THE PHILIPPINE 



Journal of Science 



Vol. I 



AUGUST 15, 1906 



Supplement III 



NEW OR NOTEWORTHY PHILIPPINE PLANTS, V. 



By Elmer D. Merrill. 



Fruin llic buhtnicdi ncctiun of the Biological Labomlori/, Buraiti of Hcicnvv.) 



INTRODUCTION. 



The present article has l)een prepared as material and data became 

 available, as was the case with the previous papers published under the 

 above title.^ Our receipts of Philippine botanical material from various 

 sources approximate 5,000 numbers annually and the percentage of un- 

 described species and interesting forms is very large, as is to be expected 

 in a region botanically so Iktle known as is this Archipelago. In making 

 the preliminary identifications, immediately after the receipt of the 

 material in the herbarium, many of the interesting forms are detected 

 and described, but in this paper, as in the preceding ones of the series, 

 only a portion of these forms are considered. Practically no work in some 

 groups can at present be done in Manila, owing to a lack of literature; 

 in certain ones, all material is submitted to specialists for identification 

 and report. Frequently, specific identifications can not be made at once, 

 because of a lack of complete material, so that several hundred sheets, 

 apparently representing undescril^ed species, remain in the herbarium of 

 this Bureau and for one reason or another these will need to be considered 

 at a later date. In general, it is not considered good policy to describe 

 species based on a single si)i'cimen and many of the ap])arently un- 

 dcscribed ])]ants at present in our herbarium ha\e no corresponding 

 duplicate material. 



^ Publicdfious of the Bureau of Government Laboratories (1904-")). 6, 17, 29, 



35. 



169 



