G
gaba chara (Sok. and Zanf.), Acacia Dalzielli, Craib. (Leguminosæ); a tree with panicles of yellow flower-balls. (Etym. the name of the yellow-breasted thrush Cossypha albicapilla). Syn. gwanno.
gabara (Sok.), Arundo Donax, L. (Gramineæ). “Spanish Reed;” a very tall grass of river-banks, with hollow stem and large silky flowering head; stems used for flutes and pipe-stems. Syn. machara, q.v. and wutsiyar giwa.
gabaruwa, syn. bagaruwa, q.v. Acacia arabica, Willd.
gabu, vide under albasa.
gaḍakuka or gaḍaukuka (Katagum, &c. the Ful. name); Aristolochia albida, Duch. (Aristolochiaceæ); a twiner with oddly shaped lurid black-purple flowers; sometimes confused with jibda ḳassa, q.v, and the bitter root sold as such; a remedy for Guinea-worm, &c. and a bitter tonic. Syn. maḍachin ḳassa, dumar dutsi, and?fiyaka.
gadagi, Alysicarpus vaginalis, DC. (Leguminosæ); a common herb, used when ripe as a fodder for horses; (including the similar A. rugosus, DC.).
gadon machiji (Sok.), Trianthema monogyna, L. and T. pentandra, L. (Ficoideæ). “Horse Purslane;” two very similar and common succulent weeds, forming a thick growth in waste places. Synonyms are hana taḳama (because one has to walk warily amongst it), and dabrin saniya (= “cow’s lip” but cf. halshen saniya or fasa ḳabba). The name is elsewhere commonly applied to a species of convolvulus, yamḅururu, q.v.
gadu (Zanfara), Pavetta Barteri, Dawe (Rubiaceæ); a shrub the leaves of which are used by some pagan tribes as food, with kunu of cereals, &c.
gagayi, an aphrodisiac prescription of 12 ingredients; vide gangawari; applied also to several plants supposed to have the same property, e.g. baḳin gagayi = Fadogia agrestis, Schweinf. (Rubiaceæ), an erect plant with a tough root.
gaji (Sok.), a grass used for plaiting armlets, &c. (Syn.?karani and darambuwa).
gajiri, Cymbopogon hirtus (Gramineæ); a tall grass used for thatching, for zana, &c. Syn. jimfi, or jimpa jimpa (Sok. Kats. and Zanf.). The name probably includes more than one species.
gamba, Andropogon Guyanus, Kunth. (Gramineæ); a very common tall grass with bifid flowering spikes; perhaps the most commonly used grass for zana.
gamji or ganji (Kano), Ficus platyphylla Del. (Urticaceæ). “Gutta-percha Tree;” a large tree with broad conspicuously veined leaves and small edible figs (vide lubiya). The latex forms an inferior kind of rubber (“Red Kano rubber”).
gamma faḍa (Kano, &c.), Cassia Kotschyana, Oliv. (Leguminosæ); a tree with laburnum-like yellow flowers and long cylindrical pods which do not split. Syn. malga or marga (Sok. Gobir, &c.). Also Cassia Sieberiana, DC. and perhaps other species (very similar to the “Pudding Pipe Tree”—Cassia fistula). The dark pulp around the seeds is a laxative drug. Scarcely distinguished in Hausa from the somewhat similar Cassia Arereh, Swartzia madagascariensis, Oliv. and others whose pods split longitudinally. vide under bayama, bogo zage, and haḍa fuḍa. The pods of some of these are sometimes used as a fish-poison, vide under ago and baina. (Etym. gamma faḍa—“leading to feud,” from unskilled or improper use as a drug.)
gamma gari, vide under goro.
gamma sanwa, vide bakin mutum.
gammon bawa, Merremia angustifolia. Syn. yamḅururu. (Etym. the equivalent of a Beri Beri name—“slave’s head-pad”).
gandi, a var. of kola nut; vide under goro.
gangamau, Curcuma longa, L. (Scitamineæ); Turmeric, a plant like ginger; the rhizome is sold in the form of slices and used as a yellow dye for leather, &c. Syn. turri. (Kanuri kurgum, Arabic and Hebrew kurkum). cf. zabibi.
gangame (Sok.), the expanded fronds of the palms goriba or giginya, &c. Syn. kari (Kano); nearly the same as kaba, q.v.
