Chap. XXXIY. THE DELE'B PALM. 
427 
a very close and coarse fibrous tissue, not separating 
from the large stone, and having a mawkish taste, 
which soon grows disagreeable. It cannot be at all 
compared with the banana, and still less with the fruit 
of the gonda-tree. It is, when full-grown, from six to 
eight inches long and four inches across, and of a yel- 
lowish brown colour; the kernel is about two inches 
and a half long and one inch thick. However, it is 
of importance to the natives, and, like the fruit of the 
dum-palm, it yields a good seasoning for some of their 
simple dishes. They make use of the stone also, break- 
ing and planting it in the ground, when, in a few days, 
a blade shoots forth with a very tender root, which is 
eaten just like the kelingoes ; this is called " mur- 
rechi " by the Hausa people, " bachul " by the Fiilbe, 
both of whom use it very extensively. But it is to 
be remarked that the gigina, or deleb-palm, is ex- 
tremely partial in its local distribution, and seems not 
at all common in A'damawa, being, as my companions 
observed, here confined to a few localities, such as Laro 
and Song ; while in the Miisgu country it is, according 
to my own observation, the predominant tree ; and, 
from information, I conclude this to be the case also 
in the southern provinces of Bagirmi, particularly in 
Somray and Day. However, the immense extension 
of this palm, which, probably, is nearly related to the 
Borassus flabelliformis*, through the whole breadth 
* See a paper read by Dr. Berthold Seeman in the Linnaaan 
Society, November 18th, 1856. 
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