list of figures - Terry Sunderland

fruits), irrumka = female (with fruits) (Ekit); iro (Esan); obong (Efik); dugwah
(Iwuru): CAMEROON: filet (Trade); cane rope (Pidgin); e-chié (Denya); nlong
(indef.) melong (def.) (Bulu); bana ndongo = young cane (bana = child) (Balundu-
Bima); yo-chori (Korop); nloun (Baasa); lo’o (Badjué): EQUATORIAL GUINEA:
nlong (indef.) mi-long (def.) = juvenile stems, ongam = adult (Fang): GABON: kegèma
(Lumbu); nyèvila (Sira); ongam (Fang); ndètèse (Kota); iganga-tsungu (Punu);
songu (Vumbu); tongo (Tsogo); mbubi (Ndumu)
Uses
This species is reputed to be the best source of cane in Africa (Unwin, 1920) and is
reputed to be of comparable quality to the small-diameter canes of SE Asia
(Mildbraed, 1913; Irvine 1961). E. macrocarpa is widely used for furniture
construction, basketry, weaving and tying wherever it occurs: Sierra Leone (Burkill,
1997), Côte d’Ivoire (ECOFAC, 1999), Ghana (Irvine, 1961; Abbiw, 1990), Benin
(Profizi, 1989), Nigeria (Morakinyo, 1994; Tuley, 1995), Cameroon (Defo, 1998;
Sunderland, 1999), Equatorial Guinea (Sunderland, 1998; Guinea-Lopez, 1946),
Gabon (Raponda-Walker and Sillans, 1961). However, E. haullevilleana seems to be
the preferred species for basketry and weaving in the DR Congo.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the Anyi utilise the split stems for baskets, cages for transporting
chickens to market and for bows to play stringed musical instruments (ECOSYN,
1999). In Nigeria, the split stems of this species were formerly used to tie log rafts
together for floating downstream to market (Sylvic Sap, 1935) as well as for making a
kind of string that the Yoruba formerly used for tying lath pieces together in
housebuilding an in tying the cloth in making coverings for canoes (Unwin, 1920).
The powdered root is taken as a medicine for the treatment of syphilis by the Akan-
Asanti in Ghana (Irvine, 1961; Abbiw, 1990) and the Yoruba of Nigeria (Ainslie,
1937). The long flexible stems of this species make it ideal for the construction of
cane bridges and these are commonly encountered in Ghana (Irvine, 1961) and by the
many indigenous groups in SW Province, Cameroon (Sunderland, unpubl. notes).
References: SIERRA LEONE: Deighton (vocabulary, 1956 cited in Burkill, 1997): LIBERIA: Dalziel
(1937): CÔTE D’IVOIRE: ECOSYN (1999): GHANA: Irvine (1961); Burkill (1997); Sunderland
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