5Q PHILIPPINE FIBER PLANTS 



almost pure stands over large areas. It is a common second- 

 growth tree at low altitudes throughout the Philippines. 



Family MORACEAE 



Genus ALLAEANTHUS 



ALLAEANTHUS GLABER Warb. MalambingAN. 



Local names: Alokon, biingon (Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra) ; 

 alibabdg (Cagayan, Itneg) ; alibabdi (Cagayan) ; alitagtdg, balitagtdg 

 (Camarines) ; alokon, baeg, bongon (Pangasinan) ; babayan, imkabao 

 (Nueva Ecija) ; kabdg (Mindoro, Misamis) ; karud (Misamis) ; liba (Da- 

 vao); malakadios (Masbate) ; malambingan (Basilan). 



The crude bast of this tree shows great variations in color 

 and size. Rope made from it is very weak. King found it to 

 have a tensile strength of 231 kilos per square centimeter. 

 Wetting increased the strength 10 per cent. This rope is said 

 to be more durable than the average during the wet season. 



Young leaves and flowers of this species are cooked for food. 



Allaeanthus glaber is a medium-sized tree reaching a height 

 of 30 meters and a diameter of 60 centimeters. The leaves 

 are alternate, 5 to 15 centimeters long, the apex pointed, the 

 base somewhat rounded. 



This species is distributed from northern Luzon to Basilan. 



Genus ANTIARIS 



ANTIARIS TOXICARIA Lesch. Lata or Upas-TREE. 



Local names: Dalit (Tagalog in Mindoro); ditd (Cagayan, Apayao) ; 

 laid (Cagayan); salogon (Bisaya in Mindoro). 



Concerning the fiber Watt * says : 



The natives strip the bark of this tree into large pieces, soak them 

 in water, and beat them well, when a good white fibre is obtained — a 

 natural cloth worn by the natives. It is in Western India well known 

 as the sacking tree, on acount of the tough, inner, fibrous, felted bark, 

 being removed entire, thus forming natural sacks. Small branches are 

 made into legs of trousers and arms of coats, the larger ones forming 

 the bodies of the garments. In this way felt costumes are made which 

 require no more sewing than is necessary to connect the parts together. 

 If passed through rollers, and at the same time dyed and tanned, these 

 natural cloths or felts are very interesting. The samples exhibited at 

 the late Calcutta International Exhibition (contributed by the Bombay 

 Committee) were very much admired, and proved very attractive. In 

 making sacks sometimes a disk of the wood is left attached to the fibre 

 so as to form the bottom of the sack. At other times a vertical incision 

 is made on the tree and a transverse cut around the stem at the top and 

 bottom of this vertical one. The bark is then peeled off, and after being 

 beaten in water and dried, the top and bottom are sewed up (forming 

 the sides of the sack) . These sacks are extensively used for storing rice. 



* Watt, Dictionary of the economic products of India, Volume I, page 268. 



