138 



The tree could be propagated by seeds, and it appears to thrive 

 in any soil. It is said to be confined to the moist evergreen 

 forests. 



Be/.— "On the Nutritive Value of Dika Bread," Attfield, in 

 Pharm. Journ. [2] iii. 1862, p. 445.—" Etudes sur L'Herbier du 

 Gaboon" (Mangifera gabonensis), Baillon, in Adansonia viii. 

 pp, 82-88. — " Sur les Vegetaux qui Produiscent le Beurre et le Pam 

 D' O'Dika du Gabon-Congo," Heckel, in Ann. de l'lnst. Col. de 

 Marseille i. 1893, pp .1-31. — Ibid, in Ann. Fac. 8c. Marseille, iii. 

 1893, pp. 1-35. — " Irvingia gabonensis, Dika du Gabon," in Les 

 Bois industriels, indigenes et exotiques, Grisard & Vanden-Berghe, 

 Ed. 2, i. pp. 247-248.— " Dika Nuts from Southern Nigeria," in 

 Bull. Imp. Inst, 1906, pp. 19-22.— Ibid, 1908, pp. 374-375.— 

 " Irvingia gabonensis," Drabble, in Quarterly Journ. Inst. Comm. 

 Res. Tropics, Liverpool Univ. Jan. 1908, p. 20. 



Irvingia Smithii, Hook. /., Fl. Trop. Afr. I. p. 314. 



Nupe. 



The fruit is of no value ; it is eaten, according to Barter, by 

 monkeys (Fl. Trop. Afr. i. p. 314). The wood is white, very hard, 

 and is used on the French Congo in construction work (De Wilde- 

 man, PI. Util. Congo, Art. xxvi. p. 379). 



Balanites, Delile. 



Balanites aegyptiaca, Delile ; Fl. Trop. Afr. I. p. 315. 



III. — Delile, Egypte, t. 28, f. 1 ; Baillon, Adansonia, ii. t. 10, 

 ff. 9, 10 (flower) ; Schnizlein, Ic. iii. t. 223* ; Haynald, PI. 

 Gommes, Resines, dans les livres Saints, t. 3 ; Ann. Inst. Col. 

 Marseille, 1902, p. 133, f. 10 ; Thonner, Blutenpfl. Afr. t. 73. 



Vernac. names. — Morotodi (Foulah, Barter [Nupe]) ; Kuge 

 (Arabic, Barter [Nupe]) ; Betu (Beriberi, Bull. Imp. Inst. 1907, 

 p. 332) ; Adua (Hausa, I.e.) ; M'choonchoo (Madi, Grant) ; Lol 

 (Senegal, Sebire) ; Soump, or Soumpa (Senegal, Sebire, Chevalier, 

 Grisard & Vanden-Berghe) ; Zaccone, Zacon, or Zachun (Arabic, 

 Grisard & Vanden-Berghe) ; Heglik or Heglisk (Arabic, Muriel 

 [Kordofan], Golville) ; Kha (Kordofan, Muriel) ; Lalloba (Arabic 

 for fruit, Muriel TKordofan]) ; Lalo (Congo, De Wildeman) ; 

 Mutenti (Kibero, Uganda, Dawe). — Egyptian Myrobalans ; Desert 

 Date ; Central African Date. 



Niger ; Nupe ; Bornu ; Lake Chad Region ; and common in 

 other Northern Provinces of N. Nigeria. 



Fruit edible. It has a bitter sweet flavour and aperient qualities ; 

 the natives in the neighbourhood of Fashoda are very fond of it 

 (Colville, Mus. Kew). In Nupe the fruits are eaten and used to 

 make an intoxicating drink (Barter, Herb, Kew). On the Congo 4 

 the fruits are eaten, and an alcoholic liquor is also made from them. 

 The leaves, according to Barth, are used in Bornu as a vegetable. 

 The root, bark, and leaves are purgative and vermifuge in moderate 

 doses (De Wildeman, PI, Util. Congo, Art. viii. pp. 50, 53). 



The kernels yield an oil known as " Oil of Betu," and as 

 " Zachun Oil," obtained by boiling ; used by the natives to rub on 

 their bodies, and also for food. The natives of Madi eat the fruit 