gangawari, the thickened root of a sedge or grass; one of the constant ingredients of the aphrodisiac gagayi, q.v.
ganji (Kano). Syn. gamji, q.v. Ficus platyphylla, Del.
ganji gaga, a var. of kola nut; vide under goro.
ganwon rama = coils of undressed hemp fibre, vide under rama.
garafuni, Momordica balsamina, L. (Cucurbitaceæ). “Balsam Apple;” a twiner of the cucumber family, with yellow flowers and orange-yellow tubercled fruits; used medicinally and in soup, and as a soap forming a viscid solution in water.
namijin garafuni, Ctenolepis cerasiformis, Hook. f. a twiner of the same family, with scarlet cherry-like fruit. Syn. ḍiyan hanwawa (Sok.).
garafunin fadama or g. kwata, vide gautan kwaḍo.
garamani (Sok.), Sida cordifolia, L. (Malvaceæ); a hard-stemmed weed with soft cordate leaves and yellow flowers; (a pest in Sokoto, &c.). Syn. farin garamani as distinct from baḳin garamani or ramaniya, q.v. In East Hausa sometimes called mai-ḳafo (from the paired long processes on the carpels); also kardafi (Katagum). The bark yields a fibre.
garaji, a fodder grass with edible grain.?The same as baya and saḅe, q.v.
garangarma, vide under guna.
garasa, vide katsaimu.
gardayi, Acacia macrostachys, Reich. (Leguminosæ); a gum-yielding acacia common in Sokoto province.
garicha (Zanfara), Ficus sp. (Urticaceæ). vide haguguwa and uwar yara.
gasaya (Kano, &c.), Gynandropsis pentaphylla, DC. (Capparideæ); a common herb near habitations, with 5-foliate leaves and white flowers; used as a pot-herb. Syn. yar unguwa (Sok.). The name namijin gasaya is applied loosely to several weeds, e.g. Amaranthus polygamus, L. (Amaranthaceæ), Polanisia viscosa, DC. (Capparideæ), Croton lobatus, L. (Euphorbiaceæ), &c.
gatarin kurege (Sok.), Gloriosa superba, L. a climbing lily, more generally known as baurairai, q.v.
gatarin zomo, Tacca pinnatifida, Forst. more commonly known as giginyar biri, q.v.
gaton kariya or chuchun kariya, vide gujiyar hankaka.
gauḍe, Gardenia erubescens, Stapf and Hutch. (Rubiaceæ); a shrub, common in the bush, with fragrant white tubular flowers, tough wood and yellowish ovoid edible fruit. The fruit is used by women in the preparation of a form of the black cosmetic katambiri, q.v.
gauḍen dutsi (Sok.), Gardenia Sokotensis, Hutch. a low shrub with white flowers, found on rocky hills.
gauḍen kura, Gardenia ternifolia, Thunberg (= G. Thunbergii, Linn. f.), a shrub similar to gauḍe, with coarse not edible fruit.
gaugayi, vide ḳuduji.
gauta, Solanum sp. Native bitter tomato; probably a var. of Solanum Melongena. ḍata or ḍwata (gautan ḍwachi) is a small very bitter variety, scarlet when ripe, and usually lobed; used in soup; kulufita, smaller than gauta; yalo, a large var. scarlet when ripe, often eaten raw = Solanum Melongena, var. inerme, Hiern. (N.B. The “Brinjal” or “Aubergine” or “Egg Plant” is S. Melongena, Linn.).
gautan bagirmi, vide gorgo.
gautan kaji, Solanum nodiflorum, Jacq. (= S. nigrum, var. guineense, Linn.) “Black Nightshade;” an erect branching weed of waste places with white flowers and small black berries. cf. gautan tsuntsu.
gautan kura, Solanum incanum, L. a prickly undershrub with hoary leaves, a yellow tomato-like fruit, and white or lilac-purple flowers; a deliriant poison. The name includes other poisonous species of Solanum in different districts. Sometimes called idon saniya = “ox-eye,” from the Ful. name giti nai.
gautan kwaḍo, Cardiospermum Halicacabum, L. (Sapindaceæ). “Balloon Vine,” “Winter Cherry,” or “Heart Pea;” a straggling plant of damp and waste places, with tendrils and graceful foliage, small white flowers and bladdery 3-angled capsule. Syn. garafunin fadama or garafunin kwata (kwata = water-side); vide also godar zomo.
