Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Project

Pollution Control and Other Measures to Protect Biodiversity

in Lake Tanganyika (RAF/92/G32)

Socio-economic Special Studies - Tanzania

A PRELIMINARY GLOSSARY OF
HA PLANT NAMES
Ethnobotany in and around Gombe Stream National Park, Western Tanzania

compiled by
Martin Walsh

Natural Resources Institute, Chatham

Kigoma

January 1997
 A PRELIMINARY GLOSSARY OF
HA PLANT NAMES
Ethnobotany in and around Gombe Stream National Park, Western Tanzania

compiled by
Martin Walsh

Introduction

The following preliminary glossary of Ha plant names is based upon existing

documentation and information gathered during an action research exercise which
was conducted in the village of Mtanga, to the immediate south of Gombe Stream
National Park, on 13-18 January 1997. It is intended to assist fieldworkers in
identifying and talking about trees and other plant species in contexts in which their
local Ha names are used. It is hoped that other researchers will be encouraged to
revise and add to the glossary, which merely represents a starting-point for this kind
of work. The glossary only lists c.100 Ha names: almost certainly many more can be
added. Only limited information has been included on plant uses: again, it should be
a relatively easy task to record more data of this kind, which is of particular value to
foresters, agroforesters, and other extension workers.

Compilation of the Glossary

Existing documentation

The first step in compiling this glossary was to collate existing documentation on Ha
plant names and their botanical equivalents. Three sources were used (identified in
the glossary by the initials B, C, and M), all of them referring to plants which are
found in and around Gombe Stream National Park:

B: The checklist of ‘Common Trees, Shrubs and Vines at Gombe Stream National
Park’ reproduced in David Bygott’s park guide (1992: 62-63). Bygott presumably
drew upon unpublished records held at Gombe.

C: an undated manuscript (c.1993) entitled Some Chimpanzee Plant Foods at

Gombe, written and illustrated by Alex Chepstow-Lusty.

M: the ‘Miombo Woodland Species List’ included in the (unpaginated) appendix to

James Murray’s unpublished M.Sc. thesis on conservation and development issues
around Gombe Stream National Park (1992). Murray’s principal assistant in the field
was Issa Mpongo, a traditional ‘mganga’ (herbalist, doctor) from Bubango.

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None of these sources employs a consistent orthography of Ha, though the botanical
identifications, especially those in B and C, are presumably reasonably sound. M
gives the impression of being the least accurate: a number of botanical identities are
marked with question-marks and the Latin terms are frequently misspelled. M is the
only one of these sources which provides some information on plant uses. However,
this information is coded into very general categories which are of little help for
detailed ethnobotanical purposes (and have therefore not been copied into the current
glossary).

All of these sources include a number of vernacular names which Ha informants

describe as being Swahili (in some cases the lakeshore variety of Swahili current in
Ujiji and Kigoma town) rather than Ha. Swahili is, in fact, widely used in the local
communities surrounding the national park, especially in those with a predominantly
polyethnic composition like Mtanga. In some cases Swahili terms appear to be
replacing the original Ha names for plants, especially in the usage of younger
informants. Species with important economic uses are the most affected by this
process (e.g. Milicia excelsa, umukamba in Ha and ‘mvule’ in Swahili; Cordia
africana, umuvugangoma in Ha and ‘mzingati’ in Swahili). Introduced species also
frequently carry their Swahili names with them, and these are typically assimilated to
Ha as loanwords. This has clearly been happening for some generations (e.g. the Ha
name for the mango tree, umwembe, is evidently a borrowing from Swahili,
introduced along with the tree itself). This latter process is somewhat different from
the first, there being no earlier Ha terms to replace.

