754 



Leaves used by native coopers when putting palm-oil casks 

 together, Lagos (Barter, I.e.); stems used for screens called 



" fedda " ; the soft core of the immature flowering head edible, 

 Kano (Dalziel, Hausa Bot. Voo. p. 87) ; rushes from the ashes of 

 which native salt is made, Manganja Hills, Lake Shirwa, Mozam- 

 bique District (Meller, I.e.). The plant forms part of the " Sudd" 

 of the River Nile — see under Cyperiis Papyrus, 



Plant attaining 5-6 ft. in height. A tall water reed 10-12 ft., 



very abundant in marshes from Sokoto to Bornu (Dalziel, Herb. 

 Kew) ; growing with Papyrus, abundant in many parts of the 

 Crado Lake, Lagos (Barter, I.e.), abundant by Lake Shirwa 

 (Melles, I.e.), in sw^amp on Mt. Marisu Plateau, B.C. Africa 

 (McClounie, Herb. Kew). 



AROIDEAE. 



PiSTiA, Linn. 



Pistia Stratiotes, Linn.; Fh Trop. Afr. VHL p. 140. 



IlL — Sloane, Hist. Jamaica, i. t. 2, f. 2 (Lenticnla pahistris); 

 Rumpf, Amb. vi. t. 74, f. 2; Rheede, Hort. Mai. xi. t. 32; Lam, 

 Encycl. t, 733; Diet. Sc. Nat. tt. 7-8; Roxb. Fl. Corom, iii. 

 t. 268; Desc. Ant. vii. t. 490; Griffith, Ic. PI. Asiatic, tt. 161a, 

 lGl/>; Martins, Fl. Bras. iii. pt. 2, t. 52; Bot. Mag. tt. 4564; 

 Lemaire, Le Jard. Fl. t. 137; Fl. des Serres, vi. 1850-51, t. 625; 

 :Engler & Prantl, Pflan. ii. pt. 3, p. 152, f. 100; Baillon Hist. 

 PL xiii. p. 449, ff. 323-327, 



Vernac, names, — Kai nuwa (Hausa, Dalziel) ; Eye-pity 

 (Gambia, Broivn Lester) ; Pana (Bengal, Watson) ; Quiapo 

 (Manila, Merrill)) Water Lettuce, Water Soldier (Ashanti, Chipv). 



Nupe 



:enni 



Herb 



Nile liand, Lower Guinea, Mozambique, and widely distributed 

 in fresh water rivers and pools in the Tropics. 



Used by the Natives of the Gambia as an anodyne eye-wash ; 

 the leaves are soaked in cold water. If the plant comes in contact 

 with the body it produces a sharp stinging sensation, hke 



a nettle sting, and 



(K 



Bull. 1891, p. 275). The ashes—" Pana Salt " are applied to 

 ringworm of the scalp in some parts of India (Dymock Pharm. 



lU 



Cultivated by the Chinese in Malaya (Ridley, Journ. Bot. xl. 



omeo 



p. 17) for feeding pigs. Beccari states — " I often admired the 

 splendid pigs bred by Cliinese, who certainly excel in the art of 

 fattening these animals; amongst other food they give them 



in swamps and pools, and boiled." 



purposely 



Antigua, Browne 



most 



use and Ivceps the water always fresh and cool, which would be 



