Useful Plants of Nyasaland. Edited by P.J. Greenway
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^^^ Useful Plants of Nyasaland BY Jessie Williamson, M.A. (Cantab.) Dip. Diet. (Lond.) (Member of Nutrition Survey, 1938-39) (Nutritional Investigator, Nyasaland, 1939-43) Edited by Dr. P. J. Greenway, F.L.S. Illustrations by G. Jackson, B.Sc, Dip. Agbic. Sc, (Cantab.), Eoologist Price 15s-0d. Printed and Published by The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland. Contents Page Foreword . 6 Introduction . .... 7 Bibliography . 9 Abbreviations used in the Text . 10 Dictionary arranged alphabetically by botanical names . 11 -" ' List of botanically un -identified plants . 139 Index of English and Nyasaland vernacular names . 141 List of plants classified according to their uses .. .. .. ..155 Index to vernacular names of processed foods and cooked dishes . 167 Glossary of food terms in common use . 168 N.B.—Tea, coffee and tobacco have been omitted in the list as they were considered too \yell known to warrant inclusion. Foreword The honest are to admit that the have been in general Ij prepared longer they the more realize how little know it. Africa they they about Others are not so ready to acknowledge their ignorance and are all the more in need oj enlightenment on that account. For all us the modern times makes it oJ tempo of very dijficuk the to delve into the detail to find opportunity of African affairs for ourselves. There is no the need the that question of for greater knowledge of things affect the the Not does it make more work daily life of African people. only for efficient better which is so it among them and for understanding essential, but provides an interest and enjoyment which are in themselves a reward and a stimulus to further study. are in that Williamson We very fortunate Nyasaland Mrs. has accumulated a on to to its such wealth of information plants of day day importance indigenous inhabitants and presented it in a form so easy to use and to understand. The majority of the items listed and described are eaten in one form or another at times and circumstances the are varying during year. They therefore very much the concern the women who are the traditional and cookers of gatherers offood. This the material in this book all the more valuable in that it makes sheds light into one the darkest and most corners and better of important of African life understanding of it will help to gain the confidence of the women on which so much of the progress in Africa depends. Indeed it was only by the utmost patience over many years that Mrs. Williamson the the — the — herself gained confidence of people particularly women from whom she gathered much of the material for this work. She has provided us with a the on which to build very necessary part of foundation further understanding and progress. Kettlewell ZoMBA, 24th February, 19^5^ R. W. Director of Agriculture Introduction In the following pages will be found a descriptive account of plants, mostly indigenous, which are of use to the peoples of Nyasaland. The majority of the plants are used in some way or other as food. The plants are listed under their botanical names in alphabetical order. Wherever possible, the common name has also been given as well as the vernacular names in a variety of languages. An index is provided to the vernacular and common English names and to the vernacular names of cooked dishes and processed foods. The plants have also been classified according to their uses; for example, those useful for their timber or for their edible leaves. A few of the plants have not been identified botanically and will be found at the end of the main list. Much of the information was collected in 1938-9 when the Colonial Office Nutrition Survey was carried out in the Kota Kota District. The Survey was under the direction of Prof. B. S. Piatt and it was he who first suggested the compila- tion of a list of this nature. The remainder of the information was collected by me between 1939-43 when I was working as a member of the Nutrition Unit, and when I had an opportunity of visiting many parts of the country. Various minor additions have been made during 1949-53. Mr. P. Topham, recently of the Nyasaland Forestry Department, Mr. W. H. Rangeley, of the Administration, and Dr. P. J. Greenway, of the East African Agricultural and Forestry Research Organisation, have also kindly supplied information. The majority of the identifications of plants collected during the survey year were made by Dr. G. A. C. Herklots, now Principal of the School of Tropical Agricul- ture in Trinidad, and by Dr. P. J. Greenway, now Botanist-in-Charge of the East African Herbarium in Nairobi. Miss Owen of the Nutrition Survey