fulfulde names for plants and trees in nigeria - Roger Blench

FULFULDE NAMES FOR PLANTS AND TREES 

IN 

NIGERIA, CAMEROUN, CHAD AND NIGER 

[DRAFT] 

Roger Blench 

Mallam Dendo 

8, Guest Road 

Cambridge CB1 2AL 

United Kingdom 

Voice/ Fax. 0044-(0)1223-560687 

Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0)7967-696804 

E-mail R.Blench@odi.org.uk 

http://www.rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm 

This printout: May 19, 2006

Fulfulde Plant names – Introduction - Roger Blench 

PREFACE 

The FulBe (Fulani) people are the most important group of pastoralists in Nigeria and in other West African 

countries. The FulBe depend mainly on natural vegetation to feed their herds. As a result, they have a great 

store of traditional knowledge about plants -those that are used for fodder, for medicine etc. 

To make use of their knowledge it is important for outsiders to be able to identify the plants that they know. 

This is a circulation version of a list of Fulfulde plant names with their Latin identifications. I have put the 

English names of the more well-known plants in brackets under the Latin names. This will be completed by 

an index of common English names and a Fulfulde-Latin finder list. 

The present list represents a compilation of fieldwork data and secondary sources, in particular Dalziel 

(1937), Taylor (1932), Keay et al. (1964), Burkill (1985), and Noye (1989). As far as possible, I have 

rectified the often erratic spelling in these sources. Some identifications and transcriptions from Adamawa 

are based on my own fieldwork 1981-1990. Some terms they give are certainly wrong and I have cut them 

out without comment. Elsewhere I have followed unlikely words with a question-mark. Where the sources 

and this listing disagree I have based the transcriptions and identifications on my own research. 

Latin names of plants change with disconcerting regularity and I have often included the former names of 

more familiar plants. The scientific names of trees have been updated in line with Keay (1989). To give one 

example of the instability of scientific nomenclature, the tree formerly Grewia mollis is now Grewia 

venusta. However, Grewia mollis has not disappeared -it is now applied to a forest tree. As far as possible I 

have attempted to check with FulBe informants the exact pronunciation of the entries, but this is not always 

possible in the case of regional terms. 

This checklist is above all intended to be practical. People who use it in the field will not generally be 

scholars of Fulfulde, the language of the FulBe. However, it is more helpful to write vernacular names as 

accurately as possible. Under 'system of writing' I have tried to explain the principles used to read and write 

Fulfulde. I have adopted some of the principles of alphabetisation first used by Taylor in 1932, in other 

words, listing under the same head-letter sounds that at first hearing are very alike, for example the ordinary 

and implosive ɓ and ɗ and the prenasalized consonants. 

System of writing 

1. Fulfulde, like Hausa, distinguishes between long and short vowels; we mark these by doubling the vowel. 

Words are alphabetised according to this orthography; thus 'aaz' would be listed at the beginning of the A 

section and 'az' at the end. 

2. In Fulfulde, some consonants, especially 'g', 'b' and 'd' are preceded by a nasal sound, either 'm' or 'n'. 

These are called homorganic nasals and they are written by an 'n' or 'm' before the consonant they are 

attached to. They are ignored in the alphabetisation, as in Taylor's dictionary. Thus, you should look up a 

word beginning with 'ng' under 'g' and one with 'mb' under 'b'. In Noye's dictionary they are written with a 

superscript -thus ' ng', ' nd' and ' nb'. 

One confusing aspect of this is when you find an an 'n' or an 'ng' in the middle of a word where the next part 

of the word begins with a homorganic nasal. For example.. 

3. 'Y' can either be a sort of consonant or it can give 'colour' to the vowel. This second type of 'y' is known as 

'palatalisation' and is sometimes written 'i' and sometimes 'y'. In this list, palatalisation is always written with 

a 'y' instead of an 'i'. Thus 'boire' in earlier sources is now written 'boyre'. 

4. Similarly, when a vowel is followed by 'u' (labialisation) the word is now spelt vowel + w. Thus 'fouru' 

(hyena) is now written 'fowru'. 

