

 deciduous trees, whose leaves fall in the dry season. Here flourish the sycamore 

 and the fig ; here the tamarind and acacia intertwine their thorny branches along 

 the banks of the mountain torrents. Here and there the huge baobab, " giant of 

 the vegetable kingdom," which, nevertheless, in many respects presents the 

 appearance of a grass, raises its bulging stem, often hollow and filled with water, 

 its tufted branches terminating in wreaths of foliage. When blown down by the 

 wind its huge trunk, some 60 to 80 feet in circumference, affords a refuge to the 

 shepherds and their flocks. 



The palm scarcely penetrates into the kwallas, being confined mostly to the 

 Red Sea coast. Hence the Abyssinians import their dates from Arabia. The 

 cereals are of a particular species, or else of varieties very different from those of 

 Europe, and flourish best in the middle zone, where nearly all the Abyssinian towns 

 are concentrated. The Shoa and Amhara peasants are said to possess twenty-eight 

 varieties of millet, twenty-four of wheat, sixteen of barley, and several kinds of rye 

 and maize. The most general cereal is the daknssa, an eleusina, which is now made 

 into beer, but which formerly supplied bread exclusively for the royal family. 

 The tef (tief), a species of poa, is also largely employed in the manufacture of 

 farinaceous foods. The potato, introduced by Schimper, after flourishing for 

 some time, was attacked by blight, and its culture has now been almost completely 

 abandoned. The nmsa emote, a species of banana growing in the kwallas, rarely 

 bears fruit, probably because it comes originally from the Galla lowlands. The 

 leaves are utilised for forage, and its roots taste like the potato when cooked. The 

 European fruit-trees, or their corresponding varieties, generally produce excellent 

 crops. The vine, doubtless introduced from Europe, as attested by its Greek name 

 of voina (oinos), was formerly widely diff'used throughout the whole intermediary 

 zone, which was thence known as " vine-land." But this plant has almost dis- 

 appeared, having been destroyed by the oïdium. Some travellers have also accused 

 King Theodore of having uprooted it, on the pretext that wine should be reserved 

 for beings superior to mortals. Lastly, coffee does not appear to be indigenous, 

 and is cultivated only in Go jam, in the Gondar district, on the southern shore of 

 Lake Tana, and in a few other regions of the plateau. 



