667 



Vernac, names. — Ninkon (Old Calabar, Imp. Inst. No. 1, 

 1906, Herb. Kew); Kete-nfe (S. Nigeria, Johnsori)\ Miraculous 

 Berry (Yoruba, Barter) ; Katemfe (Soudan, Daniell). Akoos, 

 Katemfe (Yoruba, Hillier). — Miraculous fruit of the Soudan. 



Onitsha and other parts of S. Nigeria; Cameroons, Sierra 

 Leone. 



" Seeds covered with mucilage remarkable for a sweet liquorice 

 taste rendering the palate incapable of distinguishing other 

 flavours for some time/' Onitsha (Barter, Herb, Kew); "seeds 

 sucked by natives " (Imp. Inst. I.e.). " We have been told that 

 monkeys eat this'' fruit with great avidity and we are also informed 

 that the taste of sweetness remains in the mouth of persons 

 who have tasted it for some tw^enty-four hours/' (Letter, Messrs. 

 Abram Lyle & Sons, Ltd. London, to Director, Kew, Feb. 10th, 

 1912). 



The properties are said to be somewhat similar to those of 

 Sideroxylon dulcificum, A. DC. (Kew Bull. 1906, p. 171 and the 

 present work, p. 402), 



A plant about 5 ft. high in deep vegetable soil, Onitsha 

 (Barter, I.e.); the bright crimson fruits are developed just above 



the surface of the soil. 



Eef, — " Katemfe or the Miraculous Fruit of the Soudan," 

 Daniell, in Pharm. Journ. xiv, 1855, pp. 158-159. — - — Ninkon 

 and Mfrinlvon " Fruits and ' Inkon ' leaves from S. Nigeria " 

 Col Rep. Misc. No. 71, 1910, pp. 232-233. 



Phrynium, Willd. 

 Phrynium Benthami, Baker [Sarcophrynium macrostachyum, 



K. Sch.]; Fl. Trop. Afr. VII. p. 323. 



Vernac. names, — Gbodogi (Lagos, MacGregor, Daivodu) ; 

 Mfrinkon (S. Nigeria, Imp. Inst. No. 2, 1906, Herb. Kew). 



Lagos. 



" Seeds surrounded by a similar jelly, but not eaten or sucked 

 like those of "Ninkon " {Thaumatococcus Daniellii), the so-called 

 "male" (Imp. Inst. No. 2, 1906, Herb. Kew). Plant "used in 

 roofing houses," Lagos (MacGregor & Dawodu, Herb. Kew), 



Phrynium ramosissimum, Benth. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. VIL p. 326. 



Nupe (Barter No. 1542, Herb. Kew) and also known from 

 Fernando Po and Angola. 



Leaves used to wrap Kola Nuts {Cola acuminata) in to keep 

 them moist during their transit to the interior (Barter, I.e.) and 

 to roll up cakes called " quiqangas " — "made of boiling meal 

 obtained by pounding dried ' Mandiocca ' {Manihot utilissima) 

 roots previously steeped in water for several days," Angola 

 (Monteiro, June 1873, Herb. Kew,). 



A mat made of the spUt stems of a species of Phrynium is in 

 the Museum at Kew, from Ikpa, Cross River (Holland, 1899) 

 w^hich may belong here or to the above species. 



