albasa, Allium Cepa, Willd. (Liliaceæ). The onion. Two varieties are distinguished, viz. guda (Kano), or gudaji (Sok.), the common bulbous onion; and shafa (Kano), safa (Sok.), the spring onion; lawashi or gabu (Sok.) = onion leaves pounded and dried, sold in the form of balls and used in soup. cf. [tafarnuwa].
albasar kura, Urginea nigritiana, Bak. (Liliaceæ), and other common bulbous plants growing wild.
albasar kwaḍi, Crinum yuccæflorum, Salisb. (Amaryllideæ); a common plant of damp places, with an umbel of large lily-like flowers, white with a purple stripe. (Other species are included and the names of this and the last are commonly confused.) The scarlet-flowered Hæmanthus rupestris, Bak. (Amaryllideæ), “Blood Flower”, bears the same name.
algarif, the seeds of the “Common” or “Garden Cress,” Lepidium sativum, Linn. vide [labsur]; sold as a medicine; a red variety algaru ja in small masses, and a black variety usually loose; preparations are made for external and internal use.
alhaji, Ærua tomentosa, Forst. (Amaranthaceæ); an erect plant with hoary white leaves and flowers. (Etym. from the completely white habit, but the name like [Ba-Fillatani], q.v. is probably applied to other white plants). More generally known as [furfura ta gyatumi], q.v.
alibida, vide [alubada].
aliliba, Cordia abyssinica, R. Br. (Boragineæ); a tree with broad leaves, white flowers, and sweet yellow berries used in making allewa, &c.
aliyara, vide [ḳaguwa].
alkama, Triticum sativum, Lam. sub-race T. vulgare, Vill. “Common Wheat;” or T. compositum, Linn. “Mummy,” “Miracle” or “Egyptian Wheat;” grown chiefly in the north on river-banks with irrigation. taliya, a sort of macaroni made from alkama flour; gurasa, a sort of native wheaten bread; punkaso (Kano), or fankaso, wheaten cakes fried in oil. The following are delicacies made from alkama:—dashishi, cakes like masa but made with honey-water; sunasar, a preparation of wheat with meat and butter; tuwon ḅaure = tuwo made with finely ground wheat and butter instead of water.
alkaman tururuwa, Spermacoce stachydea, DC. (Rubiaceæ); a common weed eaten by goats, &c. (Etym. tururuwa, a species of social harvesting ant).