5. The 'hooked' letters, which are b, d & y in Fulfulde, are written ɓ, ɗ, Ï. 

i


This system of writing is generally in line with the Bamako convention of 1966 and is used in most West 

African countries. 

Letters that can be confused 

Fulfulde has a number of dialects and one characteristic feature of these dialects is that there are soundchanges 

between them -that is, where one dialect has one consonant, another dialect will substitute a 

different one. Because there is no standard orthography for Fulfulde and the dialects are not clearly 

characterised, in this guide the various spellings that have been recorded are listed. For example the plant 

Waltheria indica can either be written 'kafaffi' or 'kapappi'. The form 'kapappi' is the better form for writing 

Fulfulde -but 'kafaffi' is often heard, so it is included here. Other letters that can be interchanged are 'r' and 'l' 

and 'c', 's' and 'sh'. The standard convention is to use 'c' when writing Fulfulde. 

Multiple forms of words 

Fulfulde has an extremely complex morphology -that is, words can have many forms according to the role 

they play in the sentence or the exact shade of meaning they convey. This is in contrast to languages like 

Hausa and Yoruba, where each noun has a standard form. Obviously, it is not practical to list all the forms of 

a word in Fulfulde. Generally speaking, the main forms listed are the tree itself and the fruit. However, other 

parts of the tree may have their own terms derived from the stem form. 

For example, the root of the word for the mahogany, Khaya senegalensis, is ɗalee-. From this there is the 

following series of derivatives; 

Singular Plural Gloss 

ɗaaleehi ɗaaleeje tree 

ɗaaleere ɗaaleeje fruit 

ɗaaleewal ɗaaleeje branch 

ɗaaleeho leaf 

ɗaaleeham oil from the fruit 

Apart from these regularly derived sets of related meanings, Fulfulde also has a series of augmentatives and 

diminutives -that is to express a large, small, thick, slender example of whatever is being discussed. These 

might be said to correspond to the ending 'et' that can be placed on nouns in English. 

Thus the stem of the word for baobab, Adansonia digitata, is bow-. The main forms are; 

ɓokki pl. ɓowɗe 

diminutives; ɓongel, ɓowkon, ɓokkon 

augmentative; ɓowko 

multiple forms 

damaliili-iho/wal/yel 

Alphabetisation 

The system of consonantal shifts in Fulfulde that sometimes systematically alter the consonants of a word in 

the plural form poses especial problems for the lexicographer. Words are normally cited in the singular, and 

in the Latin-Fulfulde section plurals are given where known. If the singular and plural are substantially 

different they are both given in complete form. If only the ending changes, then the syllable that varies is 

separated from the stem by a dash and the plural syllable given after an oblique stroke. Thus; 

ii


Dialectal diversity 

ɗaalee-hi/je is to be read ɗaaleehi plural ɗaaleeje. 

Fulfulde is divided into numerous dialects, and their diversity is partly responsible for the decision to limit 

this checklist to Nigerian speech forms. Even so, the range between Sokoto and Adamawa is substantial. As 

far as possible I have tried to identify the region where each term cited is used. The following abbreviations 

are used; 

A = Adamawa 

Ba = Bauchi 

Bo = Borno 

G = Gombe 

Ja = Jalingo 

Kt = Katsina 

M = Mambila 

Skt = Sokoto 

SZ = Southern Zaria 

The listing of a term under a particular region does not, of course, imply that you will not find it in use 

somewhere else. FulBe are very mobile people and a single individual may often be familar with two or 

three different regional terms for a plant. In addition to regional terms, FulBe also identify certain forms as 

characteristic of a particular lenyol or clan. It is uncertain whether terms are so specific -but this information 

is included at present. Thus where dialect abbreviations are noted at the extreme right, clan names such as 

'Kiri' have been included. 

Etymologies 

Many Fulfulde words have been borrowed from other languages. Usually the stem reflects the original word 

but Fulfulde then adds characteristic noun-class endings. The etymologies or source-languages are given 

where these are known, but there is evidently room for additional material in this area. The following 

abbreviations are used for other languages that may the source of a borrowed word. 

