35 



Roots. — The roots should be pressed before being woven 

 into fans. Because of their agreeable odor, the roots of the 

 cultivated vetiver grass are preferred for fans to those of 

 the wild variety. 



Sundries. — The fragrant vetiver roots are often put in 

 trunks containing clothing to scent them as would sachet 

 powder. The plant is occasionally employed in the Phil- 

 ippines, as is cogon grass, for cheap roofing and brooms. 



Oil is extracted from the roots which is valued at from 

 f=100 to 1P200 per kilo, depending on the quality. 



In India, the roots are used for screens and mats. 



AMORES SECOS. 



(Andropogon aciculatus.) 



Amores secos (Capiz, Cebu, Iloilo, Occidental Negros, Pampanga) ; 

 bariri, dalokot (Iloilo). 



It is not difficult to find this grass, as its spikelets ad- 

 here to clothing as one brushes past it. The grass has 

 creeping and branching stems which are densely leafy. The 

 flower stems, however, are erect and wiry and from 20 to 

 50 cm. high. The leaves are short, being but 3 to 10 cm. 

 long, and few in number on the flowering stem. The plants 

 have purplish flower clusters (panicles) composed of bearded 

 spikes. Barbed awns are found on the secondary spikes 

 (spikelets). The grass is widely distributed throughout 

 the Philippines and occurs in open grasslands and waste 

 places. It flowers from May to December. 



BELING. 



{Andropogon inter medius.) 

 Beling, biling (Cebu). 



A few differences between this grass and amores secos, 

 which it somewhat resembles, are here noted. The leaves 

 are longer, but of about the same width. The panicles, 

 though also purplish, are generally longer and compound. 

 The awns on the spikelets are very slender and nearly 1.5 

 cm. long. They do not adhere to clothing. The plant is 

 widely distributed throughout the Philippines and has the 

 same habitat as amores secos. It flowers from July to 

 November. 



