386 PHILIPPINE FIBER PLANTS 
Muntingia calabura 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: Balanggét (Camarines); bulagun (Basilan); kolo-kolot 
(Ilocos Norte, Bataan); kulot-kulotan (Bataan, Palawan); moropoto 
(Leyte) ; pallopallot (Itneg, Iloko) ; sauag-caballo (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 a dadakkél (Union). 
White fibers used for making rope are extracted from the bark 
of this plant. 
Abelmoschus multilobatus 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 BOMBYCIDENDRON 
BOMBYCIDENDRON VIDALIANUM Merr. and Rolfe. LANUTAN. 
Local names: Lanitan (northern Luzon to Bulacan and Bataan) ; losi- 
ban (Iloko, Itneg, Abra); pangardisen (Cagayan, Ilocos Sur); takulau 
blanco (Ilocos Norte). 
