list of figures - Terry Sunderland

(Pidgin); erogbo, erugbo (Edo); ekwe-oji, iye (Igbo); apié (the plant itself, or the canerope
made from it) (Ijo-Izon), bwálàm (a cane) (Pero); erogbo, erugbo (Yoruba):
CAMEROON: nding (Bulu); ndié (Badjué): EQUATORIAL GUINEA: nzing (Fang):
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: bioh (Banda-Yangere): DR CONGO: kpude
(Zande); ma-ndakele (Ngbaka-Ma’bo); ikonga (Lombo); babio (Mongo-Nkundu); mukolo
(Lega-Mwenga); lekwe (BaMbuti): UGANDA: bi-lekwe (Amba).
Uses
The stems of C. deërratus are not as widely used as other species. Throughout their
range, they are considered inferior to other species of rattan as they do not attain as
great a diameter and hence are not as robust as many of the larger species of
Laccosperma. Accordingly, they are often too thick and rather inflexible for weaving,
for which a number of species of Eremospatha are preferred. However, the use of C.
deërratus increases in the absence of other rattan canes (Profizi, 1986; Morakinyo,
1995; Tenati, in press) and, aside from a wide range of construction and weaving
applications, C. deërratus also contributes significantly to other household needs.
For example, in Ghana, the whole leaves are often used for thatching (Abbiw, 1990).
In Sierra Leone the apical bud (palm heart) is eaten by the Mende people as a dietary
supplement and they are in Ghana (Dalziel, 1937; Irvine, 1952; Irvine, 1961). The
young shoots are roasted whole and eaten in Ghana (Abbiw, 1990). In lower
Casamance of Senegal the leaves are grilled over a fire and then macerated; the liquid
is drunk to promote weight loss is stout persons (Berhaut, 1988) and the same
preparation is also given for oedema caused by vitamin deficiencies (ibid.). Ash from
burning the roots is used as a kitchen salt in Guinea (Portères, s.d. cited in Burkhill,
1997) and in Ghana (Abbiw, 1990). In Sierra Leone, the rind is twisted into little
sponges and used to clean pans (Irvine, 1961). Williamson & Timitimi (1983) state
that the leaf sheath may be peeled off and twisted to make a rough rope.
Throughout West Africa in particular, C. deërratus has a wide range of uses for
furniture construction and basketry to the extent that in the dry savannas of northern
Nigeria, in the absence of other species, canes of C. deërratus were formerly supplied
to prisons for workshop activities and the rehabilitation of prisoners (Burkill, 1997).
Whole canes were widely used for fences and house-building in other areas of Nigeria
(Unwin, 1920) as well as in Ghana (Abbiw, 1990). Elsewhere in Africa, in Zambia
321