Ar = Arabic 

H = Hausa 

Kn = Kanuri 

Sometimes the precise source language is not known as a term appears, for example, in both Hausa and 

Kanuri. 

Finding a familiar plant 

Part II is a Fulfulde-Latin index. It is still in preparation. 

The guide uses Latin names for plants as these are the only internationally accepted standard name. 

However, Latin names are not so widely known and it can be difficult to find the name of the plant you are 

looking for. So I have given an index of English names and their Latin equivalents in Part III. 

iii


Symbols for the type of plant 

To help make it easier to find different classes of plant, I have added some symbols to the names of the 

plants. These are as follows; 

✺ Tree or bush 

❂ Creeper, vine or liana 

❉ Grass or sedge 

❖ Other herbaceous plant 

❅ Others (ferns, water-plants etc.) 

❒ Domesticated plant [after the Latin name] 

Some generic terms in Fulfulde 

One of the problems with many primarily botanical sources is the attribution of generic terms to particular 

plants. In other words, when a botanist has asked the name for a part of the plant he or she has recorded a 

general term as if it were specific to that plant. Below is a short list of these general terms; 

Acknowledgements 

bumangal (flower of cereal) 

findu pl. findi (flower) 

folÏere pl. polÏe (young fruit) 

haako pl. haakooji (leaf) 

horloore pl. korlooje (dried plant parts of pulses) 

huccere pl. kucce (fruit pulp) 

laala-wal/je (pod) 

lifli-fol/fi (leaf of tree, cereal stem) 

waafre pl. gaafe (new sprouts on a tree) 

wawndu pl. bawɗi (head of cereal) 

wawrere pl. gabbe (cereal plant) 

wuumre pl. guuɓe (bush) 

yombal pl. yombe (cereal stem) 

I would especially like to acknowledge the assistance of Mallam Babuwa Tubra of FDL&PCS, Yola and 

Umaru Nuhu of Jalingo for their assistance in identifying plants and correction of the orthography of 

Fulfulde terms. Mr. H.M. Burkill, of the Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has kindly gone through 

checking and updating the scientific names. 

iv

Fulfulde Plant names. Latin-Fulfulde index. Circulation Version. Roger Blench 

Section 1. 

Latin-Fulfulde 

Abelmoschus esculentus ❒ takeyi, takayre pl. takayje 

(Okra) waskoore (pl. baskooje) 

kubeere (pl. kubeeje) (


Adansonia digitata ✺ ɓokki (pl. ɓowɗe, ɓoge, (tree) 

(baobab) 

ɓogeeje, ɓokko) 

ɓokko (leaves) 

ɓongel, ɓowkon, ɓokkon (diminutives) 

boyre (pl. ɓohe, ɓoye) (fruit) 

ɓownde (pl. ɓowde) (fruit) 

ɓowre (pl. ɓowe) (fruit) 

gadiyaare (pl. gadiyaaje) (seeds) 

goromi (seeds) 

gulumbur (young leaves) (A) 

njuuloondi (fruit pulp) 

saaɓeho (fresh leaves) 

Adenia venenata bambuhi 

Adenium obesum ✺ lekki peewuri ('coldness 

medicine') 

(Skt) 

(formerly A. honghel) ✺ dar ɓokki (pl. dar ɓowɗe) ('false baobab') 

(desert rose) (A) 

Adenodolichos paniculatus ✺ kilikaynawa (A) 

Aeschynomene afraspera falfoloji 

gaandul (pl. gaandi) 

mbala (pl. mbalo) (A) 

Aframomum meleguetta ❒ citta boɗeeje “red pepper” (


Amaranthus viridis ❒ haako-ndiyam 

rukuɓuho 

Amblygonocarpus andongensis jigaree-hi/je 

Amorphophallus abyssinicus bugulli 

gugulli 

buguwol (pl. buguji) 

Ampelocissus africanus gufu gafahi 

Formerly A. grantii inaboohi (vine) 

inaboo-re /-je (fruit) 

Ananas comosus ❒ onima [?] 

(pineapple) 

Anchomanes difformis bugulli 

gugulli 

Andira inermis ssp. rooseveltii daluhi 

arakiti [?] 

