102 SPECIES BLANCOANAE 
than 2 to 3 em in diameter, but Blanco states that they are some- 
times situated up to three yards below the surface, probably 
by confusion with D. divaricata. 
Illustrative specimen from Antipolo, Rizal Province, Luzon, 
October, 1914, there known as quiroi (Merrill: Species Blanco- 
anae No. 634). 
DIOSCOREA ALATA Linn.; Blanco Fl. Filip. (1887) 799; ed. 2 (1845) 
550; ed. 3, 3 (1879) 207. 
The Linnean species was correctly interpreted by Blanco. It. 
is found in cultivation throughout the Archipelago at low and 
medium altitudes, but never wild. It is certainly not a native 
of the Philippines, but undoubtedly of prehistoric introduction. 
While the vegetative and floral characters are quite constant, 
the tubers vary enormously in shape, size, and in the color of 
the flesh. In shape the tubers vary from cylindric to oblong, 
often flattened, and frequently lobed. In color the flesh varies 
from purple to white. Tubers may be small in size, or some- 
times attain a weight of 15 kilos or perhaps more. Its uni- 
versal Tagalog name is ubi. : 
Illustrative specimens from Pree Bataan Province, Luzon, 
December, 1914 (Merrill: Species Blancoanae No. 810); Anti- 
polo, Rizal Province, Luzon, November, 1915 (Merrill: Species 
Blancoanae No. 922). — 
Dioscorea papillaris Blanco Fl. Filip. (1837) 801 (pappillaris) (sp. nov.) ; 
ed. 2 (1845) 552; ed. 3, 3 (1879) 210=DIOSCOREA ESCULENTA 
(Lour.) Burkill [D. aculeata Linn. var. tiliaefolia (Kunth) Prain & 
Burkill in Journ. As. Soc. Beng. N. S. 10 (1914) 20]. 
This species was reduced by Naves to Dioscorea sativa Linn., 
a species that does not extend to the Philippines. My inter- 
pretation of it is not in full agreement with Blanco’s description, 
as the tubers are obovoid rather than “‘de figura de maza,’” the 
petioles are not short, nor are they winged in the upper part. 
However, this form appears several times in our collections 
under the Tagalog name tongo, cited by Blanco, and otherwise 
_ agrees with his description. The largest tuber I have seen was | 
about 25 cm in length, but it is said by the Filipinos sometimes 
to be twice as large. The tuber is edible and is protected by 
a crown of very spiny modified roots up to 25 em in length. 
Illustrative specimen from Angat, Bulacan Province, Luzon, 
December, 1914, there known as tongo (Merrill: Species Blan- a 
coanae No. 677). 
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