noe

Phaseolus lunatus
Phaseolus lunatus#Translingual

Lima bean(s), butter bean(s), Madagascar bean(s) (Phaseolus lunatus)


minji

Pisum sativum
Pisum sativum#Translingual


ruai

whistling thorn (Vachellia drepanolobium, syn. Acacia drepanolobium)


mũratina

/mòɾáːtìnáꜜ/

sausage tree; its ripe fruits are used for fermenting sugar-cane beverage and in Nyeri County, decoction of the leaves, barks and fruits is allegedly used for treating gonorrhoea, syphilis, measles, etc.


mũthandũkũ

/mòðàⁿdókóꜜ/

black wattle, especially Acacia decurrens


mũgaa

Hinde (1904) records mugaa as an equivalent of English mimosa in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu.

red acacia (Vachellia seyal, syn. Acacia stenocarpa, A. seyal)


ndabibi

Benson (1964) suspects affinity with Maasai ol-dabibi.


mũbariti

silky oak, southern silky oak (Grevillea robusta)


njahĩ

Lablab purpureus
Lablab purpureus#Translingual

seed(s) of hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus, syn. Dolichos lablab)


mboco

/ᵐbɔ̀ːɕɔ̀(ꜜ)/

Phaseolus vulgaris
Phaseolus vulgaris#Translingual


mũkorobia

/mòkɔ̀ɾɔ̀βíːà(ꜜ)/

Persea americana
Persea americana#Translingual


mũrera

From kũrera (“to float, to hover, to glide”).

fever tree, Naivasha thorn (Acacia xanthophloea)


mũtarakwa

/mòtàɾákoáꜜ/

Benson (1964) suspects that this term is related to Maasai ol-tarakwai (“Juniperus procera”). Compare also Kalenjin (Markweeta tarakwet and tarokwa, Nandi tarakwet and turkwet, Pökoot tarokwa, Sabaot torokio, Tugen tarokwa).

cog

Juniperus procera
Juniperus procera#Translingual

African pencil cedar, East African cedar (Juniperus procera)


mũrũrũe

/mòɾòɾòwɛ̀(ꜜ)/

forest pepper, Lopez root, wild orange tree (Toddalia asiatica); formerly its leaves and roots were used for treating feverish colds, and recently leaf decoction for colds, asthma, chest pain and toothache


mũraraciĩ

Hutchins (1909) records m'Lalàchi as a local name for Chestnut (wild).


mũrũrũa

/mòɾòːɾòːáꜜ/


mwĩnũ

Hutchins (1909) records Muvènu as the Kikuyu name for Cassia didymobotria (sic!).

peanut butter cassia, candelabra tree (Senna didymobotrya, syn. Cassia didymobotrya); traditionally used as a purgative, etc.


mũthaitĩ

Hutchins (1909) records m'Zaiti as the Kikuyu name for Ocotea usambarensis.

East African camphorwood (Kuloa usambarensis; syn. Ocotea usambarensis) or Ocotea kenyensis; wood of at least the former one was used for making partitioning walls (mĩhĩrĩgo), containers related to honey, etc.


mũtamaiyũ

Hutchins (1909) records m'Tamàyu as the Kikuyu name for Olea chrysophilla (sic!).

wild olive, brown olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata, syn. O. africana, O. europaea subsp. africana, O. chrysophylla)


mũcarage

/mòɕàɾáɣɛ̀(ꜜ)/

Hutchins (1909) records m'Sharàge as the Kikuyu name for Olea hochstetterii (sic!).


mũbĩngũ

Swahili mpingo (“ebony; African blackwood”).

bor

African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)


mũgaita

Hutchins (1909) records m'Gàiyìtà as the local name for Rapanea rhododendroides.

Certain species of Primulaceae producing fruits (ngaita) used as a vermifuge.