Andropogon africanus ❉ raneraneho 

yakawre 

Andropogon chinensis gamari bodeeri ? red 

Andropogon gayanus ❉ palawal 

ɗadeppure 

welho 

Andropogon pseudapriacus ❉ celɓol pl. celɓi (A) 

gamari boderi 

tidiNho 

Andropogon schirensis ❉ lawrehe 

hahendeho (A) 

Annona senegalensis ✺ dukuu-hi /-je ladde ('bush pawpaw') 

(Custard apple) cika kondo-yi /-je 

Anogeissus leiocarpus ✺ kojo-li/-le 

(Formerly A. schimperi) galalde 

Arachis hypogaea ❒ mbiriiwu (pl. biriiji) 

(Groundnut) pepel jiire (A) 

pampamwu (pl. pampamji) 

Aristida gen. ulumboju (A) 

daccere ngala 

Aristida adscensionis wicco tenemeje ('tail of ?') 

Aristida funiculata kelbi 

selbi 

Aristida stipoides hanhande 

soɗo (pl. soɗoje) 

3


urleho (G) 

Asparagus africanus gi'e fowru ('hyena thorn') 

(Formerly A. Pauli-Guilelmi) gi'e palaɗe ('lizard thorn') 

gi'e dobi ('rat thorn') 

labbel beeda (A) 

labbel fowru ('hyena's knife') 

tufgol buru 

tamashushu (planted sp.) 

Aspilia africana nyarki 

(Formerly A. latifolia) 

(Haemorrhage plant) 

Azadirachta indica ✺ ganyi (pl. ganyeeje) (


(Frankincense tree) jamuhi 

(Names also apply to B. odorata) juguhi 

andake-hi/je (A) 

shabilabi [?] (SZ) 

Brachiaria brizantha ❉ gawrare 

Brachiaria humidicola interere 

Brachiaria jubata ❉ labunehe 

Formerly B. fulva huturho (A) 

nyeelo 

Brachiaria ramosa baadeho 

Bridelia ferruginea maree-hi/je 

+ other Bridelia spp. mburburumhi 

gulumbi 

gulummehi 

lammulammuki 

Burkea africana ✺ kokobi (pl. kotkobe) 

Byrsocarpus coccineus wangara mbubi [?] 

yangara mbubihi [?] 

Cadaba farinosa ✺ balamji 

balɗamhi 

belɗamhi 

beelɗamhi 

beldam-wol/ji) 

Cajanus cajan ❒ 

(Pigeon pea) 

Calotropis procera ba(m)bam-bi/e (fr. H?) 

(Sodom apple, swallow-wort) tumpaapahi (


nyaɗi 

citta kolong 

citta golo (large type) 

Caralluma dalziellii gubee-hi/je 

Carica papaya ✺❒ dukku-hi/je 

(Pawpaw) rukuure (pl. dukuuje) (fruit) 

kabu(she)


Chasmopodium caudatum marorehe 

Chloris gayana pagamri 

Chloris pilosa kwoyde kumare 

(Formerly C. pycnothrix) damaliili-iho/wal/yel (A) 

kerkole 

tsawko 

Chloris robusta sanganaare pl. canganaaje (A) 

Chrysanthellum indicum giito gertogalhi ? of fowl 

var. afroamericanum 

Cissampelos owariensis magiraahi 

Cissus populnea gubuwol pl. gubuuji (A) 

Cissus quadrangularis gaadal ceembal pl. gaade 

ceembe 

Citrullus lanatus ❒ dende, denne (pl. denaaje) (Skt) 

sikiire (pl. cikilje) (seeds) (A) 

hurciire pl. kurciije (A) 

Citrus aurantifolia ✺ lemuu-re/je 

(Lime) ❒ lemun-hi/je 

leemur-re/nje 

Citrus aurantium (C. sinensis) ✺ lemun Misra 

(Orange) ❒ 

Citrus paradisi ✺ 

(Grapefruit) ❒ 

Cleome gynandra w. Cleome gasiyaahi (pl. gasiyaahu) (fr. 

afrospinosa 

H.?) 

