L
labaye = tofo, q.v. sprouting leaves of any plant; (sabon ganye mai tofo).
laḅayi, a var. of cotton; vide under abduga.
laḅanda, a name given to several varieties of grass used for thatching; in Sokoto and Zanfara generally = Andropogon apricus, var. africanus, Hack. vide jan baḳo.
labsur or lausur, Lepidium sativum, Linn. (Cruciferæ). “Common” or “Garden Cress.” Cultivated in Kano, &c. The seeds are a native medicine called algarif, q.v.
labuje, a var. of kola nut; vide under goro.
ladiko? a species of bean; vide ḅarankachi. (Possibly = lalego (Kano), a sort of hand-rattle used by women).
laka, vide under shalla.
lalaki (Sok.), vide under shinkafa.
lalemo (Sok.), a grass for thatching.
lalle, Lawsonia alba, Lam. (Lythrarieæ). “Egyptian Privet” or “Henna;” a small shrub planted for the sake of the leaves which are used all over the Sudan, in Egypt and the East, to dye the nails, &c.
lallen jibba or lallen suri, vide ḳuruḳuru.
lallen shamuwa (Sok.), Gisekia pharnaceoides, Linn. (Ficoideæ); a common spreading weed. (Etym. probably from the ruddy tinge of the plant). Syn.?dandami.
lalu, Corchorus tridens, L. and C. trilocularis, L. (Tiliaceæ); common weeds related to jute, used as pot-herbs. Syn. turgunuwa; (including also the wild form of C. olitorius, vide under malafiya).
lanya, vide limniya.
lausur, vide labsur.
lawashi, vide under albasa.
lawur, 1. = Sweet Potato, vide dankali. 2. A var. of gero, q.v.
lemu, Citrus Medica, var. acida, Brandis (Aurantiaceæ). The Lime. A naturalized shrub in Nigeria. babban lemu or lemun Maka, The Orange (Citrus Aurantium, Linn.). lemun yan sariki, lemun magajiya or lemun Masar, The Citron (Citrus Medica, Linn.); rare but half naturalized near Sokoto. namijin lemu, vide innuwar gada.
liḍi, vide riḍi.
limniya or lanya = green algæ forming a slimy growth in stagnant water. Syn. dauḍar ruwa.
limniyar kwaḍi or lanyar kwaḍi, Kœmpferia æthiopica, Benth. (Scitamineæ); a plant with a conspicuous delicate purple flower growing in shady places (commonly mistaken for an orchid). Etym. = “frog-spawn,” from the slimy juice.
loda or lodar marina, Vitis pallida, Baker (Ampelideæ). Syn. dafara, q.v. A vine. The viscid extract of the root-bark gives a smooth surface to native cement used for dye-pits, &c. N.B. In Sokoto the name loda is also used for the plant with viscid juice, Rogeria adenophylla, J. Gay (Pedaliaceæ), vide baba rodo.
lojiya, vide rojiya.
loko, Chlorophora excelsa, Benth. and Hook. fil. (Urticaceæ). Iroko (S. Nigeria), or Odum (Gold Coast); a large timber tree; used for canoes, building, &c.
lubiya, vide rubiya.
luddai, a var. of the bottle-gourd; vide under duma.
lubatu, a kind of food made from the ground-bean kwaruru, q.v.