The Forests of the Philippines. 583 



Total 289.00 28,900 



Forests of the same type in Leyte and in various parts of 

 Luzon, especially in the Provinces of Tayabas and Ambos Camar- 

 ines, show so similar a composition that they may fairly be classed 

 under this type. The actual area that this type occupies is not 

 known at present, but it is not large, as it occurs in narrow belts 

 along the coast, and in many cases has been cleared by caingin 

 makers. 



Lauan-apitong type. — So far as altitude and topography are 

 concerned, this corresponds to the lauan type, but differs from it 

 in having a longer dry season, the effect of which is sufficient to 

 justify its separation into a distinct type. During the dry season, 

 this type shows a decided deciduous element. Except in places 

 of favorable soil conditions, the forest cover is quite open, allow- 

 ing the entrance of jungle undergrowth, lianas, erect bamboos, 

 and the like. The composition of the dominant species is more 

 complex than the lauan type, and resembles markedly in this re- 

 spect the lauan-hagachac and yacal-lauan types. Here also 

 the dipterocarps furnish the greatest bulk of timber. Many of the 

 species found in the previous mentioned types are here not pres- 

 ent, although all the species occurring in the lauan-apitong type 

 are also found in the other dipterocarp types. This indicates that 

 the distinction is a climatic one. While the dipterocarps show a 

 decidedly less leaf surface during the dry season, only one of 

 them, palosapis {Anisoptera thurifera), is wholly deciduous, but 

 only for a day or two. This is true of a great majority of the trees 

 belonging to other families, which contain only a few that become 

 bare, even for a short time. On the clearing edge of this forest, 

 there are good stands of almost pure erect bamboo ; these extend 

 into the virgin forests where the dipterocarps are mixed with 

 cupang (Parkia timoriana) and other species. The bamboo 

 undergrowth in such places, with the rather scattered trees, gives 

 the forest the appearance of a park. 



A typical stand of this forest is as follows : 



