OUR PHILIPPINE TREES

Show Bloomer

2012-01-31T00:19:00.002+08:00

Rhynchostylis violacea

Bloom close-up

Quick Post: Saw this orchid with a very nice bloom at the Philippine Horticulture Society garden show. We can't help ourselves marvel at its nice delicate looking flowers. Ernie Alvaran says it is Rhynchostylis violacea, a Philippine native.

Ifugao Life for a Day

2012-01-29T22:37:00.006+08:00

Kuya Donato hanging the ladder of the hut

Hut no. 3 in Ramon's Home-stay

Ever since I studied history of architecture back in college, I have been intrigued by mountain culture. The Ifugao house stood out for me among the Philippine houses discussed by our professors. There were certain occasions when I came across replicas. And even though I have a standing fascination for the simple architecture I did not fully appreciate the intention of its design till I actually slept in one.

Some houses have eye-sore GI metal roof

Student Faye in Igorot costume

The last time I was in Banawe, I did not get the chance to stand even near an authentic Ifugao hut. So this time, even if our Batad stint was short, I did not pass on the opportunity to stay in a real Ifugao household. We were luckily hosted in Mang Ramon's homestay which had 4 authentic Ifugao houses. It will be the Miriam college ladies' home for the day. All of us teachers were assigned to another house four flights of stairs away from Mang Ramon's. I was already excited by the prospects of sleeping - Ifugao style.

You could keep poultry below house

Pounding rice at ground level

A typical Ifugao house is simple. What you instantly see is a pyramidal roof made of cogon. The house frame, built entirely of natural materials, is hidden underneath the thick cogon pile, stilted on four wooden posts. Elevating on stilts creates an open space below the house where the owner could do chores and receive guests. A detachable ladder is the only access to the raised areas. The ladder would have to be hung at night time to prevent vermin from entering the upper levels. The posts also have disc-like parts which deter rats and mice from climbing the posts and entering the upper level. The raised room is simply an open area used for sleeping and cooking. On top of a small fire place is a storage level where they stack sacks of their harvested rice (because most Ifugaos are farmers, farming the rice terraces). The heat from the cooking area warms up the whole room and at the same time dries up the rice for longer life.

The collected skulls of animals underneath the eaves of the antique Ifugao house

The ladder to the enclosed room

The cozy sleeping area with small fire place

One of the houses where the Miriam ladies slept in could be considered an antique. Mang Ramon bought it from another Ifugao family and transferred it to his lot. It was adorned with a lot of items, including the skulls and bones of different animals killed and hunted by the clan. Mang Ramon said the bones are traditionally hung to signify the wealth of a particular family and to drive away evil spirits wanting to enter the premises.

Prof. Rosel with Mang Ramon

The house I stayed in is owned by Mang Ramon's cousin, Kuya Donato. He is a skillful craftsman who constructs other Ifugao houses. His hut is lovely and cozy, adorned with a lot of carvings and wood items, all made by him. The house fitted 3 sleeping areas and a fireplace where Mang Donato created a small fire in the cold morning. The bulol and other sculptures were finer and different from the ones sold at Banawe souvenir shops.

The Miriam college profs' breakfast with a view

Biko and omelet - Ifugao style

Sugar jar is even authentic

Our stay in the huts was very pleasant, especially because we woke up to fresh cool mountain air and a breakfast of fresh brewed Ifugao coffee, rice biko and omelet. The sleep was truly rejuvenating, much more because I got a soothing massage from a local named Mang Vincent the previous night. The memorable breakfast was heightened with the dynamic sunrise view of the Batad rice terraces - 20 years of wait made well worth the short experience. It is official, I am enamored with this mountain culture!

Tarlac is Named After a Weed

2012-01-28T12:52:00.005+08:00

The reeds of the weed tarlak

Tarlak along with other materials

Tarlak fashioned as wall covering

Quick Post: The province of Tarlac, which was previously part of Pangasinan and Pampanga, was named after a plant. For the longest I have thought it was named after a small bamboo but turns out its namesake is actually a grass called malatarlak or matarlak. Sources say that the word is Ilokano, but others state that the origin is Aeta, which literally means weed. Eventually the first syllable was dropped and tarlac remained. I am not sure what is the botanic name of tarlak or even if it only refers to one species.

