644 
In Dahomey according to the French explorer, the women are 
forbidden to eat the beans. 
"'Last year (1910), thanks to the kindness of First 
Lieutenant Haring of Sokode-Bassari (Togo), the Botanic 
Garden at Dahlem near Berlin received excellent seeds of 
this remarkable fruit. They germinated well and numerous 
plants were raised by Chief -Inspector F. Ledien, not a few 
of them flowering in July and August. A number of seeds 
were sent to Inspector E. Rettig of the Botanic Garden at 
Jena, and under his careful and intelligent treatment, 
splendid specimens grew up of which some even set fruit. 
The unfavorable and cold summer of 1910, however, prevented 
their maturation. The flowers are very small and papilion- 
aceous and spring from the creeping stem close to the 
ground. The flowers of the variety with light or occasion- 
ally black-mottled seeds are white, those of the other 
varieties pale violet. 
"'It is desirable to follow up the distribution of 
this cultivation, particularly among the natives in Togo, 
where it may also be found in the wild state. Similarly 
Voandzeia subterranea, so generally cultivated in Togo, has 
never been observed in the spontaneous condition. It is 
also possible that Kerstingiella occurs in the Hinterland 
of the Camaroons (Adamaua, Zola, Gerau, etc.). Chevalier 
states that the Hausa traders contended that it existed in 
British Nigeria and the probability that the Hausa people 
were instrumental in the spreading of the cultivation is 
obvious. The Hausas call it Kouarouroi according to 
Chevalier. It is also said to occur in Borgu. It is true, 
at the first glance it might be mistaken for Voandzeia sub- 
terranea and Schweinfurth actually suggests that this has 
been the case with certain writers (Zeitschrift d. Gesell- 
schaft f. Erdkunde, 1910), but the expert will always dis- 
tinguish them. Habit and leaves are similar and yet dis- 
tinct, and Voandzeia, so long and so well known to us, has 
above all much larger globose seeds. 
"'In any case, I should be very grateful for any com- 
munications concerning Kerstingiella or Voandzeia, their 
cultivation and use, and particularly if they are accomp- 
anied by flowers, fruits, and seeds. Material of this kind 
would enable us to establish the distribution of the plant. 
Kerstingiella might possibly also be grown with advantage^ 
in other parts of our colonies. Moist and hot countries do 
not suit it; in Togo it occurs according to Kersting in 
sandy laterite loam, in a climate of low humidity with 
occasional heavy showers and a shade temperature of 18°- 
34°C. ' " 
"As the resemblance between Kerstingiella and Voandzeia 
