The useful trees of northern Nigeria — Inside the Classic

THE USEFUL TREES OF NORTHERN NIGERIA

BY H. V. LELY _Assistant Conservator of Forests_

Published by the Crown Agents for the Colonies, 4, Millbank, London, S.W. 1. 1925.

DESCRIPTIONS OF SPECIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER 1

APPENDIX I.—TABLE OF FLOWERING SEASONS 121

APPENDIX II.—LIST OF SPECIES ARRANGED IN FAMILIES 126

INDEX OF NATIVE NAMES 127

The text and plates of this volume have been prepared with the primary object of identification of the trees of the savannah forests of Northern Nigeria. The volume is, in no sense, a Flora, and no attempt has been made to include all the species found in the region under survey. Trees, being distributed over a large number of Families of the plant kingdom, are a small proportion of the total number of flowering plants, and their systematic arrangement would not, except in a few cases, be an aid to identification. Some 30 Families are represented by the 120 species included, in one of which there are as many as 36 species. The botanical names are arranged, therefore, in their alphabetical order so as to group certain genera and species whose similarity aids identification and to make the volume, in its index form, handier for reference.

The text is arranged in paragraphs, the first giving a general description of the form, height, girth, habitat, locality, &c., successive paragraphs describing in detail the bark and slash, thorns, wood, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds, with a few notes on uses where these are known. These paragraphs are in uniform order for rapid reference.

The text is supplemented by drawings of the flower, leaf, thorn, fruit and seed, sketched from the living specimens. Wherever possible the drawings are actual size to avoid calculations from enlarged or reduced figures, but a number have been enlarged to show structures, or reduced owing to their actual size. In several cases sections of various parts have been made to illustrate peculiarities of structure, a pocket lens being used for this purpose, though practically all the parts drawn are visible to the unaided eye.

The majority of the botanical names have been verified through the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

In describing the woods, few of which are in use and many of which are little likely to be of use, an attempt has been made to strike a path midway between the complete technical and botanical description employed with regard to timbers and a vague statement as to colour, quality, hardness and grain which helps little to distinguish the individual from others like it. Most of the woods are described from samples collected by the author and shaped by the Sokoto Arts and Crafts School. I am indebted for these, and for the facilities offered for observing their behaviour under tools, to Mr. W.E. Nicholson. The dry weight of seasoned wood is given in all cases and in this connection it may be noted that a number of species produce heavier wood in the north than they do in the south.

A table of flowering seasons has been appended, with a few notes on its significance.

A second appendix arranges the 120 species under their Families. The _Genera Plantarum_ of Bentham and Hooker has been followed.

Finally, there is an index of _Hausa_ names for reference to the plates and text, whose numbers are given in the index. A blank column has been left in the index for the benefit of those who may desire to collect either additional _Hausa_ names or the nomenclature of other tribes. It is hoped that the scope of the volume will be enlarged thereby, so as to cover other parts of Nigeria where the trees are the same but the language different.

The botanical name, being universal, is always given preference. The native names, variable and unreliable as they often are, should be a secondary consideration, their importance resting in their being a means of communication with the native rather than a short cut to the botanical names. In a country where there are several native names for one tree or one native name for several distinct species, the knowledge gained is either limited to a small number of trees or applicable to a small area of country. But once examined and properly identified, no number of native names need confuse the real identity. In collecting native names a warning should be given against the ignorant or ready-to-please native, and independent corroboration is advisable before accepting a name as worth recording. At the same time it is a fact that names genuinely differ in quite small areas of country where the same language is spoken, and a knowledge of the botanical names or real familiarity with the tree species is essential to reliable work.