Minnie Rosel against the backdrop of tarlak reeds

Aetas have long been using tarlak reeds as temporary construction material for walls or fences. In the mountain provinces, it seems the use of tarlac is also quite popular. The Igorot people use the stick-like reeds in their farms as climbing frames for creeping vegetable plants. Some Ifugaos even incorporate them in the construction of their famous houses. And even as far as Manila, tarlak is popularly being used to add an ethnic flair to some modern Filipino interiors. So weed which is referred to as ugly can actually be used to beautify.

Surviving the Trail Leading to Batad

2012-01-23T23:04:00.012+08:00

The early morning sun on the famous Banawe rice terraces

The Miriam ladies' quick breakfast

The ladies sampled riding on the jeepney's roof

It is almost two years since I first went up the the mountain provinces. My last trip was my first time to Banawe and Sagada towns. We went there to enjoy the sites and the cuisine, at a leisurely pace. Last weekend I was asked to join a group of ladies, 2 teachers and 19 students from the Environmental Planning Department of Miriam College. They want to conquer Batad.

Smaller terraces outside of Banawe

I immediately said yes without knowing what I was up against. I googled Batad and found pictures of a high rice terraces cluster hovering over a small town at the base. I thought it was different compared to both Sagada and Banawe. I am intrigued and willing to personally take a look. Prof. Pinky Gendrano told me it involved going down to the terraces site which may be gruelling. I glanced again at the picture of the Batad terraces and thought, how could going down this flight of rice terraces be hard. I figured at the worst, I could make it, at my own slow speed.

Narrow roads and precarious structures

The Miriam College group with Mang Ramon

Prof. Rosel with her wards

We arrived at Banawe the morning of Saturday and were met by our host and guide, Mang Ramon and his cousin Kuya Donato. We made a quick breakfast at the Stairway lodge and hired a typical mountain jeepney to tackle the rough roads leading to our goal place. It required a few of the nimbler girls to ride open air, on top of the jeep. The travel was about an hour snaking through the mountains. It gave the girls their first glimpse of the mountain rice fields after Banawe. We made two stops, everytime the students alight the jeep, taking snaps of awesome sights and scrutinizing the merchandise at souvenir shops. They were excited, shouting and screaming on top of their shrieky voices. Locals were courteously smiling and laughing at the commotion they create. We made a couple of small stops and the girls were taking pictures of almost everything.

The start point is the Batad saddle

View of Batad from saddle

Prof. Gendrano sweeps the group

Our third stop was already the Batad saddle, nestled between the valley of two adjoining peaks. This was the farthest the jeepney could go. from then on, we had to continue our way down to the Batad town proper by foot. I was anxiously trying to spot the town from the saddle while worriedly grasping my two heavy bags. The view had a wide and awesome vista - but all I could see was the endless slope of the mountain and forest with a small and vague image of what resembles a glassy part of a rice field and hints of small houses. I cannot discern my googled image of Batad.

Further down the road

We were told we could hire porters for 100 pesos a bag. I mutteredf that it solves one problem and decided to trust my heavier messenger bag to a young lad, retaining only a small backpack and my camera. We were also presented with a choice of a difficult-but-short route against a longer-but-manageable one. Of course I took the longer-and-easy choice. After a few minutes of haggling with porters for the group and again perusing through the same wood craft souvenirs, we began the claimed hour-long trek from saddle to town proper. Minnie Rosel took an elevation reading from the GPS apparatus lent out by Miriam college. It read 1100 masl.

There were a lot of tree ferns on the trail.

Through the greens

Edible fruits of a ginger

High elevation blooms

The first part, the girls were all excited, picking grasslike dandelion flowers and taking pictures with the view and almost anything. They were still noisy and giggly. It was all our first time to this part of the mountains thus we were curious. After a minutes, we were joined by our porters who started late but tackled the harder shortcut. They glided with ease through the steep and large steps even if they were burdened with our bags. For the rest of the way, they chose to stay with the group, even if we knew they could easily overtake us.

I was taking every stride carefully, also leisurely because, as expected, I was enjoying looking and taking pictures of the flora. I saw tree ferns, ground orchids, flowering weeds, trees and especially flowering Rhododendrons, which you won't usually see in hot Manila. There was rich vegetation to see in the rock crevices, in every bend and turn.

