95 



to distinguish between one kind and another, as species are 

 often based on minute but important structural character- 

 istics of flowers and slight but typical variations in the 

 venation and shape of the leaf. Then, too, aroids which 

 grow on forest trees may have their leafy part a hundred 

 feet or more above the ground. For this reason it is quite 

 impossible to distinguish the various species on sight. It 

 is therefore not of sufficient practical importance to describe 

 separately each one of the species that are known to be used 

 at present in the schools.^ 



A description of the forest near Puerto Galera, Mindoro, 

 where the writer found air roots in plenty, should prove 

 of interest to those unfamiliar with the habitat of these 

 aroids. A good half day's journey from town, amlong was 

 found in fair quantity on the sides of heavily wooded moun- 

 tains, but more plentiful in ravines or gulleys. In these 

 places, bird's-nest ferns were very abundant and the bark 

 of many trees was covered with moss. So humid were the 

 surroundings that even the edges of many leaves were 

 covered with fringes of moss. The trees and plants were 

 so close together that only a little of the light of the sun 

 was able to find its way to the ground through the dense 

 mass of foliage. The earth even after a bright, sunny day 

 was found damp late in the afternoon. The ground was 

 covered with decaying vegetation. It was a country in 

 which leeches, mosquitoes, and insects were plentiful. The 

 forest trees grew to a great height. The leaves of amlong 

 were around the upper part of the trunks of the trees and 

 roots of various lengths dangled down from aroid stems. 



* Amlong: Pothos longifoUus: Hipan, oroola (Sorsogon) ; Pothos 



ovatifolius: Kalot-kagot (Albay, Camarines, Samar, Sorsogon), 

 kalipkip (Tayabas) ; Pothos philippinensis : baladauan, oroolaypan 

 (Albay, Bataan, Bulacan) ; pothos rumphii (Albay, Laguna, Mindoro, 

 Oriental Negros) ; raphidophora perkinsiae (Benguet, Tayabas). 



Black amlong: Raphidophora merrillii: amlong (Albay, Bohol, 

 Sorsogon, Tarlac) ; amiling (Gad. in Nueva Vizcaya) ; amolong, 

 gayaman kilat, maragayaman (Zambal) ; amuling (II. in Nueva Viz- 

 caya) ; bacog (Albay) ; balision (Isi. in Nueva Vizcaya) ; garusiba 

 (Isabela) ; lukmoy (Batangas, Tayabas, Mindoro) ; takoling (Bohol. 

 Cebu) ; tibatib (Cavite, Laguna). 



White amlong: Epipremnum elmerianum (Leyte, Mindoro). 