Fieldwork in Mtanga

Ha (and Swahili) plant names recorded by the research team in Mtanga were then
added to the list of names and botanical identities compiled from B, C and M.
Relatively few new names were added, because the focus of the research was upon
the most valued species and major environmental impacts. For some species,
however, details of their local uses were recorded, and these were added to the list
(the only information on plant utilisation in the glossary comes from our fieldwork in
Mtanga). The whole list was then checked with local informants to ascertain the
proper Ha forms and weed out Swahili names (except for well-established
loanwords). In the course of checking the list in this way a number of new names
were elicited, most of which could not be assigned botanical identities (unless their
Swahili equivalents were also given). No attempt was made to collect specimens in
the field, there being no time for such an activity nor resources available to identify
specimens in Kigoma town.

Informants failed to recognise some of the names recorded by B, C, and M as they

were read out: these have been retained in the glossary (modified to conform to the
orthography used) in ordinary type, the entries in question being enclosed in square
brackets. One reason for informants’ failure to recognise some of these terms
appears to be the existence of local variations in Ha plant terminologies, as well as in
the distribution of and familiarity with some species. Informants were quick to point

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out that some terms on the list were not of local provenance (e.g. umukyosa,
Combretum sp.) but from inland (‘juu’, above) of Mtanga. Indeed B, C and M’s
primary sources (as of other researchers at Gombe) appear to have been informants
from Bubango, north-east of Mtanga. This suggests the existence of minor
differences in usage between the two villages. Presumably such differences increase
as one moves further inland from the coast, crossing into different vegetation zones
and communities which speak different varieties or dialects of Ha. Dialect
differences probably go some way towards explaining why only two of the twelve
Ha plant names given by Mbuya et al. (1994: 16-17) are to found in our own
compilation, despite the fact that seven of the twelve refer to species which are
named in the glossary.

The Ha names in the glossary were checked in the course of two interviews in
Mtanga with Omari Bulio in the morning and late afternoon of 17 January 1997.
These interviews were held in his homestead in Mtanga “A” sub-village, and during
both of them we were joined by other household members and passers-by who
contributed to the discussion of plant names. The main contributors, apart from
Omari Bulio himself, were female members of his extended household, though one
man also provided significant inputs to the first interview. The latter (whose name
was not recorded) suggested that the best informants would be local Ha herbalists
and medical practitioners (‘waganga’): unfortunately no time was available to pursue
this suggestion further.

Omari Bulio, who is around 80 years old, is a native Ha speaker with a good
knowledge of Swahili. He was born in Kalinzi, and left when he was about 10 years
old, following his father, Bulio, who was the founder of Mtanga and its first chief
(umutwale, 1/2). Bulio was sent to this area by the ‘sultan’ (umwami, 1/2) of
Kalinzi, Rusimbi. Afer first settling at Mgaraganza, where there was an existing
community of Bwari fishers and farmers (earlier migrants from the opposite shore of
the lake), Bulio and his followers started to build at Mtanga – hitherto the site of
temporary Bwari fishing camps – and started to clear the forest for cultivation.
According to Omari they arrived in Mgaraganza three years after the British had
established themselves in Kigoma, in other words in the mid-1920s. The clearance
of the original Mtanga forests can therefore be dated from the late 1920s onwards.
(Further information on the history of forest clearance and related environmental
impacts in Mtanga will be provided in the forthcoming report of the research
exercise). Later on during the British colonial period Omari Bulio succeeded his
father as the umutwale of Mtanga, and became the first village chairman (‘mwenye
kiti’) some time after Tanganyika’s independence in 1961.

Finalising the glossary

Immediately after the completion of fieldwork, all of the information recorded was
consolidated into the present version of the glossary. Given the lack of reference
materials available in Kigoma (apart from copies of Mbuya et al. (1994) held by
TACARE), it has not been possible to verify the botanical names taken from earlier

3
sources, or add the names of authorities. It is hoped that future workers will perform
this task when updating the glossary.

A note on linguistics

Ha (ikiha, 7) is a Bantu language (the Bantu languages as a whole forming a single,

and relatively recent branch, within the wider Niger-Congo family). It is classified in
the Lacustrine group of Eastern Bantu languages, and is the southernmost member of
this group in Tanzania. Ha is very closely related to Rundi, and informants claim
that the two languages are mutually intelligible, suggesting that they should really be
considered as part of a single dialect continuum.