Still a mountain to go...

Souvenir shacks

Dwarfed by the mountains

Before halfway point, souvenir shacks provide shelter but at the same time taking advantage of resting tourists. It was almost an hour of walk and we are only half through. The souvenir shops were in reality a welcome part of the trek, providing a diversion for the company. The girls seemed to still have spirit, scrutinizing what they could and ordering what they want. They were also probably stalling for a few more minutes of rest time. It was also a relieve that it was cloudy - at least we did not have to have the hot sun adding to our agony. About two or three more shops were dispersed in the extent of the saddle-to-town trek and our group made stops in all of them.

Spathoglottis

One third to go

When we reached the last souvenir shop, we were told it was the two thirds trail marker. Walking, and resting a lot, already took us more than an hour but still no view of Batad and its famed rice terraces. But after making a last turn at the next bend, we were given motivation as hints of the rice terraces came clearer. I anxiously went ahead of the pack with our guide Kuya Donato accompanying me. The strides became manageable because of the promise of nearness. One by one, traditional structures were appearing. A few more steps and after almost an hour and a half, the famous image I googled came to full view. It was simply beautiful! Looking at it made me forget the about the the efforts of the descent. After we finished, Minnie took another GPS reading. It read 890 masl. We walked down a total of 210 meters vertically.

The Batad town at the base of the rice terraces

We spent the next few days in Batad, and immersed ourselves in true Ifugao culture. The hour long effort descending from the saddle into the valley made us literally captives in the town, but the detention was pleasant. I could not at all say it is restful as most of the Batad attractions are literally a hill and a mountain away from each other. Though most of the Miriam college ladies chose to partake in the trek to the View point and the Falls, I heard one of them say the descent to the valley was the easiest. I could not agree more because personally I chose to stay put in Mang Ramon's homestay, just to conserve energy for the trip back, which was a whole different and much more challenging tale to tell.

The iconic Batad view

Batad is no walk in the park. It is indeed a challenge to conquer, which gives much credibility to what is printed in the souvenir shirts they sell 'I survived Batad!'. But don't get me wrong that I did not enjoy my experience, because I truly did. Just the glimpse of the hidden valley was prize enough for me for doing the trek. Staying in an Ifugao house and the lifestyle immersion was an added bonus. The Batad massage was pure heaven.

The ladies conquering Batad

To Mang Ramon, his family and staff, thank you for making our Batad stay the most pleasant and extraordinarily memorable! I will hopefully return, stay longer, see the sights and hopefully shed more of the pounds in the process.

Dipterocarp Station

2012-01-19T21:46:00.003+08:00

Dipterocarps in the landscape of a gas station.

Probably a white lauan

I have been meaning to take pictures of the dipterocarp trees in the gas station over at the Subic Highway. But I never got the chance to stop there. Last week I was in the company of botanists and plant enthusiasts and I finally got a look at the towering trees. It was a little dark and gloomy as it was nearing dusk. But the light was enough for some of my botanist friends to say that it might be specimens of Shorea contorta or white lauan.

More white lauan specimens

The lot was cut out from the surrounding forest but they managed to retain a few of these precious white lauan specimens and integrate them into the landscape. It is rather peculiar to see them isolated and bare, without the thick undergrowth. Even if they stand lonely in concrete, the trees still look humongous and majestic. But a stand of them in the rainforest is better a million folds.

Pawi-pawikan, Pagung-pagungan

2012-01-18T12:20:00.001+08:00

Believe it or not these are plants, Dischidia platyphylla.

Pawi-pawikan or pagung-pagungan?

They grow imbricate on tree trunks.

Leaves are in pairs

Quick Post: I stopped by a garden shop and saw these epiphytes on display. They looked nice and at the same time weird. They were just tied into excess wood pieces. They are hoped to cling onto the surface eventually.

These are specimens of Dischidia probably platyphylla. I forgot if they are called pawi-pawikan or pagung-pagungan (in English - turtle-like). But I am sure you get the drift why they are called such. They grow imbricate on the trunks of trees or coconut palms. They are a common fixture in a lot of our forests and even some tree plantations and farms.