gautan tsuntsu, Solanum scalare, C. H. Wright; a plant of the native tomato tribe, with small red edible berries, cultivated near houses. (The name is often confused with gautan kaji, q.v.).
gautan zomo, Mukia scabrella, Arn. (Cucurbitaceæ); a rough-leaved twining plant (like Bryony), with small red berries. Syn. malami, q.v.
gawasa, Parinarium macrophyllum, Sabine (Rosaceæ). “Ginger-bread Plum;” a broad-leaved tree found in the northern provinces, bearing a dry plum-like fruit.
gawo, Acacia albida, Del. (Leguminosæ); a large acacia-tree very common in the north; bearing creamy-white flower-spikes and orange-yellow twisted pods; it is leafless during the rains and blooms from October onward; foliage a good camel food. A sort of pack-saddle called tasshi (East Hausa), is made from the bark.
gayan gayan, a sort of twining bean. (?Vigna membranacea, A. Rich.), vide waken barewa.
gazara, a tall grass, used for arrow-shafts.
gazari, a var. of kola nut; vide under goro.
gazari or gizeri (Hadeija), Mærua sp. (Capparideæ); a tree with smooth bark, whitish flowers and small beaded pods.
geḍa (Kano, &c.), gyaḍa (Sok.), Arachis hypogæa, L. (Leguminosæ). “Ground Nut.” “Monkey Nut.” “Archides.” “Earth-pea.” In Sokoto usually called gujiya, q.v. Eaten raw or roasted or prepared in various ways. man geḍa = the expressed oil, used for cooking and as an illuminant; harawar geḍa, ground-nut hay, a valuable dry-season fodder; kwalli kwalli, balls or rings like doughnuts, made of ground-nut paste fried in oil. gujiya kolanche (Sok.), a var. of geḍa with long pods.
geḍar awaki, common leguminous weeds of fields, with yellow flowers and inflated pods, used as fodder. Syn. hudar awaki, biranar awaki, &c. (Crotalaria cylindrocarpa, DC. C. atrorubens, Hochst. C. macrocalyx, Benth. C. maxillaris, Hochst. and other species).
geḍar kurumi, Pterocarpus esculentus, Sch. et Thon. (Leguminosæ); a tree of river banks and forests in the south, with yellow flowers and short irregularly shaped 2-seeded pods; the seeds—called also gunduru—are roasted and eaten in scarcity.
geḍar ruwa, Trapa bispinosa, Roxb. (Onagrarieæ). “Water Chestnut.” “Water Caltrop.” An aquatic plant with floating leaves and edible horned fruit, cultivated in ponds. (Scarcely known in Hausa; the name is the equivalent of the Ful. biriji diam). Syn. kwankwarita (East Hausa).
gemen kusu or g. ḅera, Fimbristylis exilis, R. and S. (and other spp. Cyperaceæ); a small tufted sedge with very slender leaves and slightly fragrant root. Syn. riḍin tuji.
gero, Pennisetum typhoideum, Rich. (= P. spicatum, R. and S.). “Bulrush Millet.” “Pearl Millet.” cf. maiwa (P. spicatum, var.), and damro; (vide also under karmami and yabainya).
Some of the varieties of gero are:—
idon hawanya, with a large grain concealed in the husk;
haḳorin machiji (North of Kano), a long spike with abundant hard very small grains;
zango, with a very long fruiting spike;
zamfaruwa; bazaume or bazarme (a corruption of Ba-Zabarme);
girgera or gargasa, a white-grained variety like maiwa, but considered one of the best or most elegant (= farin gero or geron Adar, because common in French territory);
ba anguri (East Hausa), the same as or a near variety to girgera;
tarnekuwa; wuyan bajimi, a short thick spike with hard grain and much chaff;
tamangaji, a variety with pointed grains;
lawur, a short variety quickly ripe;
shibra or shura (Pennisetum Benthamii, Steud. var.?), a short and thin-stemmed variety early maturing; (also applied to infertile spikes not maturing, stripped while young and used in kunu or soup, &c.).
