250 WILD FOOD PLANTS OF THE PHILIPPINES 



as in India, the cultivation appears to be confined to the hill 

 people. The seeds are prepared in various ways, and used for 

 food and in the manufacture of fermented drinks, Blanco 

 (1837) states that the Chinese gathered the fruits in large 

 quantities in the provinces of Laguna and Pangasinan, and 

 prepared from them a kind of flour which was reputed to be ex- 

 cellent for people in delicate health. The cultivation of this 

 plant ofl'ers promising possibilities. 



Genus PANICUM 

 PANICUM PALMAEFOLIUM Koen. (Fig. 7). AguSAHIS. 



Local names: Agusdis, agiisdhis or hagusdhis (Camarines) ; yas (Ben- 

 guet) . 



During times of scarcity the grains of this grass are used 

 in Camarines and by the Ilokos as a substitute for rice. The 

 grain is harvested and then roasted in a large pot. After roast- 

 ing it is husked by pounding. The glumes are then removed 

 and the seeds are cooked with sugar. 



Panicum palmaefoliiim is a grass 1 to 3 meters in height. 

 The leaves are 2 to 8 centimeters in width and longitudinally 

 folded. The seeds are about 3 millimeters long and are borne 

 in large numbers on terminal shoots. 



This species is common and widely distributed from Luzon 

 to Mindanao. 



Family CYPERACEAE 



Genus ELEOCHARIS 

 ELEOCHARIS DULCIS (Burm. f.) Trin. (Fig. 8). Apulid. 



Local name: Api'did (Tagalog, Bikol). 



The tubers of this species are dark colored, 2 to 2.5 centimeters 

 in diameter, and are boiled and eaten as a vegetable. They are 

 sold in large numbers in the Manila markets during the months 

 of October to December. 



Eleocharis dulcis is a tufted sedge with round, green stems, 

 the bases of which are usually pale and covered with dry, brown 

 sheaths. The stems are about a meter in height, about a centi- 

 meter in diameter, and are bluntly terminated by an erect 

 spike, which is 2 to 3 centimeters in length. The bracts of the 

 spike are rounded, smooth, and overlapping. 



This species is of local occurrence in the Philippines and is 

 found in open, wet places and in shallow water. 



Family PALMAE 

 The palms are discussed in a sparate section. 

 The young seeds of Nipa, Corypha elata (buri), and Ai-enga 

 Tpinnata (sugar palm) are employed as food, chiefly in the form 



