326 PHILIPPINE FIBER PLANTS 
in length. They are gathered, dried, tied into bundles, and in 
this form are brought to Manila in considerable quantities. 
From a commercial standpoint Stenochlaena palustris is un- 
doubtedly the most important of the ferns in the Philippines, 
as the stems supply by far the best local material for the 
special purpose mentioned above. As fishing with traps is a 
very important local industry, Stenochlaena enters into the 
economic life of the Filipinos to a considerable extent. During 
the year 1918, forest charges were paid on 156,456 kilos of dili- 
man. This fern is also used for making ropes and occasionally 
baskets, but it is inferior for the latter purpose. 
The young shoots are eaten either raw as a salad or cooked. 
Stenochlaena palustris is a coarse, climbing fern of indefinite 
length. The stems are brown, smooth, somewhat less than 1 
centimeter in diameter and sparingly branched. The sterile 
fronds are up to 80 centimeters in length and pinnate, with 
pinnae 10 to 12 centimeters long and about 8.5 centimeters wide. 
The fertile fronds are somewhat shorter than the sterile ones and 
about 3 millimeters wide. This fern is widely distributed in 
thickets, usually in swampy places near the sea. 
Family GLEICHENIACEAE 
Genus GLEICHENIA 
GLEICHENIA LINEARIS (Burm.) Clarke. (Plates II, III). KILOB. 
Local names: Gapingoi (Benguet) ; kilég, kil6b and tilib (Tagalog). 
Splints are prepared by cracking the outer covering of the 
very long leafstalks and pulling out the ribbon-like vascular 
bundles. The splints are excellent weavers for coiled baskets 
and are also used in making belts. 
Gleichenia linearis is characterized by very large leaves which 
fork repeatedly and have a bud-like structure in the forks. 
This fern is common and widely distributed in the Philippines 
and frequently forms dense tangles in open places on mountains. 
Family SCHIZAKACEAE 
Genus LYGODIUM 
LYGODIUM spp. (Plate IV). Nito. 
Local names: The name nito, for the different species of Lygo- 
dium, is reported from the following provinces :—lIlocos Norte 
and Sur, Cagayan, Isabela, Union, Zambales, Pangasinan, Ca- 
vite, Rizal, Laguna, Tayabas, Camarines, Sorsogon, Samar, 
Occidental and Oriental Negros, Cebu, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo, 
