^\)2 USEFtTL PLANTS OF GUAM. 



3-rellt'(l, narrowt'il into :i Hlcmlcr (Icciduoiis style; stigma obtuse or oa))itate and 

 S-lolx'd; ovules solitary in eaeh cell; berry ovoid, 1 to 3-celled, 1 to 3-seeded, gland- 

 dotted; seeds ol)long, ininierseil in niueilage, testa coriaceous. 



This plant sliould not \>v ciinfuscd with ('itrnn trifoliala oi .lairdu. The fragrance 

 of the flowers suggests that of tl:c hyacinth. The fruit is bittersweet and has the 

 flavor of Curacao li<jueur, or orange marmalade. It is agrei-able if eaten in small 

 <|nantities, but is mucilaginous and astringent, and one soon tires of it. The natives 

 make very good dulces of it, which are said to be constipating if eaten in any (|uan- 

 tity. In the Kast Indies a li(]ucur is made by soaking the berries in brandy for 

 several years. Fruit pigeons {I'ti/ino/iKs roseiaipil/iis and Plilef/ofiuiK xdullioinird) are 

 very fond of the berries. The ])lants send up shoots from the root very much after 

 the manner of lemons and limes. They consequently make excellent hedges and 

 have a tendency to spread. The spines are straight and rigid. Where hedges have 

 been abandoned the lemoncito forms dense, impenetrable thickets. The wood is 

 very hard and is ditlicult to cut, so that several hours may be nece.ssary to open a 

 path a few meters in length through such a thicket. Although the plant grows 

 usually in the form of a shrub about a meter and a half high, yet on the east side of 

 the island there are thickets in which it assumes the form of trees 3 to 4 meters high. 

 Tool handles are sometimes made of tlie wooil, and it is excellent for fuel. The 

 natives make fagots of the stems and branches, which are very convenient for the 

 earth-covered cooking benches of the island. 

 References: 



Triphasia Irifoliata (L.) DC. Prod. 1: 536.1824. 



Limonia trifoliala L. Mant. 2: 237. 1771. 



Triumfetta fabreana Gaudich. Same as Triumfelta procumbent. 

 Triumfetta lappula Gaudich. Same as Triumfetla rhomboidea. 



Triumfetta pilosa. Great burweed. 



Family Tiliaceae. 



Local names. — Masigsig lahe, Dadangsi, Dadanse (Guam). 

 . A herbaceous, hairy or bristly weed with yellow flowers in dense cymes. Lower 

 leaves 3-lobed, stellate-hairy on both sides; upper leaves 9 or 10 cm. long by 6 cm. 

 broad, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, unequally toothed; petiole 2 cm. long, villous; 

 stipules subulate-aristate, shorter than the petiole; peduncles shorter than the petiole; 

 flowers 2 cm. long; sepals 5, linear, apiculate; petals 5, oblong, spathulate, scarcely 

 shorter than the sepals, ciliate at the 1)ase; stamens about 10; fruit globose, tomentose, 

 covered with long, hooked spines, which are glabrous along the upper and hispid 

 along the lower edge, about the size of a cherry (including the spines), 4-celled, 

 4 or 8-seeded. 



The bur-like fruits readily adhere to objects which come into contact with them. 

 The vernacular name signifies "to stick," or "anything which adheres." 



References: 



Triumfetta pilosa Roth, Nov. PI. Sp. 223. 1821. 

 Triumfetta procumbens. Seaside burweed. 



Local na.mes. — Masigsig hembra (Guam); Mautofu-tai (Samoa). 

 A procumbent weed usually growing near the strand, with tomentose-woolly 

 ascending branches and small yellow flowers. Leaves subrotund-cordate, subtri- 

 lobed, ol)tusely serrate, tomentose-hairy; peduncles axillary, 3-fid; sepals 5, linear; 

 petals 5, oblong, obtuse, attenuate at the base; stamens numerous; capsule echinate, 

 3 or 4-celled, 2-ovuled. 



This plant was collected in Guam by Gaudichaud and figured in the botany of 

 Freycinet's expedition as a new species, T. fabreana."' It is also found in the Admir- 



« Plate 102, p. 478, 1826. 