While researching and compiling the glossary it was not possible to obtain any
published or unpublished materials on Ha and its (presumed) dialects. In the absence
of a guide to Ha phonology and (possible) orthography it has been necessary to adopt
a number of orthographic conventions which may require refinement and/or revision
in future. Vowel length and tones have not been marked. [l] and [r] have been
treated as allophones of a single phoneme, represented as /l/. Preprefixes are shown,
though these are frequently omitted in speech. Prefixes are also given in their full
form, though the final vowel is also often dropped in noun classes 1 and 3 before
consonant-initial stems (giving (u)m- instead of (u)mu-). The noun classes
themselves are numbered according to the standard system employed for Bantu
languages. The relevant regular Ha noun class preprefixes and prefixes (as they
appear before consonant-initial stems) are as follows:

Noun (Pre)prefix
class
1 (u)mu-
2 (a)ba-
3 (u)mu-
4 (i)mi-
5 (i)-
6 (a)ma-
7 (i)ki
8 (i)bi-
9 (i)n-, (i)-
10 (i)n-,(i)-
11 (u)lu-
14 (u)bu-

Ha names in the glossary are given in the singular, followed by the numbers
indicating their usual singular and plural noun class designations (singular and plural
being separated by a slash). Verified Ha terms are shown in bold type, while
vernacular names taken from other sources are placed in quotation marks.

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For purposes of comparison a number of Tongwe terms are shown in the glossary,
though only in cases where the Tongwe name of a plant appears to be related to the
Ha name. Tongwe is spoken in the vicinity of Mahale Mountains National Park in
the south of Kigoma District, and is not closely related to Ha, but belongs to a
different Eastern Bantu group (according to some, but not all, authorities, Western
Tanzania, a group which includes Nyamwezi and Sukuma). The data on Tongwe are
taken from Nishida and Uehara (1981).

Recommendations for Future Research

The following recommendations can be made for future research into Ha

ethnobotany:

1. The preliminary glossary should be expanded and revised as further research is

undertaken and new information becomes available. Particular tasks include (a)
adding to the list of Ha plant names; (b) revising the orthography and refining the
transcription of Ha terms; (c) noting local variations in naming and dialect
differences; (d) determining botanical identities, including, where applicable, the
multiple referents of Ha names; (e) updating the botanical nomenclature and adding
the names of authorities; (f) adding data on the occurrence and distribution of plants;
(g) adding to the list of plant uses; and (h) incorporating information on the
agroforestry potential of key species.

2. A large body of material already exists at the Gombe Research Station in the form
of uncollated notes deposited by different researchers over the years. These notes
include many botanical identifications and unchecked vernacular names linked to
these. This material should be worked on and incorporated into the glossary. At the
same time names and uses should be checked with local Ha-speakers.
Recommended informants at Gombe include (a) the chimpanzee researchers, and (b)
two ‘waganga’ from Bubango, Issa Mpongo (already used by M) and Maulid
Lyanga. It is estimated that this would require a minimum of two weeks' work at
Gombe, less if research were confined largely to collation of the notes and the
checking of names. The collection of information on plant uses could well extend
over a much longer period, especially if informants from different villages and
different backgrounds (including women) were sought out.

Acknowledgements
The compiler would like to thank all of the members of LTBP’s action research team who
worked in Mtanga and contributed to the compilation of the glossary: Juma Hamisi,
Aristides Kashula, Omari Kashushu, Melchior Kissaka, Dr. Christopher Lwoga, Hamza
Mabochi, Charly Mambona, Beatrice Marwa, Heriel Mollel, and Dr. Philippe Petit. Special
thanks are due to Dr. Anthony Collins, Director of Baboon Research at Gombe Research
Centre, and George Strunden, TACARE Project Manager, for making available the
published and unpublished materials referred to in the glossary.

