28 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXX. 
the northern province of Asanti ; and the trees which 
furnish these different kinds of kola nuts do not 
belong to the same species, b^ing distinguished as 
Sterculia acuminata^ or the red kola nut, and Sterculia 
macrocarpa^ or the white k61a nut ; although the va- 
riety appears merely to apply to the seed, the fruit of 
the latter kind being generally of larger size, while 
both flower and leaf are quite identical. 
But there is a good deal of variety in the character 
of the giiro nut of each of these two species ; and 
in Kan6 four different kinds are distinguished, accord- 
ing to the size of the fruit ; namely, the guriye, the 
largest fruit, which often measures an inch and a 
half, and sometimes even nearly two inches in diameter, 
and is sold at a very high price; secondly, the 
marsakatu ; in the third place, the sara-n-waga ; 
and fourth, the menu. But this is not all. There 
is a further distinction of three kinds, according to 
the season when the fruit is gathered : first, the ja-n- 
kardgu, the first giiro, which is collected about the 
end of February, but spoils easily, like the takduf 
among the dates ; secondly, the gammagdri, collected 
at a later season, when the greater part of the fruit 
is ripe, and remaining from three to four months on 
the tree, being regarded by the Arabs as correspond- 
ing to those kind of dates called tasfirt ; and lastly, 
there is the ndta, the rest of the guro, and of small 
size, which does not spoil. 
As for the guro sold in Timbuktu, I had no oppor- 
tunity of observing so many different varieties, but 
