296 



" Karumga " gum from Bornu province has been valued in London 

 (Jan. 1910) at 30s. per cwt. for " large grade," and 19s. per cwt. for 

 " medium " and " small " grades — all unfit for use in confectionery 

 owing to the presence of dark -coloured fragments, which gave a 

 rather marked colour and taste to mucilage made from it ; but the 

 relatively high viscosity and strong adhesive power of its solutions 

 made it suitable for other industrial purposes (Bull. Imp. Inst. 1910, 

 p. 359). 



For general particulars on the trade, &c, see A. Senegal. 



Elephants feed on the pods — knocking the trees down to get at 

 them — in the Nile region (Grant, I.e.). 



The tree is common north of the Equator in Tropical Africa. 



According to Vogel (Fl. Trop. Afr. ii. p. 351), there are woods of 

 enormous extent between 12° & 16° N., occurring in isolated examples 

 in dry, stony (not in sandy) places from the Black Mountains (29° N.) 

 to Kuka (Bornu). Forests of it exist in 9° to 10° N. on the left 

 bank of the Nile, where the trees are the size of a large apple tree, 

 flowering and fruiting in March (Grant, I.e.) ; characteristic of black 

 cotton soils throughout all parts of the [Egyptian] Sudan (Muriel, 

 Indian Forester, xxviii. 1902, p. 48). The tree is a prominent 

 feature between Nimale and Gondokoro, Madi and Bari countries, 

 and it is remarkable for the fragrance of its flowers (Dawe, Rep. 

 Bot. Miss. Uganda, 1906, p. 34). 



Acacia stenocarpa, Hochst, Fl. Trop. Afr. ii. p. 351, also yields a 

 " gum arabic," known like the present species as " Suakim," " Talca " 

 or " Talha " gum (see Fluckiger & Hanbury, Pharmacog. p. 234), but 

 there are no specimens at Kew from Nigeria. 



Ref. — " Gomme du Senegal," Heckel, in Ann. L'Inst. Col. Marseille, 



vi. 1899 : Gommes, Resines, pp. 18-29 (in part). "Acacia Segal" 



in Toxicologic Africaine, De Rochebrune, ii. fasc. 2 (1899), pp. 201-202. 



" Acacia fistula ," I.e. pp. 202-204. "Acacia Segal" in Les 



Veg. Utiles de L'Afr, Trop. Franc. Chevalier, Perrot et Gerard, iii. 

 pp. 60-64. 



Acacia Sieberiana, DC. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. II. p. 347. 



III.— Be Rochebrune, Toxicol. Afric. ii. fasc. 2, p. 207, ff. 182-183 

 (pod &, seed). 



Vernac. names. — Sie (Oloke Meji, Foster) ; Katalabu (Bornu, 

 Bull. Imp. Inst. 1910, p. 357) ; Mussongue or Mussonde (Pungo 

 Andongo, Welwitscli) ; M'Salla (Madi, Grant) ; Mussongue (Angola, 

 De Wildeman) ; Sing, Zing, Singdour (Ouoloff, De Rochebrune) ; 

 Baggui, (Bambara, Chevalier) ; Alouk or Alouki (Timene, Chevalier). 



Oloke Meji (Foster, No. 15, 1906, Herb. Kew); Yo, N. Bornu 

 (Elliott, No. 151, 1904, Herb. Kew) Katagum (Dalziel, No. 300, 



1908, Herb. Kew). 



Yields a gum, of an inferior quality to that of A. Senegal, but 

 possibly saleable at a remunerative price (Col. Rep. Misc. No. 63, 



1909, p. 154). For general particulars of trade, &c, see A. Senegal. 

 Bark used for making a coarse cordage, and pods used for tanning 



(Moloney, For. W. Afr. p. 342). 



Ropes are made of the bark in Madi (Grant, Trans. Linn. Soc. 

 xxix. p. 67). 



Flowers richly scented, appearing in April (18° N.) (I.e.). 



Ref. — " Acacia Sieberiana" in Toxicologic Africaine, De Roche- 

 brune, ii. fasc. 2 (1899), pp. 207-208. "Acacia Sieberiana" in 