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References

Bygott, David 1992. Gombe Stream National Park. Arusha: Tanzania National
Parks/ African Wildlife Foundation.

Chepstow-Lusty, Alex undated [c.1993]. Some Chimpanzee Plant Foods at Gombe,

unpublished ms., Gombe Stream National Park.

Clutton-Block, T. H. and J. B. Gillett 1979. ‘A Survey of Forest Composition in the

Gombe National Park, Tanzania’, African Journal of Ecology, 17, 131-158.

Mbuya, L. P., Msanga, H. P., Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. and Tengas, B. 1994. Useful
Tree and Shrubs for Tanzania: Identification, Propagation and Management for
Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Nairobi: Regional Soil Conservation
Unit, Swedish International Development Authority.

Murray, James 1992. A Rapid Survey of Conservation and Development Issues

Around Gombe National Park, Tanzania, for the Recommendation of Management
Interventions, unpublished M.Sc. dissertation, University of Edinburgh.

Niszhida, Toshisada and Uehara, Shigeo 1981. ‘Kitongwe Names of Plants: A

Preliminary Listing’, African Study Monographs, 1, 109-131.

Thomas, D. K. 1961. ‘The Gombe Stream Game Reserve’, Tanganyika Notes and
Records, 56, 34-39.

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 GLOSSARY OF HA PLANT NAMES

ibungo, 5/6, (a) Saba comorensis var. florida (B: ‘mabungo makubwa’, C:
‘mabungo mkubwa’); (b) Dictyophleba (Landolphia) lucida (B: ‘mabungo
madogo’, C: ‘mabungo ndogo’). Cf. Tongwe ‘ibungo’, Landolphia stolzii; (c)
Salacia madagascariensis (C: ‘mabungo makavu’).

igiti, 7/3, the generic term for a tree (= Swahili ‘mti’). igiti kimwe, ‘one tree’, imiti
miishi, ‘many trees’.

ikamembe, 9/10, Bridelia cathartica (M: ‘kamenbe’). Cf. Tongwe ‘kamembe’,

B.micrantha.

ikamena, 9/10, Scherebera trichoclada (M: ‘kamena’).

ikifumbe, 7/8, Piliostigma thonningii (B, C: ‘kifumbe’).

ikihololo, 7/8, Ficus trichopoda (B: ‘kihololo’).

ikihungele, Protea sp. (M: ‘kihungele’).

ikilangalila, 7/8, unidentified tree sp. Favoured for firewood because it gives out a
lot of heat.

ikitota, 7/8, Mellera lobulata (C: ‘kitota’).

ingongo, 9/10, Brachystegia bussei (B : ‘ngongo’). Cf. umugongo. The firewood

from this tree is said to be good for smoking fish. The sticks are also used for
making the ‘trays’ on which fish are smoked. These are said to last up to two
years (whereas if made from mango wood the heat causes them to bend out of
shape).

ingoyi, 9/10, Oncinotis inandensis (C: ‘ngoyi’).

inkeli, 9/10, Rubus pinnatus (C : ‘inkere’). Found on the hills above Mtanga.

[inkonzi, 9/10, Baphia capparidifolia (C: ‘nkonzi’). Name not recognised by

Mtanga informants.]

[intitima, 9/0, Dioscorea sp. (B: ‘ntitima’). Name not recognised by Mtanga
informants. cf. ‘viazi pori’ = Swahili, D.odoratissima (B).]

inyamala-mdula, 9/10, Psorospermum febrifugum (M : ‘malnyamalamdula’).

itabe lya bungele, 5/6, unidentified plant sp. (M: ‘itavelea boungele’). Provides a
medicine to ‘clean out’ the nose.

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ubukindu, 14, Phoenix reclinata (M: ‘mukindu’, ‘mukinda’).

ubulinda-nkwavu, 14, Sabicea orientalis (C: ‘bulinankwavu’).

ulukungu, 11/10, Grewia platyclada (B, C : ‘lukungu’). Cf. Tongwe ‘lunkukuma’,

G.forbesii, G.platyclada.

