e and other vegetable products,
never eaten by Europeans, such as the favourite _Sincamas_
(_Decandria--Pachyrhizus angulatus_), resembling a small turnip. The
natives have a taste for many fruits plucked half ripe.

The _Flowers_ of these Islands are too numerous for their description
to come within the scope of this work. To the reader who seeks
an exhaustive treatise on the Botany of the Philippines, I would
recommend Manuel Blanco's "Flora de Filipinas," [154] from which I
have taken the following brief notes.

_Philippine Flowers_
_According to Manuel Blanco_

Orders. Genera. Species. Varieties. Sub-varieties.

Dicotyledones 126 842 2,571 349 5
Monocotyledones 26 325 1,425 270 25
Acotyledones 3 56 483 11 --

155 1,223 4,479 630 30

Some of the most curious and beautiful botanical specimens, not
already described in the preceding pages, are the following, viz.:--

_Arum (?) divaricatum_, Linn. (Tagalog, _Gabigabihan_).--A delicate
bulb. Common in Pasig and Manila.

_Amaryllis atamasco_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Bacong_).--A bulb. Grows to
3 feet. Beautiful large red flower. Blooms in February.

_Agave americana_ (Tagalog, _Magui_).--It is one of a large variety
of Aloes. (Mexican origin?)

_Asplendium nidus._--The beautiful Nest-fern.

_Bignonia quadripinnata_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Pinca-Pincahan_).--A
curious flower.

_Clerodendron longiflorum_, D.C.--An extremely beautiful and delicate
white flower.

_Cactus pitajaya_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Flor de Caliz_).--Gives a grand,
showy flower.

_Caryota urens_, Linn (Tagalog, _Taquipan_).--A beautiful palm. Grows
to 22 feet. The fruit, when tender, is masticated like the _Areca
catechu_.

_Caryota onusta_, Blanco (Tagalog, _Cauong_).--A fine palm. Gives a
sweet juice which turns into good vinegar. The trunk gives a Sago,
called by the natives _Yoro_. The ripe seeds are a deadly poison. An
infusion of the seeds in water is so caustic that it has been used to
throw on to Moro pirates and thieves; wherever it touches the body
it burns so terribly that none can suffer it or cure it. Sometimes
it is thrown into the rivers to stupefy the fish, which then float
and can be caught with the hand. When _unripe_ the seeds are made
into a preserve. The seeds have also medi