58 USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 
ABANDONED CLEARINGS, 
Abandoned clearings are usually overgrown either with common 
tropical weeds, thickets formed by hedge plants, plants once cultivated 
which have continued to grow, or indigenous species which usually 
grow on the edge of the forest or in open places. Among the tropi- 
cal weeds of wide distribution are Achyranthes aspera, Waltheria 
indica, Asclepias curassavica, Abutilon indicum, Sida rhombifolia, 
Sida acuta, Datura fastuosa, Physalis angulata, Physalis minima, 
and //eliotropium indicum; the composites Hlephantopus scaber, 
Klephantopus spicatus, Adenostemma viscosum, Ageratum conyzoides, 
Glossogyne tenurfolia, and Synedrella nodiflora; Euphorbia atoto, 
Euphorbia hirta, Phyllanthus niruri, Oxalis corniculata, and the 
creeping, clover-like Methomia trifora. Among the scrubby Legumi- 
nosae are Jndigofera anil, Indigofera tinctoria, Crotalaria quinque- 
Jolia, Cassia tora, Cassia occidentalis, Cassia sophera, and the fine- 
leaved Cassia mimosoides. The principal hedge plants now forming 
thickets are the orange berry (Zriphasia trifoliata); the physic 
nut (Jatropha cureas),; sibucao, or sappan wood (Biancaca sappan), 
Leucaena glauca, called ‘* tatgantitgan” in Guam, and ‘lead tree” in 
the British West Indies; and the well-known opoponax, Acacia furne- 
stana, Which bears yellow globular heads of fragrant flowers. 
Twining among these bushes are Abrus abrus (Pl. XXXII), which 
bears the tiny red-and-black seeds called crab’s eyes; the spiny yam 
(Dioscorea’ spinosa) (Pl. XLIX), which often renders the thickets 
impenetrable; Cassytha jiliformis, a leafless, wiry parasite, sometimes 
called laurel-dodder; and several Leguminosae, including the yam 
bean, or hikamas (Cacara erosa). Among the Convolvulaceae are sev- 
eral species of Ipomoea; Argyreta tiliaefolia, the flowers of which, 
called abubo, are strung into garlands by the children; and the white- 
flowered Operculina peltata. 
On the sites of abandoned gardens are found trees, shrubs, and 
herbaceous plants, both indigenous to the island and introduced, which 
the natives usually plant near their houses. Among them are Calo- 
phyllum inophyllum, breadfruit both seedless and sterile, coconuts, 
Terminalia catappa, FErythrina indica, Ceiba pentandra, Tamarin- 
dus indica, Anacardium occidentale, Cassia fistula, Crescentia alata, 
Pandanus tectorius, Pandanus dubius, Pandanus fragrans, Cyecas 
circinalis, Annona reticulata, Canangium odoratum, Agave vivipara, 
Adenanthera pavonina, Pithecolobium dulce, Ttbiseus rosa-sinens’s, 
Pariti titiaceum, Herpetica alata, and bunches of Job’s tears (Coc 
lachrymae-jobt) and of lemon grass (Andropogon nardus). Many of 
these are self-propagating. The introduced Canangium odoratum 
(ilangilang tree), which the natives plant for the sake of its fragrant 
flowers, is gradually spreading over the island through the medium of 
fruit pigeons. These birds are also fond of the fruit of the ink berry 
