Aug. 25, 1919] 



Palms of the Philippine Islands 



3055 



season it is extensively collected and brought into the 

 local markets for sale. A bunch or hand costs five 

 to ten centavos according to its size. Because of the dif- 

 ficulty in getting at the fruit clusters, the natives cut 

 the stem near the ground and pull the plant with the 

 fruits down for its ripe bunches. Usually every infrutes- 

 cence bears both ripe and unripe clusters, and in many 

 cases there is more than one infrutescence on the same 

 plant. Again, instead of utilizing the stem by cut- 

 ting it into rattan strips, it is wastefully discarded. 



Calamus bicolor Becc. in As. Palms, Ann. Roy. Bot. 

 Gard. Calc. xi, Suppl. 126, t. 73. 



Field-note for 10541: — A lofty tree climber; stem 

 toward the base 0.75 inch thick, forming large loops, 

 toward the foliage 3 to 5 inches thick; fronds ascending, 

 alternate and spirally arranged, 10 feet in length; the 

 extended rachis about one half as long, spinescent, other- 

 wise triangularly flattened, hard, green, clawed beneath 

 in addition to the spines, along the upper side sharply spi 

 nescent; sheaths densely covered with needle like 1 to 3 dull 

 brown somewhat flattened spines; leaflets reduced toward 

 the" apex and base, the basal 1 foot of the stalk leafless, 

 deep green above, ashy gray or glaucescent beneath, 

 spinescent along the margins; infrutescence 2 feet long, 

 6 inches thick, upon 2 to 5 feet long flattened sharply 

 spiny green stalks arising from the upper leaf axils, 

 erect or nearly so from the base; fruits green. 



Mindanao: Todaya (Mt. Apo), District of Davao, May 

 1909, numbers 10541 and 10618. The former number was 

 collected south of the Sibulan river in the oak forests 

 at 4250 feet altitude, and was called either "Lassee" or 

 "Kassee" by the Bagobos. The latter number was fouud 

 in a jungled forest at 6000 feet altitude of mount Cale- 

 lan, and was called by the same natives "Sambonotan." 

 Number 10618 is a much smaller and liner plant. 



Calamus dimorphacanthus Becc. in Rec. Bot. Surv. 

 Ind. ii, 214, 1902. 



Luzon: Baguio (Mt. Santo Tomas), Province of Ben- 

 guet, May 1904, number 6238. 



Calamus microcarpus Becc. io Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. 

 ii, 213, 1902. 



Field-note for 13551: — A tall tree climber; stem long 



