178 A FLORA OP MANILA 



merous, small, in about 6 rows. Fruiting receptacles large, about 4 cm 

 in diameter, each with many red, fleshy fruits 1.6 to 2 cm long. 



Occasionally cultivated, fl. all the year. A native o~f~Mexico, now cul- 

 tivated in many other tropical countries, of recent introduction here. 



5. MORUS Linnaeus 



Trees or shrubs with alternate, entire, toothed, or lobed leaves which 

 are 3- or 5-nerved at the base, the stipules lateral, small, soon falling. 

 Flowers monoecious or dioecious, spicate. Male -flowers with 4 imbricate 

 sepals; staiAens 4, inflexed in bud; the rudimentary ovary turbinate. 

 Female flowers with 4 sepals, which are imbricate, accrescent and fleshy 

 in fruit. Ovary included, 1-celled; style 2-partite. Fruiting spikes or 

 heads composed of many achenes enclosed in the succulent perianths. 

 (The Latin name.) 



Species few in tropical and temperate regions, 1 introduced in the 

 Philippines. 



1. M. ALBA L. Moral, Morera (Sp.-Fil;) ; Mulberry. 



A dioecious or monoecious shrub Or small tree 3 to 6 m high. Leaves 

 ovate, acuminate, base cordate, 3-nerved, margins toothed, sometimes 

 deeply 3-lobed, 6 to 20 cm long, slightly hairy along the nerves on the 

 lower surface or nearly glabrous. Fruit axillary, peduncled, dark-purple 

 or nearly black when mature, fleshy, edible, 1.5 to 2 cm long. (Fl. Filip. 

 pi. 206.) 



Not uncommon in Manila in cultivation, fl. all the year; found in many 

 towns in the Philippines and naturalized in northern Luzon. Introduced 

 from China at an early date for the purpose of feeding silkworms. India 

 to China and Japan, cultivated in many other countries. 



6. MALAISIA Blanco 



A dioecious, climbing, nearly glabrous shrub. Leaves alternate, entire 

 or toothed, penninerved. Male spikes dense, shortly peduncled, simple or 

 slightly branched, short, axillary. Perianth 3- or 4-parted, the segments 

 valvate. Stamens 3 or 4, the filaments inflexed in bud; rudimentary ovary 

 small. Female flowers in small, axillary, solitary or fascicled, shortly 

 pedpncled heads, the flowers surrounded by bracteioles, 1 or 2 fertile, 

 the others • usually sterile. Perianth urceolate, mouth contracted. Ovary 

 straight, included; style 2-fid, the branches filiform. Fruit 1 or 2 to 

 each head, small, red, the pericarp thin, fleshy. (From the Tagalog name, 

 malaiaia.) 



A monotypic genus. 



1. M. scandens (Lour.) K. Sch. {M. tortuosa Blanco). Malaisis (Tag.). 



A climbing shrub reaching a height of 4 to 8 m, glabrous except young 

 branchlets and inflorescence. Leaves oblong-ovate to elliptic-oblong, smooth 

 or somewhat rough, 4 to 10 cm long, entire or obscurely toothed, acute or 

 acuminate, base rounded or acute, of ten "slightly inequilateral, the nerves 

 small, greenish, the female inflorescence densely pubescent. Fruit oval, 

 6 to 7 mm long, bright-red, sessile, 1 or 2 to each receptacle. 



In dry thickets, Balintauac, near Fort McKinley, etc., fl. May-June; 

 widely distributed in the Philippines. Southern China through Malaya 

 to Australia and Polynesia. 



