MAERUA CRASSIFOLIA Forsk.—Jiga. CAPPARIDACEAE.
A medium-sized tree from 15-30 feet high and up to 4 feet in girth, which grows in dry localities as far north as 14°. It is quite common in N.E. Sokoto. It has a short bole, up to 12 feet, with ascending branches and can be at once distinguished by its heavily pruned appearance, the lateral branches being very short and resembling Randia nilotica, the rosettes of leaves being borne on stunted shoots on long, straight, tough branches. The form varies from the short tree with wide, compact crown to the tall, narrow growth of larger specimens.
The Bark is dull grey, smooth in young trees and longitudinally scaled in older trees.
The Leaves are in tufts at the end of short woody shoots and are ¾ inch long and ⅓ inch wide, tapering at the base, with a broad tip, in the shallow cleft of which projects the mid-rib. They are a dull, dark green and limp and leathery in texture.
The Flowers which appear in February rise from the leaf-bearing shoots on ½ inch stalks. Each has a calyx of 4 sepals, light green, which fall back to the stalk with maturity, some 30 white stamens with green anthers, all rising from a short column, and a long pistil with thickened stigma. There is a faint perfume.
The Fruits are like those of Maerua angolensis; long, jointed pods formed by the growth of the clubbed pistil. They are brown when ripe and break into sections. The seeds are 10-20 in number and ripen about April.
