X, A, 2 Brill and Agcaoili: Philippine Oil-hearing Seeds 107 



mohiccana Willd.), lumbang banucalag {Aleurites trisperma 

 Blanco), kapok [Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn.] palo maria de 

 la playa {Calophyllum inophylhimi L.), physic nut (Jatropha 

 cw'cas L.), and the castor-oil seed (Ricinus communis L.). The 

 chemical properties and the principal local uses were given by 

 the authors, along with a discussion of the future possibilities 

 of the nuts. Since the publication of the above article, consider- 

 able data have been collected regarding some of these nuts and 

 several new ones. 



Chisochiton cumingianus (Harms).— This plant is placed in 

 the natural family Melliaceae, the family to which santol 

 belongs. It is of wide distribution in the Philippines, extending 

 from northern Luzon to southern Mindanao, and has been re- 

 ported by some to be abundant. 



The native names recorded are as follows : In Benguet-Union, 

 batuakan (Igorot) ; in Laguna, balucanag, kalimotani, salaguin; 

 in Camarines, balucanag; in Cagayan, papalsa, macalsa (Neg- 

 rito), and marambalo (Cagayan) ; in Bataan, cato (Tagalog) ; in 

 Albay, dudos (Bicol) ; in Bukidnon, valita; in Negros, malacalad 

 (Visayan). The use of the name "balucanag" by the natives of 

 Camarines and Laguna would indicate that they recognized the 

 seeds as oil producers, for "balucanag" is properly the name of 

 the oil-producing Aleurites trisperma Blanco to which species, 

 however, Chisochiton cumingianus has no other point of re- 

 semblance. 



We have adopted the Tagalog name "cato" to designate this 

 nut and shall refer to it hereafter as the cato nut. The fresh 

 nut is half ellipsoid in shape, averaging 3 centimeters in length 

 and 2.5 centimeters at the widest portion, with a rather hard 

 shell constituting about 60 per cent of the total weight. This 

 shell is somewhat difficult to separate from the meat. 



One kilogram of shelled nuts after drying weighed 698 grams 

 and yielded by extraction with petroleum ether 308 grams, or 

 approximately 31 per cent of the whole nut, of a reddish brown 

 oil with a specific gravity of 0.9203 at 15°. 5 C. The composition 

 of the dried kernels is given in Table II. 



Table II. — Composition of dry cato ker^ieh. 



Per cent. 



Fat (by extraction) 44.12 



Protein (Nx6.25) 9.00 



Ash 3.19 



By expression the dry kernel gave 35.56 per cent oil. The oil 

 has a rancid odor, is nondrying, and has purgative properties. 



