author
Hugh Vandervaes Lely
1891–1947
An English botanist and forester, he is remembered for a practical, field-ready guide to the trees of Northern Nigeria. His work focused on helping readers identify species and understand their everyday uses, from timber and food to local industry.
1 Audiobook
The useful trees of northern Nigeria
by Hugh Vandervaes Lely
About the author
Born in 1891, Hugh Vandervaes Lely was an English botanist and forestry officer whose career became closely tied to West Africa. Records from Westminster School identify him as a former pupil, and botanical references later remembered him specifically for his work in Nigeria.
Lely is best known for The Useful Trees of Northern Nigeria, published in 1925 while he was serving as an Assistant Conservator of Forests in Nigeria. Rather than writing a dense academic flora, he set out to create a practical identification guide to the savannah trees of the region, describing species and their economic uses in a clear, organized way.
His contribution lasted beyond that single book. The plant genus Lelya was named in his honor, reflecting the respect he earned as a botanist and forester. He died in 1947, but his writing still offers a vivid glimpse of early twentieth-century botanical work in Northern Nigeria.