FORESTRY OF WEST AFRICA. 285 



Gossfpitim herbaceum, L. —Branching annual or 

 perennial cultivated in almost every district of Tropical 

 Africa. The bulk of the cotton supply from India is 

 furnished by this species. 



Distribution : Upper Guinea, Nile Land, Mozamb. 

 District, Cape de Verd Islands. 



Gossypium arboreum, L. — Shrub cultivated in most 

 tropical countries, and yields part of the cotton of 

 commerce. 



Cotton seeds give a fixed oil, said to be an excel- 

 lent substitute for olive oil. The residue or cake after 

 the expression of the oil is employed for feeding 

 cattle. The root bark is regarded as an excellent 

 emmenogogue. — ' Medicinal Plants,' Bentley and 

 Trimen, vol. i.. No. 37. 



Baobab, Monkey-Bread Tree, or Ethiopian Sour 

 Gourd {Adansonia digitata, L.). — Tree of moderate 

 height, with a trunk of vast thickness. The bark is 

 used for paper-making, and by the natives of the 

 Umyali River, S. Africa, as quinine in fevers. The 

 pulp of the fruit is slightly acid, often eaten, and the 

 juice from it is used as a specific in putrid and pesti- 

 lential fevers. The powdered leaves are used in soups, 

 sauces, &c., by the Africans, under the name of " Lalo," 

 to diminish perspiration and to keep the blood in a 

 healthy state. — 'Treasury of Botany,' Lindley and 

 Moore. Kew Museum, &c. 



Distribution : Upper Guinea, Nile Land, South 