[ulusha, 1/10, Ampelocissus cavicaulis (C : ‘urusha’). Name not recognised by

Mtanga informants. Cf. Tongwe ‘lusasu’, A.cavicaulis.]

ulusyeno, 11/10, Ficus exasperata (B, C: ‘lusieno’)

umubanga, 3/4 , Pericopsis (Afrormosia) angolensis (M: ‘mbanga’). Cf. Tongwe

‘mubanga’, P.angolensis. Provides durable wood for making tool handles, door
frames and latrine floors. Small pieces fetch a high price in Kigoma town.

umububa, 3/4 (also ibuba, 5/6), Albizia ?gummifera (M: ‘mbuba’, ‘bhubha’).

[umubula, 3/4, Parinari curatellifolia (B, C, M: ‘mbula’). Name not recognised by

Mtanga informants. Cf. Tongwe ‘mubula’, P.curatellifolia, P.excelsa.]

[umufe, 3/4, Myrianthus arboreus (B, C: ‘mufe’). Name not recognised by Mtanga
informants.]

umugagani, 3/4, unidentified tree sp.

[umugagunu, 3/4, ? Canthium sp. (M: ‘mgagunu’). Name not recognised by

Mtanga informants.]

umugazi, 3/4, Elaeis guineensis (B: ‘mgazi’, C: ‘ngazi’). Cf. Tongwe ‘sigasi',
E.guineensis. Cultivated in the valleys and now self-seeding in Gombe Stream
National Park. Said to have been originally brought to Mtanga from Mgaraganza,
where there was an earlier settlement of Bwari fishers and cultivators (originally
from the Zairean coast of Lake Tanganyika).

umugege, 3/4, Syzygium guineense (B, M: ‘mugege’).

umugongo, 3/4, Brachystegia ?utilis (M: ‘mugongo’). Distinct from ingongo, 9/10,
B.bussei, although the two terms share the same stem.

umugugunwa, 3/4, Vangueria apiculata (M: ‘mugugunwa’).

umugusu (also umukusu), 3/4, (a) Uapaca kirkiana (C: ‘mugusu’, M: ‘magusu
kubwa’) The fruits of this sp. Are called amagusu, 6. Cf. Tongwe ‘ikisu’,
U.kirkiana; (b) Uapaca sansibarica (M: ‘magusu kidogo’). The smaller fruits of

8
 this sp. are called ubutondo, 14. Cf. Tongwe ‘kakusufinya’, U.sansibarica. The
fruits of these trees are edible. They also provide good timbers for roof-building.

umugwiza, 3/4, Pseudospondias microcarpa (B : ‘mugwiza’, C : ‘mgwiza’).

umuhandehande, 3/4, Uapaca nitida (B, C: ‘muhandehande’, M: ‘mihandihandi’).

Provides good shade and timbers for roof construction.

umuhasha, 3/4, Dalbergia sp. (M: ‘muhasha’).

umuhe, 3/4, unidentified plant sp. Described as a plant which spreads along the
ground.

umuhenye, 3/4, Terminalia kaiserana (B: ‘muhenye’).

umuhongolo, 3/4, Terminalia mollis (B: ‘muhongoro’). Cf. Tongwe ‘mhongolo’,

T.mollis, T.stenostachya.

umuka, 3/4, Newtonia buchananii (B: ‘muuka’).

umukalagata, 3/4, Milicia (Chlorophora) excelsa (B, C: ‘mvule’ = Swahili, M:

‘mkanda’). This tree grows on the hills and provides good timber and firewood.

umukamba, 3/4, Milicia (Chlorophora) excelsa (B, C: ‘mvule’ = Swahili, M:

‘mkanda’). Cf. Tongwe ‘mkamba’, M.excelsa. Provides the second most durable
timber for boat-building, after umuninga.

umukanda, 3/4, Annona senegalensis (B, C: ‘mtopetope’ = Swahili).