Formerly 

pentaphylla 

Gynandropsis kinaski (Kn) (A) 

('Cats' whiskers) worba 

worbaaho (A) 

Cleome rutidosperma kinaski ciile 

Clerodendron capitatum korle-jigaa-hi/je (G) 

Cochlospermum sp. cekembura pl. cekemburaaje (A) 

Cochlospermum planchonii ambulolooji gaaduru 

ambulolowol (pl. 

ambulolooji) 

jurɓaango (pl. jurɓaaɗi) 

yarudi 

Cochlospermum tinctorium jaarundal (pl. jaarunde) 

njaareendahi 

Cola acuminata ✺ gooro (goorooje) (


(Also C. nitida) ❒ worore (pl. boroji) 

kobe 

Cola verticillata ✺ ganjigagaaji (Ba) 

Colocasia esculenta ❒ tanndaw-re /-je 

(Old cocoyam) goojare (pl.goojaaje) (SZ) 

meeroore (pl. meerooje) also 

meeroore baaɗi 

bonntoore (pl. bonntooje) (A) 

Combretum spp. ɓuski (pl. ɓusɗe) 

Combretum aculeatum sakaata saare (pl. saakatasareeji) 

law-nyi/nye (A) 

Combretum 

geitonophyllum 

collinum ssp. ✺ ɓuski (pl. busɗe) 

(Formerly C. verticillatum) dooki (daneehi), dookehi 

Combretum collinum ssp. 

hypopilinum 

✺ ɓuski daneehi 

Combretum fragrans ✺ ɓuski (pl. ɓusɗe) 

(Formerly C. dalzielii) ɓuski boɗeehi 

Combretum glutinosum ✺ ɓoodi (pl. ɓoode) 

(Formerly C. passargei) boodi (pl. boode) (A) 

Combretum micranthum ✺ gumumi 

Combretum molle ✺ damoruhi 

ɓoodi (pl. ɓoode) 

Combretum nigricans var. eliottii ✺ ɓuski (pl. ɓusɗe) 

buyki 

Commelina benghalensis uppurwa (?) 

Commelina forskalaei waalwaalnde (pl. baalbaalɗe) 

(w. C. diffusa, C. vogelii, C. erecta) 

Commiphora africana var. 

africana 

badaaɗi (Ba) 

badangereehi 

dasi-hi/je 

garsee-hi/je (A) 

ka(a)lihi 

watanta jambere 

Commiphora kerstingii kaabii-hi/je (Kn) (A) 

daleeji (Kts) 

Corchorus olitorius ❒ maama laalo (


Cordia africana lillibaa-hi/je (Kn) 

(Formerly C. abyssinica) lillibaa-re/je (fruit) 

liblibaa-hi/je (A) 

Costus spectabilis dengere 

(Dwarf savannah ginger-lily) 

Crassocephalum rubens baba huum (


Curculigo pilosa nofru wamnde (pl. noppi 

bambɗi) 

('donkey's ear') (Skt 

biriiji jiire ('ground-squirrel's 

groundnut) 

(A) 

Curcuma domestica ❒ gangamuki (Skt) 

(Turmeric) ma(n)gina (dye) (


Detarium senegalense ✺ konkee-hi/je 

(Tallow tree) honkeere pl. konkeeje (fruit) (A) 

Dialium guineense ✺ (A) 

Dichrostachys 

africana 

cinerea ssp. burli (pl. burle) 

(Also D. glomerata) gi'al gooti ('unique thorn') 

juuta-gi'alhi (A) 

Digitaria argillacea silabo 

Digitaria debilis ❉ damaliliho (A) 

w. D. horizontalis damaliiliyel 

Digitaria diagonalis ❉ geene saabeere ‘grass of groundnut 

field’ 

Digitaria exilis ❉ acaari (


siseri 

Echinops gracilis gingil(l)-al/e 

Echinops longifolius nyaalelhi (?) 

boginaahi (A) 

gingil(l)al nyiibi 

saginaa-hi/je (A) 

(A) 

Ectadiopsis oblongifolia wurkunu waynaɓe ('herdsman's ?') 

