^50 rSKFUL VLANTS (>F (H'AM. 



Pharbitis insularis Clioisy. Same as Ipunwea cimgnda. 



Pharbitis nil. Same as I'lmrliilis hrderacea. 



Phaseolus lunatijs inamoenus. Lima ukan. 



Family Fabait-a*'. 



LocAi, NAMics. — Habas (Spanish): T'atani (Philippines). 

 Lima beans will ^rowiii (Jnam, but our common varieties do not api)ear to flourish 

 here. They shoulil lie |ilantetl tow ani t lie en<l of the rainy season. In India fresh 

 seed is imjtorted annually from America. 

 Rkkkkkncrs: 



J'haseoliis Imiiiliis iiiKiiKu'inis (L. ). 

 Phascolns inamoenus L. Sp. I'l. 2: 724. 1753. 

 Phaseolus 7nacrocarpH>t Moeiuh, Meth. 1: 155.1794. 



Phaseolus mung-o. (trken ckam. 



Local names. — Moii^jjos (Ciuam) ; iluiiggo, Moiiggo, IJalatong (Philippines); 

 Mung (India). 



The most extensively cultivateil leguminous plant in (Tuani. A low suberect 

 annual, more or less d(>nsely clothed with loose deflexed hairs, leaves o-foliolate, 

 stii)ellate; leaflets niend)ranous, entire, rarely faintly lobed; stijiules ovate; flowers 

 in axillary cai)itate racemes at the end of the peduncles; bracteoles ovate or lanceo- 

 late; calyx campanulate; corolla yellow, much exserted; keel prolonged into a com- 

 plete sjiiral; pedicels very short; pod 3.5 to 6 cm. long by 4 to 5 mm. in diameter, 

 clothed with deciduous silky liairs, subcylindrical, slightly recurved; seeds small, 

 green. 



In tile agricultural statistics of one year I find that in the district of Agaiia there 

 were planted 131 chupas of monggos (102 pints), and 1,149 gantas (455.3 pecks) were 

 gathered, making the yield more than seventyfohl." 



This plant is widely distributed in the Tropics. It is extensively cultivated in 

 many warm countries, especially in the Philippines and on the plains of India. The 

 seeds are largely imported into San Francisco, Cal., by the Chinese. In Guam it is 

 grown as a rotation crop after maize. It thrives best apparently on the highland 

 during the rainy season. Cattle are very fond of the seeds, stems, and leaves. In 

 India and in the Philijipines the seeds are ground into flour and used as a substitute 

 for soap for washing delicate fa])rics. They are wholesome and nutritious and have 

 a pleasant taste. They may l)e eaten as a porridge or parched. The green pods are 

 sometimes eaten as a vegetable. An analysis of the seed has been made by W. C: 

 Blasdale. '' 



References: 



PJiaseohiK mvnf/o L. Mant. 1: U)l. 1767. 



Phoenix dactylifera. Date. 



Family Phoenicaceae. 

 I know of only one tree of this species in Guam. It grows in the garden of the 

 rectory back of the church of Agafia. As the species is dicecious, of course the tree 

 bears no fruit. It is probable that the climate is too moist for the culture of dates, 

 though the trees could be propagated without trouble. 

 Rekekences: 



J'lioenix dactylifera L. Sj.. I'l. 2: 1188. 1753. 

 Phoenix sylvestris. Wild date. 



Several specimens of this ]>alm obtained by me from Mr. David Haughs, of the 



« Olive y Garcia, Islas Marianas, App. no. 4, 1887. 



'' Blasdale, Some Chinese vegetable food materials, etc., U. S. Dept. Agr., Off. Exp. 

 Sta., Bull. No. 68, p. 37, 1899. 



