Chapter VI.— SEDGES AND SIMILAR PLANTS. 



Sedges grow in wet ground. They resemble grasses. 

 Apart from important differences in the structure of the 

 flower, perhaps not evident to the casual observer, they can 

 be distinguished from grasses by the usual absence of 

 joints, by the usually triangular solid stem, and by their 

 3-ranked, not 2-ranked, leaves. 



The "cat-tail" and the "matting rush" are plants differing 

 greatly botanically from the sedges. Botanists have there- 

 fore placed them in separate families. Because of their 

 superficial resemblance, however, to the sedges and because 

 they occur in similar localities, they are included in this 

 chapter. 



BALANGOT. 



(Cyperus malaccensis.) 



Balangot (Bataan, Bulacan, Camarines, Cavite, Cebu, Leyte, Mindoro, 

 Pampanga, Rizal) ; baga-as (Capiz). 



This sedge is a perennial plant and continues sending 

 out new stalks from its underground stems year by year. 

 These stalks are stout, three-sided, and reach a height of 

 1.5 m. The spikelets are crowded together, very narrow, 

 and from 1 to 2 cm. long. The plant is in flower from 

 July to December. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Balangot is found in brackish swamps and along tidal 

 streams not only in the Philippines, but also in tropical 

 Africa, Asia, and islands of Polynesia and Australia. 



PREPARATION. 



Coarse straw. — During the dry season, because of the 

 many clear, sunny days, a better straw can be produced 

 than during the rainy season. The plants are cut near 

 the ground and for a few days are put out to dry in the 



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