[umukundambasa, 3/4, Schrebera alata (B : ‘mkundambasa’). Name not checked

with Mtanga informants.]

[umukungilo, 3/4, unidentified tree sp. (M: ‘mkungiro’). Name not recognised by
Mtanga informants.]

umukome, 3/4, Strychnos madagascariensis (B: 'mukomme', M: 'komme').

umukoyoyo, 3/4, Combretum collinum (B: ‘mukoyokoyo’, M: ‘mkyoyo’,

‘mkyosa’).

umukuyu, 3/4, Ficus sycomorus (B: ‘mkuyu’, M: ‘mukuyu’). Cf. Tongwe ‘ikuku’,
F.sonderi, F.sycomorus, F.glumosa. Firewood from this tree is favoured for
smoking fish.

umukuza-nyana, 3/4, unidentified plant sp. (M: ‘mkuza nyana’).

umukwabolo, 3/4, Monotes elegans (M : ‘mikwabolo’).

9
umukyosa, 3/4, Combretum sp. (M : ‘mkyosa’, ‘mkyoyo’). Name recognised by
Mtanga informants but said to be from one of the inland villages. Cf.
umukoyoyo.

umulama, 3/4, Combretum molle (B, C: ‘mrama’, M: ‘mlama’). Cf. Tongwe

‘mlama’, C.molle, C.apiculatum.

umulembela, 3/4, ? Impatiens sp. (M : ‘mlembela’).

umulungambale, 3/4, Anthocleista schweinfurthii (B : ‘murungambale’).

umumanda, 3/4, Ficus thonningii (B : ‘mumanda’).

[umumongati, 3/4, Acacia sp. (M: ‘mumongati’). Name not recognised by Mtanga
informants.]

umuninga, 3/4, Pterocarpus angolensis (B: ‘mninga’, M: ‘muninga’). Cf. Tongwe

‘mninga’, P.angolensis. Provides the most durable timber for boat-building.

umunyago, 3/4, Ochna sp. (M: ‘minyago’). Provides a medicine for ‘increasing’ a
person’s blood.

umunyeleza-nkende, 3/4, unidentified tree sp., described as tall and ‘white’, i.e.
with pale-coloured bark. Cf. ‘budiankende’ (a name not recognised by Mtanga
informants), Monanthotaxis poggei (B, C).

umunziganziga, 3/4, Antidesma venosum (B, C: ‘mnziganziga’, M: ‘nziganziga’).

umupalamushi, 3/4, Sterculia quinqueloba (B: ‘mparamushi’).

umusagamba, 3/4, Hymenocardia acida (B, C, M : ‘msagamba’).

umusalafunzo, 3/4, unidentified tree sp. (= Swahili ‘mpilipili’). Not a very large
tree, but provides a durable timber for boat-building and furniture-making. The
planks are yellow. The sawdust is an irritant, hence the Swahili name.

umusalasi, 3/4, Garcinia huillensis (B, M: ‘msalasi’).

umusange, 3/4, Entada abyssinica (B: ‘msangi’, M:’msange’).

umusasa, 3/4, Sapium ellipticum (B : ‘msasa’). Cf. Tongwe ‘msasa’, S.ellipticum.

umusebei, 3/4, Albizia glaberrima (B, C, M : ‘msebei’).

umusesa, 3/4, Faurea ?saligna (M: ‘musesa’).