Formerly Cryptolepis nigritana subbe waynaɓe ('herdsman's tuft of 

grass') 

Elaeis guineensis ✺ koko (A) 

(oil-palm) ❒ ɓikkoy koko (fruit) 

Eleusine coracana ❉ cargaari 

(Finger millet) ❒ cergeeri 

Eleusine indica ❉ sargalde pl. cargale (A) 

(Fowl-foot grass) tuji (A) 

Elionurus elegans raneraneho (doyonbole) (A) 

(w. E. ciliaris, hirtifolius) 

Entada africana faɗo waanduuhi pl. paɗe ('monkey's 

waanduuhi 

sandals') 

(Also E. sudanica) (A) 

Eragrostis spp. ❉ siiwko pl. siiwkooji (A) 

Eragrostis ciliaris ❉ saraaho (gorko) 

(Also E. tremula) sara-ji/je (A) 

sarawal 

dutale-ho/hi (Skt) 

cagaje 

tappo 

Eragrostis tenella ❉ budo mboju 

Eragrostis turgida ❉ samereeho 

vutaleeho 

Eriosema psoraleoides joga namfaɗi 

tijja naangeehi (A) 

Erythrina sp. beeɗoo-hi/je (A) 

Erythrophleum africanum sungwoyi [!] 

Euclasta condylotricha ride bara 

Eugenia caryophyllatus ✺ gurumbal (pl. gurumbe) 

(Clove) ❒ 

Euphorbia balsamifera agwaje 

(Balsam spurge) 

12 

(A)


Euphorbia convolvuloides yindamhi 

enende (Skt) 

nonon kurciya (


iije-ehi/e (A) 

ceekeehi/je (A, Ba) 

Ficus trichopoda ✺ geloba-hi/je (


Quassia undulata ✺ bummere baaɗi (monkey's plum) 

Formerly Hannoa undulata 

Heliotropum bacciferum gerohi 

(Formerly H. undulatum) 

Herminiera elaphroxylum ✺ katambaa-hi/je (A) 

Hexalobus monopetalus ✺ kelli 

(Formerly H. glabrescens) boy-li/le (A) 

Hibiscus articulatus ❖ selekiya (leaves) (A) 

Hibiscus asper ❖ follere (pl. polle) 

❒ 

Hibiscus cannabinus ❖ gabaywol (pl. gabayji) (stem) 

(Kenaf) ❒ baji 

ɓooldi (A) 

ngoɓoldi (woody stem) (A) 

aaweteeɗi (A) 

Hibiscus sabdariffa ❖ follere (pl. polle) 

(Sorrel, Roselle) ❒ hoyoro (A) 

maciyaa-re/je (seeds) (A) 

Hippocratea africana balandibi (Skt) 

(Formerly H. richardiana) biwa (A) 

Holarrhena floribunda nyiiwahi (elephant tree) 

Hordeum vulgare sha'iruri


Hyparrhenia umbrosa ❉ cambawal (A) 

Hyparrhenia violascens ❉ jimfihu (cf. Hausa) 

Hyperthelia dissoluta ❉ cobbe (Skt) 

kalawal (A) 

cingaaji 

woɗeho 

Hyphaene thebaica ✺ gellee-hi/je 

(Dum palm) yelle-re/je (fruit) (A, Skt) 

balol pl. bali (leaf) (A) 

Ilex mitis ndiyam-hi/ɗe (water-tree) (Ja) 

Imperata cylindrica ❉ so'yo-ru/je (A, Ja) 

(Spear-grass) soo'o pl. soo'ooji (A) 

gasa kigere 

Indigofera spp. wabaho (


Jardinia congoensis iware 

Khaya senegalensis ✺ ɗaalee-hi/je (A) 

(African mahogany) ka-hi/je (Skt) 

[N.B. possible confusion 

with Prosopis africana] 

Kigelia africana ✺ gillaa-hi/je (A) 

(Sausage tree) gillaare (fruit) 

Laccosperma opacum kogiri (


jollooru (pl. jallooji) (water-bottle) 

junguru (


yaɗiyowol (


senegalensis) 

yaree lesdi 

bakororo (H.?) 

