631 



Prod. W. Afr. p. 122). Latex when dried is used for sealing 



native pots, Gold Coast (Johnson, No. 522, Herb. Kew) ; milk 



used by bird-catchers, Madi (Grant, Trans. Linn. Soe. xxix. 

 p. 149). • 



The bark is one of the tanning materials of the Sudan (Bull: 

 Imp. Inst. I.e.) ; under the name J^. platuphylla, Scott Elliot 

 states (Col. Rep. Misc.- No. 3, 1893, p. 40) that "the bark of 

 several kinds of ' Gongo ' or ' Gongwe ' is chewed with kola nut '^ 

 in Sierra Leone, and the bark is much used in making bark- 

 sheets and ropes, Madi (Grant, I.e.). The Monbuttu weave the 

 bast of the bark into a very durable fabric, used for clothing, 

 for which purpose they cultivate it near their huts (Schweiiifurth, 

 Heart of Africa, ii. pp. 88, 102). 



A large tree, 80 ft. high, 24 ft. in circumference at 3 ft. from 

 the ground, often epiphytic on other trees, Bornu (Vogel, I.e.) • 

 about 80 ft. high, Shai Plains, Gold Coast (Johnson, I.e.) and 

 in the Nile region— 5° S. to 3° 15" N; Grant (I.e.) observed 

 several noble specimens — one measured 12 fi 



from 

 might have been cut from them." 



planks 10 ft. long 



ends 



but it would be possible to propagate it freely from cuttings. 



Ref. — " Kano Rubber," in India Rubber Journ. Dec. 28th, 



1906, p. 680. " Product from Ficns platyphyUa," Col. Rep. 



Misc. No. 82, 1912, pp. 351-354. • 



Ficus polita, Vahl ; Fl. Trop. Afr. VI. Sect. 2, p. 124. 



III. — Warburg & De Wildeman, Ficus Fl. Congo, t, 20 

 (jP. niamniamensis) ; Sim, For. Fl. & For, Res. Port. E. Afr. 

 t. 88 {F. umhrosa, excl. of figs). 



Veryiac. names. — Durumi (Katagum, Zungeru, Dalziel) ; 



Africa 



Katag 



Upper Guinea from Senegal to the Cameroons, also in Shari 



region, JNile region, Angola, Belgian Congo and E 

 A common shade tree planted in towns, Katag 

 &c. (Dalziel, Nos. 321, 568, Herb. Kew); grows 



Africa 



high 



Afr- I.e.); 20-25 



;. Welw. Afr. PL 



p. 996); sometimes epiphytical, becoming later independent 

 (1,0. p. 998). 



:: 



Ficus populifolia, Vahl.-; Fl. Trop. Afr. VI. Sect. 2, p. 189. 



/ZZ.— Vahl, Symb. Bot. PI. i. t. 22; Schweinf. PL Nil. t. 16 

 (habit) ; L'Agric. Col. Italy, iv. 1910, p. 374, f. 45 (leaf) ; Engl. & 

 Drude, Veg. Erde, ix. p. 86, f. 67. 



r 



Vernac, names.— Bij a je (Hausa, Dalziel) ; Wa (Katagum^ 



Dalziel). 



Kilba, N. Nigeria, Cameroons, Eritrea, Somaliland, E. Africa, 

 Sudan and Arabia. 



