207 



Vernac. names. — Alupayida (Lagos, Punch, MacGtregor, Dawodu) ; 

 Alupaida (Badagry, Milleri) ; Caiala camoxe, or Camoxo-caiala 

 (Golungo Alto, Welwitsch) ; Dabra (Hindoo, Watt, DymocW. 



Lagos, Abeokuta, Badagry, in S. Nigeria ; Nupe, and Bassa, in 

 N. Nigeria. Found also in many other parts of Tropical Africa to 

 Zambesiland, and in India, Ceylon, Malaya, Philippine Islands, &c. 



The leaves beaten to powder are used for the cure of gonorrhoea in 

 Lagos (Punch, Herb. Kew), used medicinally in Lagos (Millen, I.e.). 

 In the Punjab the fruit is used as an application to the sore mouths 

 of children, and in Southern India the plant is a supposed antidote 

 to the poison of the phiirsa snake. — Echis carinata (Diet. Econ. Prod. 

 India). 



Found as a common weed, Bassa Province (Elliot, Herb. Kew) ; 

 common in moist places, Nupe (Barter, I.e.) ; on dry rocky soil, 

 altitude 700-800 feet, Congo region (Fr. Hens, I.e.) ; on rocky soil, 

 Madi (Speke & Grant, I.e.) ; on sandy plains, altitude 2000 feet, 

 Lake Albert (Dawe, I.e.) ; at an altitude of 2000-6000 feet, Nvasa- 

 land (Whvte, I.e.) ; 8000 feet, Nyika Plateau (McClounie, I.e.) 



Alysicarpus, Neck. 



Alysicarpus rugosus, DO. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. II. p. 171. 

 Vernac. name. — Gadiggi (Katagum, Dalziel). 



Katagum ; Niger ; and extending through Tropical Africa to the 

 Cape. Found also in Tropical Asia, Australia, and the West Indies. 

 Food for horses, sheep, goats, &c. Katagum (Dalziel, Herb. Kew). 



ClCER, Linn. 



Cicer arietinum, Linn. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. II. p. 172. 



Ill.—Lzm. Encycl. t. 632 ; Schk. Handb. t. 202 ; Zorn. Ic. PI. 

 Medic, ii. t, 146 ; Plenck. Ic. vi. t, 564 ; Bot. Mag. t. 2274 ; Sibth. Fl. 

 Gr. viii. t. 703 ; Wight, Ic. PI. Ind. or. i. t. 20 ; Duthie, Field 

 Crops, i. t. 8 ; Church, Food Grains, India, t. 23 ; Agric. Gaz. N.S. 

 Wales, ii. 1891, t. 13 ; Rchb. Ic. Fl. Germ. xxii. t, 267. 



Chick Pea ; Egyptian Pea ; Horse Gram ; Black Gram ; Bengal 

 Gram ; Garavance ; Chiches (Bot. Mag. 1. c.) ; Idaho Pea. 



Cultivated in Africa, India, S. Europe, &c. 



One of the most nutritious of the pulses, and grown chiefly for food. 

 In France it is used roasted as a substitute for coffee. The parched 

 seeds are also used in confectionery ; the green peas as a vegetable ; 

 the meal for making porridge, and the young plants may be eaten 

 like spinach. Frequently carried by travellers crossing deserts, being 

 considered more capable of supporting life, weight for weight, than 

 any other kind of food (Mus. Kew). 



The seeds are good fodder for horses, cattle, sheep, &c, but the 

 plant is not suitable for this purpose, as the leaves contain an acid 

 (oxalic chiefly), which in excess would be poisonous. 



This acid, known as " Kudlee Hoolee " in Bombay, is so sharp as 

 to destroy the shoes of a person walking through a field where the 

 plants grow (Frere, Mus. Kew). A solution of the leafy secretion is 

 collected in India by spreading cloths over the plant at night, and 