Bernardo Carpio's Lair

2012-01-16T21:52:00.001+08:00

Wawa Dam

My able guide companions

View of Mt. Pamitinan

My mom used to tell me stories that in the past, they often go on excursions to Montalban in Rizal. My sisters could recall going there but personally I could not remember ever setting foot in the waters of the famous Wawa dam, so it has always been a puzzle to me what it looks like. Last Thursday night I was asked by a few friends to join them on a trip to see the vegetation growing in the vicinity of Pamitinan Cave near Wawa Dam. I said yes because I was curious of the place.

The white limestone geology of the Montalban gorge

On a Saturday morning we braved going to Rodriguez, formerly Montalban, in Rizal, to check out Wawa. I was with fellow plant enthusiasts Noel, Anthony and ace botanist Ulysses Ferreras. Among us four, I was the only first timer to the place. My companions gave me a quick tour of the area with Uly, a Rodriguez resident, serving as guide. He gave a run down of sights in the site, starting from the rock quarries to of course the Wawa valley. He pointed out that this is legendary place where Bernardo Carpio stood in between two great rocks.

The Montalban gorge

The banks flanked by large acacia trees

Native Begonia

There are many versions of the legend. I am not sure which is the true and most accurate. What is relatively in all of them is that Bernardo Carpio, possessing great strength, stood in the Montalban gorge to prevent the two great rocks from crashing into each other. Uly was pointing out that there is a stone on the valley which is proof where Bernardo stood. The hero even left his mark, his footprint. I did not get the opportunity to go down at water level to see the rock bearing Bernardo Carpio's print.

Flowering Sterculia symbolizes hope for old flora

Impatiens montalbanica id'd by Uly

Leea sp.

The famous legend aside, it is refreshing to see that years after the story's time frame, the two rocks - which are actually two mountains - is a stronghold of greenery in the area. The geology of the surrounding peaks, Uly says, is limestone. It means that the area was thousands of years ago was once under water. Like any limestone formation, trees would have a harder time to get a foothold. Thus if you cut the trees growing in the limestone forest, it will be harder to regenerate them. Another dilemma is that foreign species like Samanea saman (acacia), Leucaena leucocephala (ipil-ipil) and Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany) are becoming common in the area, replacing the old natives.

Hypoestes also id'd by Uly

But in the fringes,we found some natives surviving. They grow in between the newcomers, but quite healthy and even flowering. There were even reports that rare birds species still frequent the area tucked in the remaining native vegetation. Uly talked with PASU Susie de Belen to propagate more of the natives. She promised to do so if she could get hold of native seedlings.

Another Katmon in Flower

2012-01-13T21:53:00.000+08:00

Dillenia sibuyanensis in flower

Flower is much smaller than a katmon's

Quick Post: I was gifted by Wendy Regalado with a cutting of Dillenia sibuyanensis or katmon-sibuyan. In about 8 months it established itself then grew from 6 inches to about 2 feet. The other day I saw it in flower. It had a smaller flower compared to Dillenia philippinensis, but has an attractive yellow flower. It must be a delight to see a specimen heavily laden with the yellow blooms. For now I have to contented with the single flower, and at least I know my plant will be doing so someday.

Tree Hopping Bats!

2012-01-11T13:05:00.005+08:00

The Subic bats on trees along the Naval Magazine Highway

The sleeping giants

I last saw the Subic fruit bats in dipterocarp trees over at Cubi Point in the early 1990's. I was told that since then they have transferred to trees near the old Fedex area and some other places. Now they cling onto several kupang tree specimens (Parkia timoriana) at the Naval Magazine near Triboa. The population is not as impressive as I could remember when I first saw it in Cubi Point.

On the kupang tree branch

I would assume that the bats I saw some 20 years ago are already gone. New generations would have already taken over and they seem to be migrating to different trees in the vicinity. I wonder what it is which makes them transfer. I checked sources from the net for the species name of the Naval Mag bats. Lists say that there are a number of species like bamboo bats, flying foxes and the largest Philippine bat, Pteropus vampyrus lanensis. Not sure which are they.

Our guides also told us that the bats disappeared days before the last strong typhoon which made the Subic people worried. They discovered the bats moved to some trees to the deeper parts of the Subic forest. But after the typhoon, they went back again to their usual kupang trees. Bats move in mysterious ways!