Lesser variations are:—
halshen damo, with a bifid spike;
gero mai geme, when the lower part of the flowering spike is compound;
gero mai gashi, a bristly spike, (considered of value because birds cannot plunder), and called gargasa (= hirsute) in Kano; the same as girgera;
gumba = gero cleaned, husked and winnowed, and ground up for eating uncooked with milk and other food.
Geron tsuntsaye, 1. Phyllanthus pentandrus, Sch. and Thon. (and other similar species of Euphorbiaceæ); a common slender-branched weed with minute capsular fruit eaten by birds; syn. hatsin tsuntsaye. 2. The fruiting head of a species of bulrush (Typha australis), called shalla, q.v.
gewayen tsamiya, usually = Vitis quadrangularis, vide ḍaḍori, but sometimes applied to several other plants growing under or climbing upon the tamarind-tree.
geza, Combretum sp. probably C. altum, Perr. (Combretaceæ); a shrub or small tree with white flowers and 4-winged fruit, well known in the north.
fara geza, Combretum aculeatum, Vent. a shrub with 4-winged fruit and clusters of white flowers; (a different species from the above).
gigi? (Sok.), vide faskara toyi.
giginya, Borassus flabellifer, var. æthiopum, Warb. (Palmeæ). “Deleb Palm,” “Fan” or “Palmyra Palm;” common straight-stemmed palm with fan-like leaves.
muruchi = the young germinating shoots, eaten as a vegetable; shedari = a mat made of the unexpanded fronds—(called murlin giginya, vide under murli).
ḳodago, the nut, and the kernel kwalshi, vide under goriba. cf. also gangame, kankămi and ḳarari. ḳarri (Kano) = fronds of giginya, cf. kaba.
ḳundu (Kano) = the bulging of the giginya stem.
giginyar biri, Tacca pinnatifida, Forst. (= T. involucrata, Sch. and Thon.) (Taccaceæ). A perennial herb with a superficial resemblance to a small palm, having a long-stalked divided leaf and an umbel of greenish flowers and yellow succulent fruit. The large starchy tuber is an important article of food in some countries; a var. of “arrowroot” is prepared from it in the Pacific Islands and elsewhere; vide under amara. Boys call the tall flowering stems sandan yan bori, sandan biri, or sandan dutsi, and use them as toy spears. Other names for the plant are gatarin zomo and?yayu or tara yaya (Katagum).
girgera, a var. of gero, q.v.
giri giri, 1. In Sokoto = aya aya, q.v. the tuber of a sedge. 2. In Kano, Hadeija, &c. =?Pachyrhizus tuberosus, Spreng. “Yam Bean” or “Manioc Pea;” a bean with a starchy tuberous root. (vide also sa baba sata). The name includes Vigna ornata, Welw. a tuberous-rooted bean, with handsome pink flowers, in the Benué district (Munchi-ahoma). A speckled variety of the seeds is called kashin kaza.
gishirin dawaki, a grass; vide dataniya.
gishishiya? (Zanfara), a species of acacia; vide dussa.
giwa kamba, a var. of dawa, q.v.
giyeya or giyaiya, Mitragyne africana, Korth. (Rubiaceæ); a tree with spherical heads of flowers, abundant in damp localities.
gizaḳi (Zanfara), Carissa edulis, Vahl. (Apocynaceæ); a scrambling shrub with black sweet berries. The root is put in the goran ruwa to render water agreeable. Syn.?uwa banza.
gizari, vide gazari.
gizgiri, Cyperus auricomus, Spreng. (Cyperaceæ); a tall sedge with tuberous slightly fragrant root which is used like kajiji, q.v. Syn. kajijin fadama; (possibly the same as ḍan Tunuga, q.v.).
gizgirin kaba, vide under goriba.
godar zomo, Tinnea Barteri, Gürke (Labiatæ); an undershrub with a deep-purple flower and inflated calyx. (Etym. “hare-bell”). (Also applied to Cardiospermum Halicacabum, vide gautan kwaḍo, on account of the inflated capsule).
goga jiki, Combretum sp.?C. leonense, Engl. and Diels.; a tree with rough fissured bark. (Etym. from the chafing of the skin when faggots are carried in the arms). A gum-yielder.?Syn. wuyan damo, q.v. gogin damo (Zanfara).
goga masu, Mitracarpum scabrum, Zucc. (Rubiaceæ); a weed with small white flowers, used as a medicine for hair-lice, itch, &c. (Etym. “smear spears,” from its superstitious use as a preventive against wounds). Syn. harwatsi (Sok.).
