January
1927
For the first time I saw some of the special endemic plants of Abyssinia, such as the peculiar grain called teff (Eragrostis abyssinica), a particular kind of small millet that produces a first-class flour used for flat-cakes in Abyssinia. This endemic Abyssinian grass was undoubtedly first taken into cultivation in this country.
There was also a new oil-producing plant with black seeds called ramtil or noog (Guizotia abyssinica). There are also special varieties, or perhaps species, of pepper grass (Lepidium sativum) and special, tall-growing safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), as well as a special late-ripening sesame (Sesamum indicum).
Within the lower zone large amounts of sorghum are grown in exceptionally variable forms with respect to both the seeds and the hulls. The wild vegetation consists of thickets of candelabra-shaped euphorbias, often used for making fences. The forested zone is represented by the conifer Juniperus excelsa.
For the geography of cultivated plants these were facts of first-class importance, the full importance of which will be understood only after comparative investigations. The
collections exceeded all expectations. All trouble was justified after the week of travelling around in the region of Harer. The first 50 parcels of 5 kilograms each were shipped off to Leningrad.
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