The Serene Subic Mangroves

2012-01-11T11:05:00.002+08:00

New growth at the edge of the sea

PNPCSI members looking at the mangroves

Continuing on with the PNPCSI weekend, we had the chance to visit the Triboa Bay Mangrove Walk. This Subic attraction is now managed by the same group who maintains the Subic Treetop Adventures. But instead of going through the high canopies of the forest, guests are given a glimpse of what a mangrove forest looks like.

The older mangrove trees

The mangroves in this part are still young and being revitalized. But there are already erected catwalks and decks for you to enjoy the interesting growth patterns of these high tide-low tide species. They grow submersed in brackish to salt water, establishing weird root networks. Boni Passion, who was with us, said that the mangrove species is predominantly bakawang babae or Rhizophora macrunota.

Someday this will be a stand of full grown mangroves

I always regard mangrove plantations as very chaotic because of the wet growth and the network of intertwining roots. But that afternoon the young saplings appear very serene, similar to the effect when you take pictures of lotus flowers on a still pond. It was calming. The mangrove forest was actually quiet, interrupted only by our own inquisitive voices asking more information about them. And hopefully when we leave, they will continue growing in much needed peace. I hope to come back again to this mangrove walk to see how well the trees will grow, if they could reach full size potential.

The serene mangroves seedlings

A Bamboo with Flowers!

2012-01-09T21:13:00.007+08:00

Large bamboo culms

Dried up flowers of bikal

Small flowers

Bamboo is a grass indeed. And since it is grass, it should flower like any other. But it was only yesterday that I have seen the actual flowers of a bamboo species. I read somewhere that most cultivated bamboos are rare to bloom. So I have never seen bamboo to flower in any garden. But it appears that wild species often do. Also I was told that there were only 5 species of native erect bamboos. It seems we have many more than just anos (Schizostachyum lima), buho (Schizostachyum lumampao), bayog (Bambusa sp. syn Dendrocalamus merrillianus), laak (Bambusa sp.) and puser (Cyrtochloa puser).

Dried up culms

I was with members of PNPCSI early Sunday in Subic and we stumbled upon specimens of Schizostachyum bamboo, which is said to be probably bikal or Schizostachyum diffusum by my botanist companions. Some culms appear to have flowered. But they are in a state of disarray. Some of the individual culm shoots have dried out and were split open. Majority of them have fallen which is why we saw the structure of the dry flowers. The inflorescence is big but the individual flowers are very small.

Split culms

At this time, there are a lot of the dried up bamboo clusters in the Subic forest. A blog friend, Alex Paglinawan, told me that bamboo has a dormant period, which is about this season, when they seize growth. Bamboos are suppose to be one of the fastest growing plants. Does it mean that when they are in their flowering season they halt development and turn their energy to bringing out the inflorescence. I am not a botanist so I would need to confirm this with the plant experts.

But hopefully after a few months, the bamboss will again resume their growth. I look forward to the growing season when the Subic bamboos will again pick up growth and bring out fresh healthy culms. The forests will turn from the sparsed with yellow color to green once more.

Mega Foliage

2012-01-06T22:41:00.007+08:00

Dillenia megalantha

I have pictures of these tree species with unusually large leaves. All measure more than a foot in length and width. Though some people may prefer plants with finer foliage, I particularly find them different and very interesting. I myself would like to keep them as ornamentals in the garden, but I do not have the space to grow them. But I have tried rearing seedlings of all at one point in time.

Katmon-bayani in Reynold Sioson's farm

My present favorite of them all is Dillenia megalantha or katmon-bayani. The leaves are similar to your common katmon's, which are segmented and serrated, but much bigger. Ever since I saw a specimen of it in Reynold Sioson's farm, I became crazy to find my own specimen. And I did found one, sold as the last piece in a Quezon nursery. It is quite a slow grower, coming out with only one new leaf in a month's time. My specimen has probably only grown 4 leaves ever since I got it more than a half year ago. But they are impressive reaching almost 2 feet in length.

Macaranga grandifolia in NAPWC

The pinkish inflorescence

Another one of my favorite species is Macaranga grandifolia or takip-asin which I first encountered in the grounds of Makiling High School for the Arts. It is called such because some local cultures use it as packaging for salt to sell or trade. Farmers even wrap their rice and viand to bring to the rice fields in the takip-asin's leaves. Everytime I see a nice growing specimen, in the wild or in a garden, I am reminded of its beauty. though it appears to be just a slightly overgrown binunga or Macaranga tanarius. But unlike the latter, takip-asin's underside and flowers are reddish in color. A healthy and flowering specimen is really a sight to behold.