goge (?Hausa), Feretia canthioides, Hiern. (Rubiaceæ). Syn. ḳuruḳuru, q.v. and lallen suri.
gogin damo, vide goga jiki.
goji, pumpkin, vide under kabewa.
gojin jima or gunar jima, Adenopus breviflorus, Benth. (Cucurbitaceæ); a wild pumpkin-like twiner growing on trees, with ovoid mottled fruit used by tanners for dehairing.
gombiliki (Sok.), vide falfoli.
gongola or gwongola, a canoe-pole of the tukuruwa palm, q.v. (gwangwala = the Nupé name for the palm Raphia vinifera).
gora, a var. of the bottle-gourd; vide under duma.
gora, Oxytenanthera abyssinica, Monro (Gramineæ); a kind of bamboo, common in ravines.
gorgo (?Kanuri), Solanum sp.; the flowers of a plant like the native tomato (gauta), used to rub the teeth. Syn. gautan bagirmi and jaudari (East Hausa).
goriba, Hyphæne Thebaica, Mart. (Palmeæ). “Dum Palm.” “Ginger-bread Palm.” Common palm with forked stems. kaba, q.v. = the fronds, used for plaiting various articles; gizgirin kaba = the thickened root of giginya; kwalshi = the edible kernel of the unripe nut eaten raw; ḳodago or ḳwalu = the ripe hard nut; the rind is used as food and in making maḍi (molasses) and allewa (a sweetmeat); zaḳi birri (East Hausa or Kanuri) = the rind made into cakes (waina, &c.). Fibre is got from the root, vide under meḍi. cf. also gangame, kankămi, ḳarari and murli.
goriya, vide under goro.
goro, Kola Nut; the seed of Cola acuminata, Schott. and Endl. and other species (Sterculiaceæ). (The true Kola has the seed divisible into 2 sections (cotyledons), in the other species there are usually 3 or 4. “Genuine” Kola nut = C. acuminata (Gold Coast). “False” Kola nut = C. Johnsoni and C. verticillata (Gold Coast). “Bitter Kola seeds” = Garcinia Conrauana, Engl. (Guttiferæ) (N. and S. Nigeria), eaten but not a stimulant). Imported from Gold Coast, Lagos, and Adamawa; cultivated in some southern provinces. Some of the numerous trade varieties are:—
goriya, pl. goriye, the largest nuts; marsa, the second size of nuts; minu, the smallest; labuje, a large pale var. from Gwanja and grown in Bida, said to be the best; ḍan kwataho, the best in Adamawa, Benué, from Ngaumdere, Bamyo, &c.; ataras, a Gwanja nut; hannu ruwa, a cheap pale variety divisible into 3 or more sections, from Bamyo, &c. (name from the viscid juice); ḍalaka or ḍan laka, a larger nut resembling hannu ruwa; sandalu, also a pale nut of similar type; ganji gaga, pale with about 4 sections, of inferior quality; from Bafum, &c.; gazari, an inferior var. viscid like hannu ruwa, from Bafum, &c.; ibi, an inferior var. got from Yoruba, not reddening the mouth (sometimes classed as goron biri); gandi, an inferior pale var. like ibi; jan karago, an early maturing rough-skinned var.; gamma gari, mature at the height of the season; nata, red and smooth, usually small.
ḅare = half a kola nut; gutsuri = pieces of kola nut handed round a company.
saran waga = 100 nuts of mixed sizes; farsa = the separated sections.
mijin goro, Sterculia or Cola, or Garcinia sp. (vide above), “Wild Kola,” “False Kola,” used medicinally. vide also sarawan goro.
goron biri or g. ruwa, Irvingia Smithii, Hook. f. (Simarubeæ); a large evergreen tree by streams and in ravines, with scarlet plum-like fruit.
goron yan makaranta, an insect gall on the grass called katsaimu, q.v.
guda (Kano) or gudaji (Sok.), a bulb; the common onion, one of the varieties of albasa, q.v.
guḍe guḍe, Dactyloctenium ægyptiacum, Willd. (Gramineæ). “Comb Fringe Grass;” a small grass with 4-rayed spikes; a good horse fodder.
gudumar biri, vide katsaimu.
