Thursday, March 21, 2013

The UP Salingbobog 2013

Crateva tree at the center of the lagoon
Crateva's pink yellow crown
The tree crown covered with profuse flowers
I was text messaged by Prof Ed Gomez yesterday.  He was elated to see that the balay-lamok or salingbobog (Crateva religiosa) in the U.P. Diliman lagoon is in full bloom.  He advised us to go see it before the flowers are gone.

The afternoon I went to see the Crateva.  As I approached it I was trying to see if even by a distance you could easily discern the pink yellow crown.  The lagoon specimen was small since it is growing very close to a kalios (Streblus asper). But the white color was prominent, more than what I remember the previous years that I saw it in full flowering glory. 

Very cherry-blossom-like!
The Crateva looks healthy even though it has not significantly grown in size.  But it is very beautiful.  I hope it would continue to grace the lagoon with its flowers for years to come. UP should do something to preserve its natural attractions, and I bet the crateva could prove to be an important resource.  Just imagine the lagoon flowering every year with pink cherry-blossom-like trees, if only there are some more of salingbobog growing in the vicinity.  

6 comments:

jimjim said...

a very beautiful tree indeed. Here in Davao city, Palawan Cherry trees are in bloom. Just this afternoon, while driving along a farm road in Digos, Davao del Sur, I saw a tree laden with flowers, upon closer inspection it turned out to be the Balai Lamok!!! It is being used as a living fence, together with a lot of pandacaqui and a cassia nodosa tree. Immediately got some cuttings from the salingbobog and some seedlings from the cassia nodosa. Hopefully they will all grow.

ate joy said...

i would love to plant a salingbobog. i'm a great fan of the sakura, so if we have a native tree that matches it in beauty, i'd like to help make it flourish! where can i get a seedling and where should i plant it?

ate joy said...

it's me again. i went to UP yesterday (took a leave to do this, too) to look for the salingbobog tree in the lagoon. i didn't find any flowering tree neither did any of the maintenance guys preparing the grounds for graduation know that such a tree exists. wish I brought a picture of what you posted with me so i could prove to them that it is there! isn't it supposed to bloom this time of year? who can i contact in order to help me find it? advance thanks for your advice!

ate joy said...

it's me again. i went to UP yesterday (took a leave to do this, too) to look for the salingbobog tree in the lagoon. i didn't find any flowering tree neither did any of the maintenance guys preparing the grounds for graduation know that such a tree exists. wish I brought a picture of what you posted with me so i could prove to them that it is there! isn't it supposed to bloom this time of year? who can i contact in order to help me find it? advance thanks for your advice!

chem said...

@jimjim..Can I ask where is the exact address,in Digos davao Del Sur where you saw the Balai Lamok?I really need it badly..Thank You,.

calej said...

Wow I want to go flower tree spotting! What a tourist draw this would be if there were lots of them!