MIMOSA ASPERATA Linn.—Gumbi, Kaidaji, Kardaji. LEGUMINOSAE.
A very common shrub which inhabits marshes, the banks of rivers and the fringes of lakes, in fact, any low-lying, inundated ground, forming dense, impenetrable thickets, often of large extent. On the banks of rivers it is frequently associated with a species of Salix or willow. It has numerous stems and long erect or drooping shoots, 10 to 12 feet in length. The whole plant is covered with hairs.
The Thorns on the stems are in three’s, below each leaf, one thorn directly under the leaf, with a pair a little higher up on either side. The thorns on the stems are all the same size and shape, but those on the leaves differ as described below.
The Leaves are 3-5 inches long with 6-8 pairs of pinnae, bearing up to 40 pairs of long, narrow leaflets. The leaf is sensitive and folds up tight in the evening, the leaflets falling back under the mid-rib. On the upper side, between each pair of leaflets, is a short, slender and very sharp thorn, pointed well forward, and between the lower 4 or 5 pairs is a pair of sharp thorns with broad bases in the same plane as the leaflets. These thorns are absent in the upper part of the leaf. The young leaf is hairy.
The Flowers are in spherical heads about ½ inch in diameter, either white or mauve. Each minute flower has a calyx of 4 sepals, 8 stamens with white or mauve filaments and white anthers, and a long pistil.
The Fruits are pods, 2-2½ inches long, ½ inch wide and ⅛ inch thick, slightly curved. They are covered with erect, bristly hairs whose tips curve forward. On the green pod these hairs are golden brown; on the ripe pod they are unpleasantly penetrating. The pod splits transversely into 15-20 segments, each containing a small bean. The outer rim of the pod remains intact, the sections dropping out in the same manner as those of Entada sudanica.
Uses.—It is used as a fence round farms for protection against grazing, and in places where there is an acute shortage of fuel demands a price in the markets.
MITRAGYNE AFRICANA Korth.—Giyeya. Giyaiya. RUBIACEAE.