gudumar zomo (East Hausa), a name for Gloriosa superba, L. vide baurairai.
gujiya (Kano &c.), Voandzeia subterranea, Thouars. (Leguminosæ); a kind of ground-bean; the so-called “Bambarra Ground Nut.” Syn. kwaruru, q.v. N.B. In Sokoto and some other districts gujiya is also used for geḍa (Arachis hypogæa)—kwaruru or Voandzeia subterranea being distinguished as g. dukkus (Sok. and West), etym. from the dwarf habit—; similarly g. ḳwarasḳwaras (Sok. and Kano); g. tsugunne (Kano)—etym. tsugunna = to squat—gujiya al kuluga, and g. maikwokwo (from the resemblance of the pods to the smallest calabash) are names in East Hausa; g. kolanche (Sok.) = a long variety of Arachis or geḍa, q.v. bidi = one of the varieties of gujiya with spotted and mottled seeds.
gujiyar awaki, vide geḍar awaki.
gujiyar dawaki (Zanfara), Polygala arenaria, Willd. vide sa hankaki dako.
gujiyar hankaka (Katagum), Indigofera echinata, Willd. (Leguminosæ); a weed with small prickly pods, eaten by goats, &c. Syn. kwankwan dafi (Sok. and Kats.); also chuchun kariya or gaton kariya.
gumba, vide under gero.
gumbi, loosely applied to several plants which form thorny thickets; e.g. in Sokoto gumbi generally = Mimosa asperata, a thorny shrub very abundant on river-banks. vide ḳaidaji and cf. dufuwa and ḳumchi.
gumi = rice boiled and dried (in which form it is commonly sold); ḍanyen gumi = husked but still unboiled rice. vide under shinkafa.
guna, Citrullus vulgaris, Schrad. (Cucurbitaceæ). The “Water-Melon” (a very variable species). gunar mutane or kankana = the edible or garden water-melon, with red pulp and black or red seeds; gunar shanu = the common half wild and cultivated var. with deeply cut leaves, and spherical fruit with green variegated stripes when unripe; fari (Kano and East) = a large water-melon, usually white-fleshed; kwokiya = a smaller sweet melon; tamna geḍa = a small melon like kwokiya, but only eaten cooked (= garangarma, East Hausa); bambus = a variety known in the north; agushi (Yoruba egushi) = seeds of water-melon, sold for various uses—chewing, medicine, oil, and food.
gunar jima, vide gojin jima.
gunar kura, Cucumis Figarei, Del. (Cucurbitaceæ); a wild prostrate gourd with ovoid slightly prickly fruit; better known as tsuwawun zaki, q.v.; also called maḳaimi.
gunda, gundar kabewa = the small immature fruits of the pumpkin (vide kabewa), used in soup. gundar turu turu = unexpanded flower-buds of ḍorowa, q.v.
gunduru, vide under geḍar kurumi.
gunguma, a long-leaved plant (?Amaryllideæ), used to stupefy birds, and sometimes added to arrow-poison.?Syn. murtsunguwa.
guntsu = seeds of kuka, q.v.
gurasa, vide under alkama.
gurdugu, Grewia sp. (Tiliaceæ); a shrub with small yellow flowers and sweet edible berries. Syn. kamu mowa, q.v. and?kimbar dutsi.
gurguzu = seeds of the “Red Sorrel” or yakuwa, q.v.
guriya (Sok.) = seeds of cotton; vide under abduga.
gurji, Cucumis Melo, Linn. var. agrestis, Naud. (Cucurbitaceæ); a small prostrate gourd with ovoid striped fruit used in soup; much used in East Hausa and Bornu; probably more than one variety; e.g. kwantal or gurji kwantal—a smaller one less used. Syn. gwalli (Sok.). gurjin daji, applied to some wild gourds, e.g. Cephalandra indica, Naud. a wild climber with white flowers and cucumber-like fruit turning red and succulent; not edible.
gurjiya, Bombax buonopozense, Beauv. (Malvaceæ). “Red-flowered Silk Cotton Tree;” a tree like rimi, q.v. but smaller, with red tulip-like flowers and stout thorns on the branches. The silky hairs are used to stuff pack-saddles, armour-quilts &c. Syn. kuriya (Sok. and Zanf.).
guro (Sok.), Hibiscus esculentus, Linn. The okra. Syn. kuḅewa, q.v.
