176 MERRILL. 
common in open places, thickets^ in and about towns, and on dry- 
hillsides, etc., that the casual observer would certainly consider 
it to be an indigenous species. It is, however, primarilly a 
species of the open country, and one that cannot exist in forests, 
unless possibly such as are composed of small and scrubby trees. 
Hence it would be excluded from the Philippines as an indigenous 
species, assuming the theory that the country was originally 
covered with forest. The genus is of world-wide distribution, so 
that there is no evidence to be secured from the generic distribu- 
tion, except that its closest allies are all American and African; 
of the 14 given by Bentham in the series Gummifereae, 10 being 
American, including the cosmopolitan A. farnesiana Willd., and 4 
African. Bentham ^ considered it probable that it was indig- 
enous in western America from Chili northward to Texas, also 
in tropical Australia, and possibly in South Africa. As to the 
Philippines, it is certainly introduced, and, so far as this Archi- 
pelago is concerned, is undoubtedly of American origin, for it is 
universally known among the natives by its Spanish name aroma, 
no other name being recorded for it in the Philippines, and no 
variations of its Spanish name. It was undoubtedly introduced 
by the Spaniards from Mexico at an early date, and presumably 
is a native of that country. 
Cassia alata L., given by Baker^** as "Cosmopolitan in the 
Tropics," with no indication as to its probable origin; other 
authors more definitely state it to be a native of tropical America. 
From its habitat in the Philippines it is manifestly not an indig- 
enous species, although it is widely distributed here, sponta- 
neous, and thoroughly naturalized. While it has several native 
names that are purely Malayan in origin, still it is not uncom- 
monly known here as acapiilco, or capurco, a name at once point- 
ing to its origin so far as the Philippines are concerned; that is, 
it was brought to the Philippines in early colonial days on the 
galleons sailing from Acapulco. It must be considered a pur- 
posely introduced plant on account of its medicinal properties. 
All evidence points to its American origin and it can be safely 
assumed to have originated there. 
The genus Hyptis has about 350 known species, practically all 
of which are confined to tropical America. We have in the 
Philippines as common and widely distributed plants of the 
settled regions four species, H, capitata Jacq., H, brevipes Poir., 
•Trans, Linn. Soc. 30 (1875) 502. 
"Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 2 (1878) 264. 
