340 PHILIPPINE FIBER PLANTS 
Genus ELEUSINE 
ELEUSINE INDICA Gaertn. PALAGTIKI or YARD GRASS. 
Local names: Balili (Bontoc); bardngan (Camarines); bilabila (La- 
guna); damo (Cagayan); gagabitan (Tagalog); kabit-kabit (Bataan) ; 
palagtiki (Bisaya); parangis-sabungan (Pampanga); sabung-sabungan 
(Pampanga). 
This grass is apparently introduced in the Philippines, but is 
widely distributed, and especially abundant in and about towns 
and along roads and trails throughout the settled areas. The 
culms are sometimes used in making hats, but this industry 
is very local and irregular. 
Eleusine indica is a rather stout, tufted, erect, smooth, an- 
nual grass 10 centimeters to 1 meter in height. The leaves 
are 10 to 30 centimeters long and 3 to 7 millimeters wide. The 
flowering stalk has three to six spikes, 2.5 to 10 centimeters 
long, 3 to 5 millimeters thick, and all occurring in a terminal 
whorl, or one or two somewhat lower down on the stem. 
This species is distributed throughout the Philippines and is 
very common in waste places, along roads, etc. 
Genus IMPERATA 
IMPERATA EXALTATA Brongn. K6GoON. 
A description of this species is given in the section on paper 
pulp. 
The leaves of this grass are extensively used for thatching 
in all of the interior parts of the Archipelago, where it is dif- 
ficult to transport nipa shingles. 
The tender shoots of kogon are used for grazing, and kogon 
areas are frequently burned over so that the young shoots may 
be utilized for this purpose. 
Kogon stems are used locally to a limited extent in the man- 
ufacture of hats, while some of the industrial schools have 
utilized the plant for making round, braided mats suitable for 
bathroom use. 
Genus ISCHAEMUM 
ISCHAEMUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM Hack. (Plate IX). KoBBoort. 
Local names: Danu, pueng, puenig (Bontoc) ; kobbdot (Iloko). 
In the parts of Luzon where this grass grows it is utilized for 
making rope, on account of its tensile strength. Owing to its 
durable qualities it is also used for making both the soles and 
uppers of grass slippers. The straw is prepared by simply 
drying it in the sun. 
This grass varies in height from 0.6 to 1 meter. It is tufted 
and the swollen bases of the stems are densely woolly. IJschae- 
