ix, c, 5 Gates: Pioneer Vegetation of Taal Volcano 413 
zero, but more likely not quite so far, as there will be several 
situations where the grass can hold forth in the parang. 
The Miscanthus consocies of mountain cog on. — The develop- 
ment of this mountain consocies is only indicated above 160 
meters by the presence of a few isolated clumps of Miscanthus 
sinensis near the crests of a few of the ridges near the crater 
rim. The plants are dwarfed and exhibit other xerophytic 
adaptations. 
WOODY PLANTS 
Vegetation in which the tree type of growth form prevails 
is naturally to be expected, sooner or later, over the greater 
part of the island. Whitford, dealing with the vegetation of 
the Lamao reserve, has grouped both the trees and the shrubs 
under the head of a single association, entitled by him the 
Bambusa-Parkia formation, consisting of a climax type and a 
parang type, the parang type generally derived from the other 
by reduction, brought about by disturbing human influences. 
He also recognized that the parang might be a developmental 
stage from open ground to the Bambusa-Parkia association. 
On Taal Island, where only developmental stages are present, 
many characteristically parang species are present and well 
defined successions indicate that the parang can be logically 
considered an association. 
THE PARANG OR SHRUB-SMALL-TREE FORMATION 
THE PARANG ASSOCIATION 
This large, heterogeneous, much diversified, conglomerate as- 
sociation is a natural one to succeed grass. It is already present 
in many localities and actively progressing everywhere. The 
association readily splits into a number of consocies, each dom- 
inated by a single species. Although at first they seem quite 
distinct, many intergradations and mixtures soon take place, 
so that separating them as associations would but needlessly 
complicate matters. Essentially the association consists of 
shrubs and small trees; the latter may develop to the exclusion 
of the others in the course of time. Vines, both woody and her- 
baceous, may be present in considerable numbers, but herbaceous 
plants are of minor importance. A number of families are re- 
presented in parang, but particularly the Euphorbiaceae, Legu- 
minosae, Moraceae, and the Apocynaceae , in many of whose 
species, except those of the Leguminosae, latex is present. Birds 
play an important part in the distribution of the seeds of most 
