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bright sunny day was found damp late in the afternoon. The 

 ground was covered with decaying vegetation. It was a country 

 in which leeches and mosquitoes were plentiful. The forest 

 trees grew to a great height. The leaves of the aroids were 

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

 various lengths dangled down from aroid stems. 



The tips of air-roots are generally from six to fifteen feet from 

 the ground, and are obtained by simply pulling them down. 

 Depending on the strength of the pull and the luck of the gatherer 

 he will be able to obtain pieces of roots ranging in length from 

 a few feet to sixty or more feet. The epidermis and cortex are 

 readily removed exposing the central cylinder which is used in 

 basketry. While the Filipinos previously employed the roots 

 only for. tying purposes their utilization as a basketry material 

 has only come within recent years. The central cylinders of the 

 air-roots on first being removed are yellowish-white in color. 

 In some species, e. g., Epipremnum elmerianum, they remain 

 white; in others, e. g., Raphidophora copelandii, they are oxidized 

 to a light-brown; while in others, e. g., R. merrillii, they turn 

 to a dark-brown or almost black color. The colored air-roots 

 may be bleached by the common bleaching agents. 



One of the Menispermaceae , Pericampylus incanus, has been 

 found very serviceable as a basketry material. After removal 

 of the leaves, the vine is boiled in water for about two hours 

 when the epidermis and the cortical region are easily removed. 

 After sandpapering the material it is ready for use. It is not 

 however as good a basketry material as the air-roots owing to 

 the presence of leaf scars. 



Among vines of lesser importance in the Philippines may be 

 mentioned the vegetable sponge, Luffa cylindrica, which in the 

 provinces of Abra and Bulacan is used occasionally for children's 

 hats. The use of the vegetable sponge for bathroom articles 

 is unknown to the Filipinos. 



Entada scandens, a vine in the family of Leguminosae, has an 

 almost universal use in the Philippines as a substitute for soap. 



