THE PHILIPPINE 



Journal of Science 



C. Botany 



Vol. V MAY, 1910 Xo. 1 



AN ENUMERATION OF PHILIPPINE LEGUMINOSAE, WITH 

 KEYS TO THE GENERA AND SPECIES. 



By E. D. Merrill. 



{From the Botanical Section of the Biological Laboratory, Bureau of Science, 



Manila, P. I.) 



This family ranks second or third in number of species among those 

 represented in the Philippines, being definitely exceeded only by the 

 Orchidaceae. It seems probable, when our material of the Rubiaceae is 

 carefully revised, that the latter family will somewhat exceed Lcgumi- 

 nosae in the number of species found in the Archipelago. A rough 

 estimate of the former, based on the classified and unclassified material 

 available here, brings the number of species approximately to the same 

 figure as Leguminosae, but novelties are much more numerous in Rubia- 

 ceae than in Leguminosae, and the species appear to be more local. The 

 introduced element in Leguminosae is comparatively large, but in Rubia- 

 ceae there are relatively few introduced forms. 



An attempt has been made in the following enumeration to account 

 for all the genera and species of the family that have been credited to 

 the Philippines in botanical literature; to determine, so far as possible, 

 those which really extend to the Archipelago, excluding the forms 

 erroneously credited to the group by various authors, and to classify the 

 abundant material accumulated in the herbarium of tliis Bureau during 

 the past few j'ears, describing the apparently new forms. 



The material available for study comprises a complete set of all the 

 collections made by employees of this Bureau, and the Bureau of Forestry, 

 as well as numerous other collections of recent date, some of Cuming's 

 Philippine plants,, and occasional specimens collected by Mr. Loher. 

 Opportunity has occurred, previous to the inception of this work, of ex- 

 amining the Philippine material collected by Cuming, A'^idal, Loher, and 

 others, preserved in the Kew Herbarium, as well as various PhilipjDine 



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