MISCELLANEOUS USEFUL WILD PHILIPPINE 



PLANTS 



By William H. Brown 



In preparing this bulletin, most of the useful forest plants are 

 included in special sections. There are, however, a few which 

 do not fit into any of the preceding sections, and which are 

 brought together here for the sake of completeness. 



FIREWOOD 



A large number of miscellaneous trees in the Philippines are 

 used as firewood. T)ie most important species are found in 

 the mangrove swamps, and have been treated in a separate 

 section. There is one dry-land species, Leucaena glauca (ipil- 

 ipil), which deserves special mention. This species has been the 

 subject of a special bulletin by Matthews, from which the fol- 

 lowing information is taken. 



Family LEGUMINOSAE 



Genus LEUCAENA 

 LEUCAENA GLAUCA (L.) Benth. (Figs. 1-6). iPlL-fPlL. 



A description and figure of this species and its local names 

 are given in the section on food plants. 



Ipil-ipil never attains a large size, and a tree 25 centimeters 

 in diameter and 10 meters tall would be exceptionally large. 

 Even in stands which have not been cut for a long period, the 

 average diameter of the trees would be about 10 centimeters, 

 the stand as a whole not exceeding 10 meters in height. This 

 species produces seeds in great abundance, the seeds germinate 

 quickly, and even under adverse conditions the seedlings grow 

 rapidly. The result is that the trees are usually found in dense 

 stands which often contain no other species. The long slender 

 poles are especially suited for the firewood needs of the Phil- 

 ippines. 



Ipil-ipil is particularly valuable for planting in kogon areas 

 as it can compete with the grass and, if not disturbed by fires, 

 drive it out. About 25 liters of seed, if broadcasted, will plant 

 a hectare. This should be done at the beginning of the rainy 



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