Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/190

 Thanks to its variety of climate, the flora of Abyssinia is extremely diversified. The two chief zones of vegetation are naturally those of the upland plateaux and lowland valleys; but many of the species flourish in both regions. Each plant has its particular zone, differing in range and vertical height along the slopes. The shores of the Red Sea have their special flora, characteristic of which are the kndel (cassipourca africana) and the shora (avicennia tomentosa) trees growing on the strip of coast which is alternately flooded by the tides. On the shores of Hawakil Bay these trees are similar in appearance and nearly as large as the European beech. At the foot of the range in the Sahel zone, often described as barren, the vegetation consists merely of scrub, except in the vicinity of the streams. The flora of the kwallas is distinguished especially by its wealth in deciduous trees, whose leaves fall in the dry season. Here flourish the sycamore and the fig ; here the tamarind and acacia intertwine their thorny branches along the banks of the mountain torrents. Here and there the huge baobab, "giant of the vegetable kingdom," which, nevertheless, in many respects presents the appearance of a grass, raises its bulging stem, often hollow and filled with water, its tufted branches terminating in wreaths of foliage. When blown down by the wind its huge trunk, some 60 to 80 feet in circumference, affords a refuge to the shepherds and their flocks.

The palm scarcely penetrates into the kwallas, being confined mostly to the Red Sea coast. Hence the Abyssinians import their dates from Arabia. The cereals are of a particular species, or else of varieties very different from those of Europe, and flourish best in the middle zone, where nearly all the Abyssinian towns are concentrated. The Shoa and Amhara peasants are said to possess twenty-eight varieties of millet, twenty -four of wheat, sixteen of barley, and several kinds of rye and maize. The most general cereal is the dakussa, an eleusina, which is now made into beer, but which formerly supplied bread exclusively for the royal family. The tef (tief), a species of poa, is also largely employed in the manufacture of farinaceous foods. The potato, introduced by Schimper, after flourishing for some time, was attacked by blight, and its culture has now been almost completely abandoned. The musa ensete, a species of banana growing in the kwallas, rarely bears fruit, probably because it comes originally from the Galla lowlands. The leaves are utilised for forage, and its roots taste like the potato when cooked. The European fruit-trees, or their corresponding varieties, generally produce excellent crops. The vine, doubtless introduced from Europe, as attested by its Greek name of voïna (oïnos), was formerly widely diffused throughout the whole intermediary zone, which was thence known as "vine-land." But this plant has almost disappeared, having been destroyed by the oidium. Some travellers have also accused King Theodore of having uprooted it, on the pretext that wine should be reserved for beings superior to mortals. Lastly, coffee does not appear to be indigenous, and is cultivated only in Gojam, in the Gondar district, on the southern shore of Lake Tana, and in a few other regions of the plateau.