18 



leaf. The leaf is divided almost to its base into a number of 

 lobes. These lobes are entire and usually about 15 cm. 

 long and from 1.5 to 3 cm. wide. The lobes bearing spores 

 are always smaller than the sterile ones. 



Lygodium flexuosum ^ grows to be several meters long. 

 Its stem is somewhat ridged. The leaflets (segments), 

 rather lancelike in form, are from 15 to 20 cm. long, and 

 from 10 to 20 mm. wide and finely serrated at the margin. 

 The lower leaves are borne on short petioles, the upper ones 

 are almost sessile (without petioles). The species is widely 

 distributed in the Philippines and is also found from India 

 and southern China southward to Australia. 



Another species, Lygodium japonicum,^ is a very slender 

 twining fern from 1 to 3 m. in length. It is found occa- 

 sionally in open dry grasslands, dry thickets, and similar 

 localities. It is widely distributed in the Philippines and 

 also occurs in Japan, from Korea to India, and southward 

 to Australia. 



Lygodium semihastatum ^ is similar in appearance to 

 Lygodium circinnatum, but may be distinguished from it 

 by the presence of an earlike projection at the base, on one 

 side or sometimes on both sides of the leaf lobe. 



The four species mentioned are the most prominent of 

 those spoken of as "nito," though there are altogether about 

 10 species of twining ferns in the Philippines. As these 

 ferns get older and climb and twine around plants, they 

 lose many of their leaves and the stems become discolored, 

 the change being from green to light brown, brown, dark 

 brown, and finally black. 



' Nito (Lygodium flexuosum) : Nito (Cebu, Cavite, Iloilo, Samar) ; 

 nitu (Iban. in Isabela) ; kalulung (Iban. in Isabela) ; sasitang (11. in 

 Isabela). Collected also by B. of S. in Bataan, Batangas, Cagayan, 

 Davao, Laguna, Oriental Negros, Nueva Vizcaya, Rizal, Union, Zam- 

 bales. 



^ Nito (Lygodium japonicum) : Nito (II. in Isabela) ; karekay (Iban. 

 in Isabela). Collected also by B. of S. in Bataan, Batangas, Bontoc, 

 Benguet, Bulacan, Butuan, Cagayan, Davao, Ilocos Norte, Laguna, 

 Leyte, Mindoro, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Tayabas, Zamboanga. 



'Nito (Lygodium semihastatum) : Nito (Sorsogon) ; anton (Albay). 

 Collected also by B. of S. in Cagayan, Laguna, Mindoro, Occidental 

 Negros, Tayabas. 