Myrsine rhododendroides, syn. Rapanea rhododendroides


kahũa

Borrowed from Swahili kahawa, ultimately from Arabic قَهْوَة (qahwa).

mũgũnda wa kahũa

coffee, including the plant (Coffea arabica)


mũkongoro

mortar for making sugar-cane beer; according to Leakey (1977), it was made of red stinkwood (mũiri).


mũtatĩ

Polyscias kikuyuensis; produces soft timber, used traditionally for making beehive and mole-trap.


muunjuga

/muùᶮd͡ʑùɣà(ꜜ)/

(blue) butterfly bush (Rotheca myricoides, syn. Clerodendrum myricoides)


muunjuga-iria

ki-noun

muunjuga-iria class 3 (plural miunjuga-iria)

Literally means “the milk-stirring plant”. According to Benson (1964), twigs of blue butterfly bush were used as swizzle sticks.


mũciciũ

Premna maxima, a tree species of the family Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae); endemic to Kenya, producing timber, but in the IUCN Red List evaluated as 'Endangered' due to probable habitat loss caused by local development.


mũkarakaba

cypress, especially Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa)


mũcemeki

/mòɕɛ̀mɛ́kì(ꜜ)/

Afrocrania volkensii (syn. Cornus volkensii), a timber-tree of the family Cornaceae.


mũkorombothi

mũkorombothi class 3 (plural mĩkorombothi)

/mòkɔ̀ɾɔ̀ᵐbɔ̀ðì(ꜜ)/

Afrocrania volkensii, a timber-tree of the family Cornaceae


mũtomoko

/mòtɔ̀ːmɔ́kɔ̀(ꜜ)/

Borrowed from Swahili mtomoko (“custard apple”).

Annona cherimola
Annona cherimola#Translingual


mũkũngũgũ

Commiphora eminii subsp. zimmermannii (syn. C. missionis, C. zimmermannii), tree of the family Burseraceae; traditionally used by Kikuyu people for hedging, supporter of yam vine, and so on.


mũhoko

endod, African soapberry (Phytolacca dodecandra; though very poisonous, parts of this plant were traditionally used for treating cattle sickness and as aperient for human being.


mũthathumwa

mũthathumwa class 3 (plural mĩthathumwa)

Hypericum revolutum, a shrub or tree of the St. John's wort family (Hypericaceae)


mũrũrũ

ramontchi, governor's plum, Indian plum (Flacourtia indica); fruit edible.


icani

Borrowed from Swahili majani (“leaves”).


mũbirũbirũ

/mòβìɾóβìɾóꜜ/

Canthium oligocarpum subsp. friesiorum (syn. Rytigynia friesiorum)


mũtũngũrũ

forest fever tree (Anthocleista grandiflora, syn. Anthocleista zambesiaca)


mũkũndũ

several tree species of the family Rubiaceae

Mitragyna rubrostipulata (syn. Fleroya rubrostipulata); yields timber.


rũathe

Psydrax parviflora, especially subsp. rubrocostata (syn. Canthium rubrocostatum), tree of the madder family (Rubiaceae); yields timber.


mũkomakoma

Psychotria fractinervata (syn. Grumilea exserta)


mũgoro

/mòɣɔ̀ɾɔ̀(ꜜ)/


mũna

Hutchins (1909) records m'Ona as a Kikuyu name for Chrysophyllum sp.).

muna (Pouteria adolfi-friedericii, syn. Aningeria adolfi-friedericii); yields timber.


mũthegethe

/mòðɛ̀ɣɛ̀ðɛ́/

canary-bird bush, birdflower, lion's claw, rattlebox (Crotalaria agatiflora)


mũembe

Mangifera indica
Mangifera indica#Translingual


mũthithe

African sandalwood (Osyris lanceolata, syn. O. abyssinica)


mũringathinga

mũringathinga class 3 (plural mĩringathinga)

/mòɾìᵑɡáðìŋɡáꜜ/

Mussaenda microdonta subsp. odorata (syn. M. odorata); tree or shrub of the family Rubiaceae


mũrera-kĩĩmbu

mũrera-kĩĩmbu class 3 (plural mĩrera-kĩĩmbu)

/mòɾɛ̀ɾà(ꜜ)keèᵐbú/

mũ- (“[CLASS 3]”) + kũrera (“to rear”) + kĩĩmbu (“chameleon”).

Canthium oligocarpum subsp. friesiorum (syn. Rytigynia friesiorum), shrub or tree species of the family Rubiaceae


mũtĩ-mũirũ

/mòtě moìɾóꜜ/

Galiniera saxifraga (syn. G. coffeoides); shrub or tree of the family Rubiaceae

shrub or tree species of the genus Turraea (Meliaceae)


mũbaage

Meronym: (seeds) mbaage

Mauritius thorn (Biancaea decapetala, syn. Caesalpinia decapetala, C. sepiaria); native to Asia, but naturalized to Kenya for a very long time; traditionally used for hedge.


mbaage

Fruit and seeds of plants of species Biancaea decapetala (Mauritius thorn) (mũbaage); seeds were used for divination.