244 WILD FOOD PLANTS OF THE PHILIPPINES 



such as the Batanes Islands. In Guam, according to Safford,* 

 Cycas seeds are a staple article of food in times when better 

 foods are scarce. As the untreated seeds are poisonous, it is 

 first necessary to eliminate the poisonous principle. In order 

 to do this, the ripe seeds are crushed and the resulting product 

 soaked in water which must be changed several times. The 

 product is then dried, and the flour-like substance cooked in the 

 form of small cakes or as porridge. Bacon t found the starch 

 content of mature seeds to be 31.2 per cent. In India a kind of 

 sago t is prepared from the starch stored up in the trunk, but 

 there in no evidence to show that this product is known in the 

 Philippines. However, the yield of starch is small, as a trunk 

 4 feet in length produced only five pounds. 



In some parts of the Philippines, the young leaves, when 

 about 30 or 40 centimeters long and still rolled up, are cooked 

 and eaten as a vegetable. 



The leaves are also used extensively in religious ceremonies. 



Cycas circinalis has a stout stem which reaches a height of 

 12 meters and a diameter of 50 centimeters, although it is usually 

 much smaller than this. The leaves are produced in a cluster 

 at the top of the trunk, are pinnate, and from 0.5 to 1.5 meters 

 long. 



This species is widely distributed in the Philippines, but is 

 nowhere abundant except in small areas. It is of local occurrence 

 and is generally found near the seashore. It is decidedly orna- 

 mental, and in Manila is planted to a considerable extent for 

 decorative purposes. 



Family GNETACEAE 



Genus GNETUM 

 GNETUM GNEMON L. Bago. 



A description of this species and its local names are given in 

 the section on fibers. 



The fruit is eaten either boiled or roasted, while the young 

 leaves are frequently used as a vegetable. This species is com- 

 monly cultivated in some of the towns of Batangas Province, 

 Luzon, for its edible leaves and fruit. 



* SafFord, W. E., The useful plants of the Lsland of Guam. Contributions 

 from the United States National Herbarium. Volume IX (1905). 



t Bacon, R. F., Starch production in the Philippine Islands. Philippine 

 Journal of Science, Volume 3 (1908), page 96. 



J Cycad sago. Tropical Agriculturist, Volume 26 (1906), page 386. 