Small specimen

The leaves of probably Sterculia macrophylla

The most unusually shaped is the large maple-like leaves of this Sterculia which is probabbly S. macrophylla or tapinag-laparan. The margin is lobed unlike the other native Sterculias I have seen. The large leaves are indeed attractive and ornamental. I can't understand why it has remained virtually unknown and unpropagated. It is a shame because it is quite fast growing and easy to grow in the garden, apart from it being really beautiful.

Leaf detail of A. treculianus

Chipohu in Batanes

Last in this blog's list is the Batanes chipohu or Artocarpus treculianus which is a slightly attractive version of the antipolo or Artocarpus blancoi. Both are Philippine natives but antipolo is more widely distributed. Chipohu has more regularly shaped leaves and glossier surface. The ivatans even use them as organic eating plates similar to what Tagalog's do with banana leaves. I acquired a specimen of this tree from the Batanes ENRO nursery. But my plant was slow growing and eventually died in my garden. I would never know if it could prove to be a worthy plant to grow for the urban garden. Hope I could acquire another specimen in the future.

The Year's Bounty!

2012-01-01T11:13:00.000+08:00

Fruit bounty

Happy New Year! This is the fruit bounty for 2012. I bet everyone could name all of them. Could you tell which one is native? Answer is there is no native in the bunch. Hmnn...

Entering 2012 which is the fifth calendar year for this blog. Hope there will be more interesting things to blog this dragon year! The very best of wishes to everyone on this new year!

New Year, New Garden!

2011-12-31T22:10:00.005+08:00

The garden before I started last Tuesday

The swing without the pavers

With the pavers added

I have been in excommunicado for the past few days. It is probably burn out. But then again it is the end of the year, so I decided to do something completely for myself for a change (not work related). I decided to give time fixing my garden. For how many months now I have been playing around with what to do with the mess in my garden. I had lots of plants in the center so it is hard to get around. Plus everything is topsy-turvy.

I told my friend Susan Topacio of Jardin Isabel one day I will borrow a few workers from her shop. But I never really got around to doing so. Last Tuesday I did and only finished this afternoon, in time for the new year. I repotted all my plants and most of all removed the junk in the middle of the garden. Hopefully the new look will usher in some new chi and good vibes into our household.

My repotted Agaves

Finally arranged all the potted plants


No more plants in the center!

View from swing

It will be a pleasant new year for my garden. Hopefully it will be for me and all of us! May the dragon bring in joy and prosperity to us all this coming year! If not, I hope that 2012 will be at least peaceful and fruitful!

To the Mary up the Mountain

2011-12-24T22:23:00.001+08:00

The steps leading to Regina Rosarii

Regina Rosarii

I was invited by Ime Sarmiento to go up Tanay, Rizal along with a few native tree advocates. We visited Regina RICA which had a large statue of Mother Mary resting on top a hill. I was thinking that this was tree immersion trip but it turned out it was a spiritual one.

One of 17 cherubims

All I could say is that I was dreading to climb the hill! I was looking at the image of Regina Rosarii (Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary) and it looked difficult to tackle. Adding the fact that it was a nice sunny day, but since the sun was up and above, the heat literally burns the skin. But when I started to brave 309 steps needed to reach the Holy Mother, it proved easy to do. The slope was manageable and in no time at all, I was at the foot of the towering madonna statue. The view on top of the hill was wonderful and upclose the statue's smile was warm and assuring.

The statue's gentle smile

A Dominican sister was waiting for us there and explained to us a few important items before we immersed ourselves to introduction to contemplative prayer. From what the sister told us, these are the facts I gathered. Regina Rosarii of Regina RICA stands on the highest hill in a 13.5 hectare land in Tanay Rizal, adjacent to the famed Erap property. The fiberglass statue towers over everything, its height at 7.1 meters. It is so big that it houses an adoration chapel underneath the image's garments. It had 17 cherubims adoring and adorning the flowing robes of Regina Rosarii.