gursami, a plant with radiate tuberous roots eaten in scarcity.
gusu? (Zanfara). Syn. for tsa, q.v. a shrub—Phyllanthus reticulatus.
gutsuri, vide under goro.
gwabsa (Sok. Kats. and Zanf.), Cussonia nigerica, Hutch. sp. nov. (Araliaceæ); a tree with large digitate leaves, corrugated bark and odorous sap; often called takanḍar giwa, q.v.; also hannun kuturu (from the bare leafless branches in the dry season). namijin gwabsa (or takanḍar giwa, Sok. Kats. and Zanf.) = Hannoa undulata, Planch. (Simarubeæ); a tree with pinnate leaves, fragrant white blossoms, and black plum-like fruit.
gwaḍayi or gwoḍeyi, Hippocratea obtusifolia, var. Richardiana, Loes. (Celastrineæ); a twining shrub with tough stems used as tie-tie for tanka, &c., resisting white ants. (Perhaps several plants of similar habit and use are included in the Hausa name; cf. kana kana). cf. the expression gwaḍayi, ba saranka, ba ja—if not cut first it cannot be broken by pulling.
gwaigwaya? (Katagum &c.), Cyperus exaltatus, Retz. (Cyperaceæ); a tall sedge of wet places, with 3-angled stem, and radiating numerous flower-spikes. Syn. karan masallachin kogi.
gwalli, vide gurji.
gwanda or g. Masar, Carica Papaia, Linn. (Papayaceæ). The “Pawpaw” or “Melon Tree.”
gwandar daji, Anona senegalensis, Pers. (Anonaceæ); a species of Custard Apple common in the bush, with yellow edible fruit and fragrant leaves.
gwandayi (Kano &c.), Stylochiton Dalzielii, N.E. Br. sp. nov. (Aroideæ); a plant of the Arum-lily family, with arrow-head leaves and a yellow root; young leaves and root sometimes eaten as a pot-herb after prolonged boiling to remove the acrid principle. Syn. kinchiya (Sok. and Kats.).
Gwanja kusa, a name for several plants supposed to have properties resembling kola and other economic products of Gwanja in G. Coast, N. Terr. e.g. often applied to the “Akee Apple”—Blighia sapida, Koenig. (vide alale), which has scarlet fruit reminiscent of kola; also Parinarium curatellæfolium (vide rura), a tree the young leaf of which is sometimes chewed and reddens the mouth; the flowers of Trichilia emetica (vide jan saye), similarly used; the herb Heliotropium Zeylanicum, Lam. (Boragineæ), used as a tonic, and staining the lips like kola. Also several plants which turn black in drying (chiefly Scrophularineæ), and are sometimes mixed with indigo, e.g. Cycnium camporum, Eng. with white petunia-like flowers.
gwanno (Sok. and Zanf.), vide gabachara.
gwano rafi, Olax subscorpioidea, Oliv. (Olacineæ); an evergreen shrub with an unpleasant odour; (gwano = the stink ant).
gwaska, itchen gwaska, Erythrophlœum guineense, Don. (Leguminosæ). “Sasswood.” “Ordeal Tree.” A forest tree; the bark (“sassy bark”) is used by some pagan tribes in an ordeal brew and as an occasional ingredient in arrow-poison.
gwaza, Colocasia antiquorum, Schott. (Aroideæ). The “Koko yam” (Yoruba—koko); an aroid plant with huge arrow-head leaves, cultivated for the starchy tuber. gwazar giwa, one of many names for an aroid with large lurid purple flower-spathe, a much-divided leaf and a bulky tuber with acrid juice; called also hansar giwa (“elephant’s breast”), kunnen jaki, buran jaki, and sometimes kinchiya, q.v.) = Amorphophallus dracontioides, N.E. Br.
gwazkiya (Zanf.), vide bogo zage.
gwoḍeyi, vide gwaḍayi.
gwolon zaki, vide tsuwawun zaki.
gwundi, a var. of cotton; vide under abduga.
gyaḍa, the ground-nut, vide geḍa.
gyamro, vide under dawa.
gyandama, a var. of the bottle-gourd, vide under duma.
gyazama, Rottbœllia exaltata, Linn. fil. (Gramineæ); a tall harsh-leaved grass, eaten by horses; called also dadawa and dawa dawa.