290 
MERRILL. 
in herb. Paris.), Malvar Si9, Cuzner 55, Marave 30, Ahern 716: Province of 
Rizal, Pasay, For. Bur. 15385 Curran & Schneider; Antipolo, Merrill 1720; 
Montalban, Loher 5850: Province of Bataan, Merrill 1U8U, For. Bur. 1305, 
2720 Borden, For. Bur. 2513 Meyer, Ahern 769, Williams 6U0, 632: Province 
of Laguna, Hallier s. n. MiNDORO, For. Bur. 8813 Merritt, Merrill 2160 
(cotype of Semecarpus sideroxyloides Perk.). Guimaras, For. Bur. 6U77 
Everett. Leyte, Elmer 7159. Negros, Bur. Sci. 73^8 Celestino, For. Bur. 
15159 Tarrosa. 
The common Tagalog name is ligas, the Visayan agas and anagas, the 
Ilocano camiring, the Pampangan earning, and the Bontoc paean. 
This species is the most common and the best known contact-poison in 
the Philippines, its noxious properties being well known to the natives. As 
with the well known contact-poisons in the United States, such as Rhus 
toxicodendron L., and R. venenata DC. some persons are immune while 
others are very subject to it. The symptoms caused by contact with fresh 
leaves of Semecarp^is cuneiformis Blanco, especially when the leaves are 
wet, are quite like those caused by the species of Rhus mentioned above, 
and the eruption is amenable to the same ti’eatment. 
SEMICARPUS MICRANTHA Perk. Frag. Fi. Philip. (1904) 27. 
Semecarpus taftiana Perk. 1. c. 28. 
But a single species is represented, for which the name micrantha is 
retained, this having page priority. The type of Semecarpus micrantha 
Perk., is a specimen with staminate flowers, while the type of S. taftiana 
Perk., is a specimen with pistillate flowers. They are from the same locality, 
with the same habitat, and were collected at the same time, February 15, 
1903. In inflorescence, twigs, indumentum, color, shape, and venation of 
the leaves the specimens are quite the same. The only evident difference 
is that the leaves of Semecarpus taftiana are somewhat smaller and 
relatively a little narrower than are those of S. micrantha. 
Palawan, Iwahig River, Merrill 709, S flowers, cotype of Semecarpus 
micrantha Perk., 734, 5 flowers, cotype of Semecarpus taftiana Perk., both 
collected February 15, 1903. 
SEMECARPUS PH I LI PPI N ENSIS Engl, in DC. Monog. Phan. 4 (1883) 
481. 
Semecarpus perrottetii March, var. glabra March. Rev. Anac. (1869) 
170. 
This species is rather common and of wide distribution in the Philippines, 
and is decidedly variable in the shape of its leaves, although in essential 
characters quite constant. The type of the species and of Semecarpus 
perrottetii var. glabra March, is Cuming 1H6, from the Province of Ilocos 
Sur, Luzon, two sheets of which are in the Herbarium of the Bureau of 
Science. Engler “ has referred to another Philippine specimen Cuming 
1776, which was collected in Cebu, as apparently being referable to Seme- 
carpus albescens Kurz. Specimens of this number are in the Herbarium 
of the Bureau of Science, and while they are not identical with the type 
number of Semecarpus philippinensis, I can, after examining a large series 
of specimens, showing numerous intermediate forms, detect no characters 
6 L. c. 489. 
