75 



Uses," Wester, U.S. Dept. Agric. Farmers' Bulletin 307, 1907, 

 pp. 1-6, figs. 6. 



Hibiscus surattensis, Linn. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. I. p. 201. 



III.— Rumpf, Amb. iv. t. 16 ; Cav. Diss. t. 53, f. 1 ; Bot, Mag. 

 t, 1356 ; Rchb. Icon. Hort. Bot. t. 141 ; Wight, Ic. PI. Ind. or. 

 i. t, 197 ; Gard. Chron. April 25th, 1891, p. 529, f. 105 ; Wood, Nat. 

 PI. iv. t, 358. 



Vernac. name. — Wongo (Lagos, Dawodu ; Oloke-Meji, Foster) ; 

 Awon-Ekun (Yoruba, Higginson). 



Old Calabar ; Lagos ; Oloke-Meji ; Brass. 



Yields a good fibre (Mus. Kew). Leaves acid, eaten in salads 

 (Loudon, Eucycl. PI. p. 587). A very handsome decorative plant, 

 figured in Gardener's Chronicle (I.e.) from plants flowered at the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Propagation by seeds or cuttings. 

 Common in open dry places (Scott Elliot, Herb. Kew) ; open bush 

 and Cassava fields (Bates, Herb. Kew). 



Hibiscus tiliaceus, Linn. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. I. p. 207. 



///.—Rumpf, Amb. ii. t, 73 ; Bot. Reg. t. 232 ; Tuss. Ant. ii. 

 t. 5 ; Desc. Ant. ii. t, 148 ; Bedd. Fl. Sylv. (Anal. Gen.) t. 4, f. 1 ; 

 Viclal, Fl. For. Filip. iv. t. 16 B ; Sinclair, Indig. Fl. Hawaiian Is. 

 t. 1 ; Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb. ix. t. 61 (Pariti tiliaceum) ; Karst. & 

 Schenck, veg. bild. iii. t. 42 ; Brandis, Ind. Trees, p. 75 ; Sim, 

 For. Fl. Cape Col. t. 14. 



Vernac. names. — Milolo (Luabo, Kirk) ; Umlolwa (Kaffir, Sim) ; 

 Majagua (Panama, Safford) ; Fau (Samoa, Tahiti, Safford) ; Pago 

 (Guam, Safford) ; Hau (Hawaia, Simla ir).- -Corkwood ; Lime 

 tree leaved Hibiscus. 



Niger ; Brass. Widely distributed in the Tropics. 



A useful fibre is obtained from this plant, a special feature of 

 which appears to be its durability under water. Tarring is said 

 to increase the strength. Suitable for making cordage, mats, &c, 

 and a likely substitute for Jute. The bark is of some value 

 medicinally ; the root possesses febrifugal properties, and is used 

 in the preparation of embrocation. The wood is light, durable, 

 and flexible. In Tahiti and Samoa it is said to be used for 

 planking and in the construction of light boats (Safford, PI. Guam, 

 p. 347) ; in India its chief use is for fuel (Diet. Econ. Prod. Ind.). 



This plant is propagated readily from seed. It will grow freely 

 in low lying swampy ground. It is plentiful in the Sunderbuns 

 of India, on the river banks of Burma, Ceylon, and is found near the 

 coast-line of many tropical and sub-tropical countries in both the 

 Old and the New World. 



The cultivation should therefore be easy, and worthy of con- 

 sideration in the delta of the Niger, where the plant already 

 exists in a wild state ; Barter (Herb. Kew) found it growing 12 feet 

 high on the sea shore at Brass. Sim (For. Fl. Cape Col. p. 143) 

 mentions that the tree is largely planted in the streets of Durban, 

 and that it grows to a height of from 20 to 30 feet. 



Re£.—"P(wifi tiliaceum" Safford, in Useful Plants of Guam, 

 (Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb. ix. 1905) pp. 346-347.— Manson, in Indian 

 Forester, 1905, pp. 347-350. 