There is a small chapel below the statue

Probably the most rewarding was the contemplative prayer primer. The instructions were basic but the simple positions proved to be helpful in clearing the mind of other concerns and focus on tranquility. Made me appreciate the nice mountain breeze and the peaceful ambience. Overall it made climbing Regina RICA a worth while task. Thank you, Ma'am Ime, for this different Christmas experience.

The Silent Forest

2011-12-22T12:52:00.009+08:00

The stand of introduced mahogany

A silent forest

This is a young mahogany forest in Tanay, Rizal. The common mahogany or Swietenia macrophylla is different from the dipterocarps which locals call Philippine mahogany. The former is an introduced species from the Americas, brought here for wood harvest. But it has proven to be a resilient species and is promoted as a reforestation tree by the government. Now stands of mahogany tower in place of our original Philippine dipterocarps and other native species.

The lone tuai tree

Yesterday I stood in the middle of this mahogany forest. It was silent. Amidst the trunk of the trees, I did not hear any birds chirping or any other animal stirring. The only thing I could discern was the rushing water of a nearby stream. I could not hear any sign of life. Mahoganies bear no fruit which wildlife could eat. It seems that no birds were even enticed to seek shelter in the canopies.

Yet in a ravine a few meters from the artificial forest, there is a fruiting native tree called tuai (Bischofia javanica) and it was teeming with life. It was heavily burdened with fruits and these were feasted on by yellow vented bulbuls and swiftlets. The air was filled with the animated birds and their high pitched sounds. It was a clear contrast to the silence of the American mahogany patch.

The tuai fruits

This paints a scenario of what might be happening in some of the country's reforestation projects. Mahogany patches are claimed to not harbor native wildlife. This is also said to be what is happening in the Bohol artificial forest. My birdwatcher friends say birds are accustomed to native trees because the fruit they create and the shade they provide are what the winged animals are used to. So when they are replaced with the non-familiar species, they are reduced feeding and perching on the remaining natural vegetation. In this case, it is a single tuai tree in a 13.5 hectare property. May this not be the case in our remaining forests all around the Philippines.

Come Visit My Version of the Philippines

2011-12-18T19:19:00.004+08:00

Boracay from the air

Mt. Samat Cross in Bataan

I was added by Ponchit Enrile into this Facebook group called Come Visit My Philippines. It is a social site posting various stuff about our country to entice foreigners to do drop by. For the past days I have been rummaging though my old files looking if I do have pictures of local attractions, and guess what, I do! And I realized that my point-and-shoot cameras were not all that bad. I have some nice ones which I think could persuade tourists to give coming to visit the Philippines a try. Do indulge me as I will be posting some here:

El Nido Sunset


Magellan Cross in Cebu

The Manila skyline

The Bucao River in Zambales at 6 in the morning

A Bamban Could be Nice Afterall

2011-12-12T12:51:00.002+08:00

The potted bamban

Berry

I saw this specimen of bamban, probably Donax cannaeformis, in the garden of Patis Tesoro. If potted in a big jar and grown healthy it could be used as a nice ornamental plant. The specimen looked like a fine culmed bamboo. It would take up a big space in your garden though. But then again bamban just grows as a weed in riversides in the provinces. It is free if propagated and would appear garden worthy afterall.

The famous bamban cane

My impression of bamban is that it is used by teachers as punishment stick. Have you heard of the term 'pam-bamban' which means whacking cane. So eversince bamban has a negative reputation to most, especially young kids in provincial public schools. The unruly plant used to punish the unruly. Hehehehe!

Leaf detail

But then again a lot of places are also named after bamban, like the town in Tarlac. I am not sure but some say that the root is also used to make uraro cookies. But googling uraro, it says it is sourced from a Maranta and not Donax. But both plants are closely related. So it might be true that the bamban may be used as uraro ingredient, but will still have to confirm it.

Rising with the Sun on Top of Borobudur

2011-12-10T21:55:00.007+08:00

Borobudur at 4 am

The moonlit silhouette

I was rummaging through my blog archives and found this unfinished and unpublished. It has been a year since I have been to Yogyakarta but I will post my experience in going up one of my life-long dreams, to climb the ruins of Borobudur at sunrise. After all I have already finished writing it and was one of the most memorable moments for me. But this was written a year ago so the time frame of my blog is quite off. But you will get the drift.

