78 PHILIPPINE FIBER PLANTS 



Muntingia calahura is a tree from 5 to 10 meters in height. 

 The leaves are 8 to 13 centimeters long, hairy, sticky, the base 

 oblique, the apex pointed, and the margins toothed. The flowers 

 are white and about 2 centimeters in diameter. The fruit is a 

 rounded, red, smooth, fleshy, sweet, edible berry about 1.5 cen- 

 timeters in diameter and contains numerous small seeds. 



This species is a native of tropical America, but is naturalized 

 in the Philippines. 



Genus TRIUMFETTA 



TRIUMFETTA BARTRAMIA L. KULOT-KULOTAN. 



Local names: Balanggot (Camarines) ; bulagun (Basilan) ; kolo-kolot 

 (Ilocos Norte, Bataan) ; kulot-kulotan (Bataan, Palawan) ; moropofo 

 (Leyte) ; pallopaUot (Itneg, Iloko) ; sauag-cabaUo (Mindoro). 



The bast of this species is fairly strong. 



Triumfetta bartramia is an erect, more or less hairy annual, 

 which reaches a height of from 0.5 to 1.5 meters. The leaves 

 are alternate, hairy, entire or three-lobed, and with toothed 

 margins. The flowers are yellow and about 6 millimeters long. 

 The fruits are small, rounded, and covered with smooth, hooked 

 spines. 



This species is not a native of the Philippines, but it is tho- 

 roughly naturalized and is widely distributed in the Archipelago. 

 It is found in tropical Asia, Africa, and Malaya. 



Family MALVACEAE 



Genus ABELMOSCHUS 



ABELMOSCHUS MULTILOBATUS Merr. 



Local name: Annabo d dadakkel (Union). 



White fibers used for making rope are extracted from the bark 

 of this plant. 



Abelmoschus multilohatus is a shrub reaching a height of 2 to 

 3 meters. It is usually covered with long, stiff, irritating hairs. 

 The leaves are alternate, about 8 to 12 centimeters long, and 

 divided into five or seven lobes which are in turn divided into a 

 number of lobes. The flowers are very large and yellow. 



This species has been reported from Ilocos Norte, La Union, 

 and Bataan. 



Genus BOM BYCIDEN DRON 



BOMBYCIDENDRON VIDALI AN I UM Merr. and Rolfe. Lanutan. 



Local names: Lanutan (northern Luzon to Bulacan and Bataan); losu- 

 ban (Iloko, Itneg, Abra) ; pangardisen (Cagayan, Ilocos Sur) ; tdkulau 

 bianco (Ilocos Norte). 