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umusesela-nkanga, 3/4, Crossopteryx febrifuga (B : ‘mseserankanga’).

umushaishai, 3/4, Harungana madagascariensis (C :’mshaishai’, M : ‘mshia’).

umushindwi, 3/4, Anisophyllea boehmii (B: ‘mashindwi’, C: ‘mashindwe’, M:

‘amashindwe’). Produces edible fruits, amashindwi, 6.

umushishi, 3/4, unidentified plant sp. (M: ‘mishishi’).

umushongo, 3/4, Strychnos innocua (C: ‘mshongo’, M: ‘mushongo mdogo’,

‘mushongo mkubwa’)

umusiloti, 3/4, Pterocarpus tinctorius (B, C: ‘msiloti’, M: ‘msiroti’, ‘mscroti’,

‘mwenge’, = Swahili ‘mkulungu’). Formerly used for making firebrands
employed as torches in fishing. Cf. umusongati.

umusongati, 3/4, Diplorhynchus condylocarpon (B, C: ‘msongatti’, M: ‘msongati’).

Formerly used for making firebrands employed as torches in fishing. Cf.
umusiloti.

umusuli, 3/4, Smilax kraussiana (B: ‘misuli’, C:’msuli’).

umusulula, 3/4, Pycnanthus angolensis (B, C: ‘msulula’).

[umuswankala, 3/4, Uvaria angolensis (B, C: ‘mswankala’). Name not recognised

by Mtanga informants.]

umutabungwa, 3/4, Canthium hispidum (B: ‘mutabungwa’).

umutakataka, 3/4, Sterculia tragacantha (B: ‘mtakataka’).

umutati, 3/4, Aspilia sp. (C: ‘mtati’).

umutatulana, 3/4, Croton sylvestris (B: ‘mtatulana’). Provides good shade and a
medicine for driving away bad spirits. The bark is ground and either eaten or
smeared on the bodies of children.

umutawela, 3/4, Commiphora madagascariensis (B: ‘mtahwera’).

umutelana, 3/4, Stereospermum kunthianum (M: ‘mitelana’, ‘miteerama’). Also

umutelele.

umutelele, 3/4, Stereospermum kunthianum (B, M: ‘mtelele’). Also umutelana.

Cf. Tongwe ‘mtelele’, S.kunthianum.

umutimbula, 3/4, Syzygium sp. (M: ‘mtimbula’).

11
umutobo, 3/4, unidentified tree sp., possibly Ficus vallis-choudae (B: ‘mtoboloro’,
C: ‘mtobogoro’).

umutundu, 3/4, unidentified tree sp. According to one informant provides the best
firewood because its smoke is not sooty and it produces a lot of embers.

umutwetwe, 3/4, Tabernaemontana (Conopharyngia) holstii (B, C: ‘mtwetwe’).

Cf. Tongwe ‘mtwentwe’, T.holstii.

umuva, 3/4, Sterculia mhosya (B: ‘muva’).

umuvilu, 3/4, Vitex doniana (B, M: ‘mviru’).

umuvilu-yege, 3/4, Vitex sp. (M : ‘mviluhegea’).

umuvugangoma, 3/4, Cordia africana (B, C, M : ‘mzingati’ = Swahili). Provides

the third most durable timber for boat-building, after umuninga and umukamba.

umuyovu, 3/4, Khaya nyasica (Mbuya et al. 1994: ‘myofu’). Provides a durable
timber for boat-building.

umuzambarau-mshamba, 3/4, Syzygium cordatum. Provides a medicine used to

treat diabetes. This tree has been raised from seedlings in the TACARE nursery at
Kagunga.

umuzimabona, 3/4, unidentified tree sp. (M: ‘mzimaboma’).

[umwani, 3/4, Brachystegia longifolia (B, M: ‘mwani’). Name not recognised by

Mtanga informants.]

umwembe, 3/4, Mango, Mangifera indica (B: ‘mwembe’). Cultivated for its fruit,
shade, timber and firewood. The firewood is said to be good for smoking fish,
though the sticks do not make durable smoking trays (see ingongo).

umwembe-mshamba, 3/4, unidentified tree sp. Provides good timber.

umwigi, 3/4, ? Dalbergia sp. (M: ‘mwigi’).

umwongola, 3/4, unidentified tree sp. A large tree with wide leaves, which grows
especially on the hills. Provides a good firewood with yellow wood. The roots
are used to prepare a medicine for stomach complaints.

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