63 



TIBJER. 



{Scirpus lacustris.) 

 Tiker (Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Cagayan) ; great bullrush. 



The sedge known as "tiker" in Ilocano is found in swamps 

 and ponds. So far it has been reported to the Bureau of 

 Education only from Ilocos Sur, but it occurs also in Ilocos 

 Norte and Cagayan. It grows to a height of a meter or 

 more and has a round stem, tapering toward the apex. 

 The spikelets are about 1 cm. long, reddish-brown in color, 

 and occur on small flowering stalks that sometimes branch. 

 These stalks all arise from about the same place near the 

 apex of the stem. 



The plant is also found in North America, Europe, and 

 Asia. 



BILUAN. 



{Scirpus mucronatus.) 

 Biluan (Leyte). 



Scirpus mucronatus is a three-cornered sedge not as 

 coarse as S. grossus. Its many, comparatively large spike- 

 lets are crowded together into a single lateral head several 

 centimeters from the top of the stalk. The stalk itself 

 grows to a height of 80 cm. The plant is found in wet 

 places throughout the Philippines, but is not restricted to 

 this Archipelago, occurring also in the warmer parts of the 

 entire world. 



PREPARATION. 



If the straws of the various species of Scirpus are 

 arranged according to their coarseness, starting with the 

 least coarse, they should be placed in the following order: 

 (1) Scirpus erectus, (2) biluan, (3) tiker, (4) tiquio. 

 Generally, these sedges need only to be put out in the sun 

 to dry and bleach. Some reports, however, state that they 

 should be only partially dried in the sun and that the process 

 of drying should be completed in the shade or in the house. 

 This may perhaps be necessary so as not to make the mate- 

 rial too brittle. The whole stem may be used by folding 

 in one side so that the stalk becomes two instead of three 

 sided. This, however, cannot be done with tiker, which is 