Melia azedarach ✺ 

(Persian lilac) ❒ 

Melochia corchorifolia tukurra (


(Tobacco) ❒ curki (Skt) 

curde (smoke) (A) 

gejol (pl. geje) (green leaf) (A) 

Nymphaea lotus taɓɓere (pl. taɓɓe) (A) 

darm(an)aami (flower) (A) 

ndayri (A) 

moɓooɓi (A) 

Ocimum basilicum ❖ urngol (pl. urdi) 

kacukacunga 

Ocimum suave ❖ kacuke 

Oncoba spinosa ✺ 

Opilia celtidifolia yamoyn ngari 

Opuntia spp. paɗe annabiijo (the Prophet's 

shoes) 

Orchidaceae spp. 

1. Terrestrial orchids; Eulophia, wicco ngelobahi ('camel's tail') 

Habenaria, Platycoryne 

2. Epiphytes; Angraecum etc. yejjitehi 

Oryza barthii maaroori ladde 

Oryza glaberrima❒ ❉ maaroo-ri/je 

(African rice) 

Oryza longistaminata naanaare 

Oryza sativa❒ ❉ maaroo-ri/je 

(Asian rice) burungu 

Oxystelma bornouense ❉ layol gora 

Oxytenanthera abyssinica ❉ kewal (pl. kewe) 

Panicum spp. ❉ gerorohe (pl. geroroje) 

Panicum anabaptistum ❉ burɗi 

buwirɗi 

Panicum laetum ❉ saɓeri 

Parinari curatellifolia ✺ nawarre-baaɗi (monkey's 

Neocarya 

macrophylla) 

Parkia biglobosa ✺ naree-hi/je 

(Locust) nuunuu-hi/je (A) 

Parkinsonia aculeata ✺ caran labbi 

(Jerusalem thorn) 

21


Paspalidium sp, kayyaa-ri/je (A) 

Pennisetum sp. ❉ wuuluko (A) 

Pennisetum glaucum❒ ❉ andakoori (A) 

(Bulrush millet) baderi 

cukkunde (cv w. long 

bristles) 

jaduri (A) 

macari (Kiri) 

matiyari 

maywari (


Piliostigma reticulatum 

(Also Piliostigma thonningii) 

(Formerly Bauhinia reticulata, B. 

thonningii) 

✺ barkee-hi/je 

Piper guineense citta mosooro (


Rottboellia cochinchinensis ❉ nyelo (A) 

loyo 

Saba florida ❂ nyanaare gaduuru ('pig's melon') 

(Formerly Landolphia florida) (A) 

Saccharum officinarum❒ ❉ lamaruuduwal 

(Sugar-cane) cife mayo 

reke (


Sesbania sesban var. nubica loli 

(Also S. pachycarpa) cannjol (pl. cannji) 

gosowol (pl. gosoji) 

Setaria anceps ❉ bishebadi (A) 

Setaria barbata ❉ kosabere (B) 

(Bristly foxtail grass) 

Setaria longiseta ❉ shabalaho (B) 

Setaria sphacelata ❉ wicco wanduho (monkey's tail) 

Siphonoehilus aethiopicus ✺ bei-rihi (?'goat's dye') 

Formerly Kaempferia aethiopica 

Solanum sp. ❖ gorongo (A) 

wuykitiniho (A) 

Solanum aethiopicum ❖ yaaloo-re/je (


njigaari 

njolomri 

salambata 

same 

(red, short season) 

sammere (pl. cammaje) 

sudumari 

teleri 

(panicle) 

umpu (A) 

walaganaari 

wunwundi 

yaldaari 

yeleri 

(white) (A) 

yoloɓri (A) 

Sorghum race caudatum var. 

colorans❒ 

❉ gabaɗir-wal/je (A) 

garbidinohi 

mboojudi (A) 

ndammungeri (A) 

yambe 

Sorghum 

niloticum❒ 

race durra var. ❉ ajagamaari (white cv) (A) 

