'A list of the esculent vegetables of Sierra Leone'
Information
Title
'A list of the esculent vegetables of Sierra Leone'
Record type
Archive
Original Reference
RHS/Col/2/3/6
Date
c.1822
Scope & content
List of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, roots, pods and grains growing in Sierra Leone, mostly numbered and divided into the following sections:
Fruits numbered 1-30, including 'country grapes' ('very small, growing in corymbs, taste somewhat bitter'), oranges ('not so large nor yet so well flavoured as those of St Jago [Santiago, Cabo Verde], which were the best I ever saw or tasted'), 'rose apple (Eugenia jambos?) [Syzygium jambos]' ('cultivated near gentlemen's houses'), 'locust tree of the inhabitants (Inga globosa) [?Parkia biglobosa]' ('the inhabitants are very fond of it, they eat the yellow farinaceous substance which is about the seeds which is in taste the same as gingerbread') and 'capsicum, three sorts' [here the list includes 25 more fruits]. Don notes that 'there are several other fruits but it is not exactly the season for them. I have sent one or two which the inhabitants are very fond of but could not ascertain the name of them'
Seeds numbered 1-2, comprising cola (Sterculia acuminata) [Cola acuminata] and coffee 'of two sorts', both native to Sierra Leone
Roots numbered 1-13, including 'country potatoes' ('I have never seen the plant but understand the leaves resemble balm'), 'bush yam of the inhabitants' ('this is a very large root but is not so good as the common yam'), cocoa ('a species of Arum nearly related to Arum, the roots of this are excellent, when roasted tastes somewhat like a hazel nut, leaves used as greens'), shallots ('very small, resembling chives') and sweet potatoes ('cultivated to a great extent; Convolvulus batatas [Ipomoea batatas]') [here the list includes 8 more roots]
Pods numbered 1-6, comprising 'okroes [okra], Hibiscus [Hibiscus esculentus]', 'kenii kering or palaver sauce plant ('used the same way as okroes'), 'Phaseolus two sorts, the one called horse bean, the other I have had no name for', 'pigeon peas (Cytisus Cajan) [Cajanus cajan]' ('commonly cultivated'), 'red tree of the inhabitants (Bixa purpurea) [Bixa orellana]' and 'Crotalaria two sorts'
Grains numbered 1-3 (a fourth is not numbered), comprising rice, 'two sorts of millet', guinea corn [sorghum] and sugar cane
For another version of this list in George Don's journal, 26 Mar 1822, see RHS/Col/2/1/5