130 



all lengths, without any symmetry or regularity. Their bark is 

 generally of the same color and surface as that of the main trunk. 

 It is quite evident that the various species may differ in the 

 number, size, straightness, and thickness of the buttresses, but 

 their general character is the same. 



The herbaceous vegetation must not be neglected completely. 

 There are tall plants of the Marantaceae, with canna-like leaves, 

 growing close beside the trail. Under them are many other 

 species of unknown genera or families, but everywhere there is a 

 multitude of the shade-loving Elatostemmas. These small 



Fig. 5. A tangle of lianes. Philippine Islands. 



relatives of our temperate zone nettles are easily the most char- 

 acteristic members of the herbaceous flora of these densel}^ 

 shaded forests. Their plagiotropic stems arch out from the 

 base, and the leaves are so inserted as to lie in a horizontal 

 plane, thereby receiving the maximum proportion of the diffuse 

 light. The leaves are inequilateral at the base, resembling 

 those of a begonia. There are also numerous ferns, especially 

 along the rocky banks of the small streams which course down 

 the mountain-side. 



One tall semi-shrubby plant of the Marantaceae (? Donax 

 arimdastrum) is quite noticeable because of its habit of growth. 