(Dry season sorghum) burguuri 

kandiri 

ndaneri 

ndarapaari 

majeeri 

manduwoyri 

muskuwaari 

murel 

murerri 

purdi 

safraari 

suukataari 

Sorghum race guinea var. mellitum ❉ lakawal (pl. lakaje) 

cibal (pl. cibe, cife) 

badal (pl. bade) 

cabadi-wal/ije (Kn) 

cibadi-wal/ije (Kn) 

cife ngeesa 

cife takanɗari 

lakatuɓlel 

sabadi-wal/ije (Kn) 

sibadi-wal/ije (Kn) 

Spermacoce stachydea fayrare 

Formerly Borreria stachydea 

Spondias mombin ❒ ,✺ caɓɓulli Makka (X. americana of 

Mecca) 

(Hog-plum) 

Sporobolus sp. ❉ pagaame (M) 

Sporobolus festivus ❉ huɗo mboju ('hare's grass') 

nalle waynaɓe ('herder's henna') 

26


cobbe waynaɓe ('herder's fura') (Ba) 

manga ndangula (A) 

ndamula (A) 

Sporobolus paniculatus ❉ huɗo mbujo grass of ? (A) 

Sporobolus pyramidalis ❉ gerorehe 

(Rat's tail grass) cekegol (A) 

Steganotaenia araliacea sabadije nyiwa ('elephant's sugarcane') 

Formerly Peucedanum araliaceum 

Sterculia setigera boɓo-ri/re (A) 

gorko ɓokki (male baobab) 

Stereospermum kunthianum golombi (pl.golombe) 

gomboli (Kn) (A) 

buldumhi (A) 

Striga hermontheca duu-le/li (A) 

(Witchweed) malallu (Skt) 

Strophanthus hispidus dajjeehi (A) 

(& S. sarmentosus) dajji (A) 

maada 

tooke tookere (plant) 

awdi tooke (seeds) 

tantsiyari (


(African mistletoe) yore (pl. jo'e) 

Tephrosia linearis jalluri (A) 

loloce (Skt) 

Tephrosia vogelii aawdi-O/-ji) 

tokke liɗɗi 

lekki liɗɗi 

yom (M) 

Terminalia macroptera kuula-hi/je (A) 

(Also T. avicennoides, T. kuulamanee-hi/je 

glaucescens, 

T. reticulata) kandarahi 

ɓood-i /-e 

(


soɗornde (pl. coɗorɗe) (A) 

Vigna subterranea ❒ depp-u /-i) 

(Bambara groundnut) gongongu (pl. gongonji) 

gorosgoros 

biriji daɓɓi 

biriji damuɗi 

ngalaa-wu/ji (A) 

ngalgalaa-wu/ji (A) 

Vigna unguiculata ❒ nyebbere or nyewre (pl. 

nyebbe) 

(Cowpea) ligidaa-re/je (green pod) (A) 

Vitex doniana ✺ ngalbiihi (pl. galbiije) (A) 

ngalbiire (pl. galbiije) (fruit) 

Vitex simplicifolia bummee-hi/je 

bummee-re/je (fruit) 

Vitellaria paradoxa ✺ karee-hi/je 

(Formerly 

paradoxum) 

Butyrospermum haareere pl. kaareeje (green fruit) 

(Shea-butter tree) egerere (pl. egereje) (nut) 

baliire (nuts) (


Zingiber officinale❒ citta Afo pepper of Eloyi 

people (


Bibliography 

Burkill, H.M. 1985. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families A-D, Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens. 

Burkill, H.M. 1994. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families E-I, Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens. 

Burkill, H.M. 1995. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families J-L, Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens. 

Burkill, H.M. 1997. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families M-R, Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens. 

Burkill, H.M. 2000. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Families S-Z, Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens. 

Dalziel, J.M. 1937. The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Crown Agents, London. 

Keay, R.W. 1989. Trees of Nigeria. Oxford University Press. 

Keay, R.W., Onochie, C.F.A. & Stanfield, D.P. 1964. Nigerian trees. (2 vols.) Federal Department of Forest 

Research, Ibadan. 

Noye, D. 1989. Dictionnaire Foulfoulde-Francais. Geuthner, Paris. 

Taylor, F.W. 1932. A Fulani-English Dictionary. Oxford. 

31

fulfulde names for plants and trees in nigeria - Roger Blench

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?