also helped with some of the identifications. Since 1939, Dr. Greenway has named further collections and Mr, J. B. Clements, while he was Conservator of Forests in Nyasaland, identified a number of trees and shrubs. The botanical descriptions of plants collected in the survey year were written by Dr. Herklots and his references are included under each plant. As the descriptions are not intended for purposes of complete identification, and as some of them are already very brief, I have shortened and simplified many others. In the case of plants collected since the survey year, only very brief descriptions are given, on the '' lines of, and in many cases copying, those of Dr. Greenway in his Swahili-Botanical- English Dictionary of Plant Names." " Mr. Topham has recently (1952) completed the revision of the The Check " List of the Forest Trees and Shrubs of Nyasaland and has kindly allowed me to use the manuscript to revise my list. During 1951-53, Dr. Greenway has completely checked the list from a botanical standpoint, and I should like to take this opportunity of thanking him most sincerely for the time and effort that he has put into the task. With his very wide knowledge and long experience of the East African flora, he has unrivalled qualifications for such work. I am also most grateful to Mr. G. Jackson, Ecologist to the Nyasaland Depart- ment of Agriculture, for the cover design and for the excellent line drawings which he has so kindly contributed. Finally, I should like to thank Mr Edson Chidzalo of the Kota Kota District, who so ably and untiringly interpreted for me and without whom I should have been unable to collect much of the information that follows. " " Some explanation is needed of the word side-dish which appears so often in the text. Many of the edible plants, leaves in particular, are cooked with abundant salt and other flavourings to form a dish called ndiwo in the south and dende in the north of the country. This is eaten in small quantities together with large amounts of rather tasteless porridge known as nsima. Often, owing to the communal eating habits of the people, there is a choice of several dishes of ndiwo at any one meal. " The customary translation for ndiwo is "relish but the term "side-dish", often used to describe somewhat similar cooked dishes in Eastern countries, seems a better word to use. A list of this nature is certain to be incomplete and to contain inaccuracies and is bound to need revising sooner or later. To assist in this work, any addi- tions or corrections will be welcomed and should be sent to me c/o The Director of Agriculture, Zomba, Nyasaland. Karonga, Nyasaland, January 28th, 1954 J. Williamson Bibliography 1. Oliver, D., el al. (1868-1937) Flora of Tropical Africa, 9 vols. London. 2. Watt, G. (1889-90), Dlctionanj of the Economic Froducts of India, G vols, and index, Calcutta. 3. Schumann, K. (1900) Monoyraphiun Afrikanischer PfUinzen-fainilien und galtengen V. Sterculiaceae Africanae. Leipzig. 4. Macmillan, H. F. (1935) .4 Handbook of Tropical Gardening and Planting, London, o. Baker, E. G. (1926-30) The Leguminoseae of Tropical Africa. 3 pts. Ostond. 6. Burtt-Davy, (1926-32) A Manual of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of the Transvaal with Swaziland, South Africa, Pts. I and II. London. 7. Hutchinson, J. and Dalziel, J. M. (1927-36) Flora of West Tropical Africa, 2 vols. London. 8. Anon. (1927-30) Official Guides to the Museutn of Economic Botany, Kew, 3 vols. London. 9. Steedman, E. C. (1933) Some Trees, Shrubs and Lianes of Southern Rhodesia, Salisbury. 10. Steyn, D. G. (1934) The Toxicology of Plants of South Africa; together with a consideration of Poisonous Foodstuffs and Fungi, S. Afr. Agri. Ser. Vol. 13, S. Africa. 11. BuRKiLL, I. H. (1935) A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula, 2 vols. London. 12. Dale, I. R. and Battiscombe, E. (1936) Trees and Shrubs of Kenya Colony. Nairobi. 13. Sampson, H. C. (1936) Cultivated Crop Plants of the British Empire and the A^iglo-Egyptian Sudan, Kew Bull. Misc. Inform. Add. Ser. XII;London. 14. Imp. Forestry Inst. (1936) Check List of the Forest Trees and Shrubs of the British Empire, No. 2, Nyasaland. Oxford. 15. Dalziel, J. M. (1937) Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. London. 16. Stapleton, C. C. (1937) Common Transvaal Trees, Union of S. Afr. De]^. Agri. For. Bull. No. 164. For. Ser. 5. Pretoria. 17. Greenway, p. J. (1939) A Swahili-Botanical-English Dictionary of Plant Names. Dar-es- Salaam. 18. Brain, C. K. (1939-40) Trees and Wild Flowers on the Rhodesia Farm. Pts. 1-12, Rhodesian Agri. Journ. Salisbury. 19. RosEDALE, J. L. and Milsum, J. N. (1940) Malay Leaf and Other Vegetables and their Analyses, Straits Settlements Dept.