Ifjli USP:FrL I'l.ANTS <>K (il'AM. 



or t'eathors of l)ir(1s. Those pociiliiiritics undouhtcdly account for tho 

 wide dis.seiiiiiiatioii of many of the weeds. Many of the marsh birds 

 and shore l)irds visitin*;- (iuam are migratory, and it is very pro})ablc 

 that they have Itrought with them seeds or fruits from other rej>-ions. 

 It is pheasant to note the absence of the troublesome sensitive plant 

 (Jf/'mosa pudic(t) and the Lantana caniara ivom the flora of Guam. 

 Other shrub})y plants of wide distribution occur in Guam, however, 

 especially the guava, the two conuuon species of indio'o, Leucaena 

 (jlauca, and several American species of Cassia. Nearly all the com- 

 posites on the island are introduced weeds, belonging to the genera Ver- 

 nonia, Elephantopus, Adenostemma, Ageratum, Eclipta, Glossog^'ne, 

 and Synedrella. 



ANIMAL PESTS. 



The most serious injury to growing crops is caused by the deer, 

 which overrun thc^ island. They often destroy whole fields of corn, 

 garden patches, and tender 3'oung coconut plants, approaching 

 villages by night and eating Avatermelons, squashes, and other succu- 

 lent fruits on the vines. Rats occur in great numbers and attack 

 many vegetable products, especially corn and cacao, and ti3'ing foxes 

 cause considerable damage to certain fruits. Weevils get into the 

 gathered corn and rice, which luust be kept in earthen jars well closed 

 as a protection against them; termites destro}^ living trees as well 

 as dead wood; and tobacco patches are infested with the larvae of a 

 sphinx moth. Few garden patches are inclosed by hedges or fences, 

 so that serious injury is often caused by hogs and cattle running at 

 large. Horses and cows are especially fond of the foliage of the 

 breadfruit, and will injure young trees if unprotected. Among the 

 staple food plants there are fewer diseases and insect pests than in most 

 tropical countries. 



PLANT NAMES. 



Classes of names. — The conunon names of (Juam plants ma}' be 

 classified under three heads: First, vernacular names applied to plants 

 which grew in the island before the discover}^, such as "fai" (rice), 

 ''' pugua" (betel nut); second. East Indian and American names of plants 

 which have been introduced since the discovery, such as "mangga" 

 (mango), "kamote" (sweet potato); and a tliird class including names 

 applied by the natives to plants brought to the island either from other 

 parts of the Pacific or from more remote regions, as "baston de San 

 elose" (St. Joseph's staff), applied to T((rfsJa f^rmhiab's, the "ti," 

 or "ki," of Polynesia, and "'cadena de amor'' (chain of love), applied 

 to the Mexican Antigoiion leptojms on account of its racemes of rose- 

 colored heart-like flowers. 



Origin of plants indicated uy tiieik vernacular names. — It is 

 easy to trace the names of most of the plants introduced since the 