At around 5 am with the purple hues

The lonely Buddha

The individual stupa domes

When I was barely studying architecture, I came across an article in National Geographic chronicling an author's ascent into the Indonesian Buddhist ruins of Borobudur. He described it as long and spiritual, but in my mind he painted it as enlightening. He narrated that he went up the mountainous behemoth at 3 am armed with a light torch and slowly ascended level by level to the top of the ruins. When he reached the stupa cap, it was just in time to experience the beautiful golden sunrise. His accounts have embedded in me a very long dream of embarking myself on this adventure. It was not realized until a few days ago, when I was presented a chance to go to Bali and make this side trip by bus to Eastern Java and eventually Yogyakarta.

At 5:30, Borobudur turns golden yellow and bright orange

The silhouette clearing up

The stupas in the light

My companions and I had a drawback. The bus ride was supposed to take 16 hours from Bali to Yogya, but was prolonged another 18 hours because the ferry our bus mounted crossing Bali to Java literally hit rock-bottom. We were stranded for more than 12 hours before we were rescued one by one by rubber boat and tranferred to another ferry. Indeed this trip was already proving to be an adventure.

Well lit domeless Buddha

Crisp and clear forms

I felt like a refugee, especially when the rescuing ferry opened its doors at the nearest port. All of us hungry 'survivors' were showered with camera flashes as we walked towards the terminal building. We were herded into one corner of the building and handed out water and packed lunches...relief goods! It was another 3 hours before our ferry and our bus was eventually towed onto shore, and we resumed the last 14 hours of our bus-trip. It was already 2 am when we arrived at Yogyakarta. We barely had sleep but decided to find a taxi and make a very short stop in a hotel to deposit our luggage. An hour or so more later we were already on our way to make my dream come true.

The avenue of small and big stupas

The detail of the walls

A step down the stupa level

Niches and sculpture panels

The rich detail of the lower levels

At 5 am it was still very dark but we found ourselves frisking our way, holding a flashlight at one hand. The light it made was limited and we almost blindly walked through dew-wet grass and eventually rock paved ground. Under the faint moonlight I could already discern the silhouette of Borobudur's stupas. I was excited, even more when we were led into the first of flight of stairs to climb up the Buddhist monument. They were quite large steps to tackle. But these steps, which stood through centuries old tests of time, stand as the only hinder to my goal. I had enough time to hurdle them, as slowly and steadily I ascended every inch of each riser. A few more moments I would be on top, I thought. The last steps were sweet as the image of the individual Buddha stupas became more evident. A few strides more I was already immersed in the midst of the bell-like stupas and we were not alone. There were other fanatics with us coming from other parts of the world, also eagerly awaiting the golden hour. We found our niche in which to wait for the impending sunrise.

More Buddhas

The rich carved rocks are adorned with many figures

We watched the horizon as the sun slowly rose with first a very faint light. It turned the dark sky into first the blues and the purples, gradually turning red orange and golden yellow. We were patiently awaiting the color transformation as all of us spectators were immersed among the encased buddhas. One by one the bell-like structures were sprayed with diffused but pure hues until all of them were completely revealed in daylight. The air was filled with the oohs and ahs of all the people there. It was indeed a dream come true!

The main steps to the upper levels

The only regret I had was finding that Borobudur was in the middle of a park cum golf course. From what I remember reading, it was then in the midst of a wild wooded area. Probably was true but I am 20 years late in following through with the dream. Like in Manila, the once wooded area is now eaten by developments, exposing the majestic ruins to urbanscapes. The forest got tired concealing their hidden treasure.

Borobudur completely revealed

The Naturally Native View

2011-12-07T23:13:00.002+08:00

The Orosa garden

The adjacent lanai

Pathway to the garden

I went to Alfonso in Cavite for a Metro Home magazine shoot. I was told that the house we will visit had a nice view and of course a garden that would compliment it. I was expecting that the vista had something to do with Taal Lake as I knew Alfonso is near Tagaytay. But when we reached the place, I realized I was wrong.

The private view

The house we visited was Rene Orosa's, an interior designer from the US. It was located inside the town proper near the church. Rene renovated his ancestral house into a cozy hideaway tucked into the slopes of a creek ravine. The view mentioned was not the iconic Taal view but of the deep creek valley. It had a clean water and the lush greens bordering the rich and moist banks of the mountain stream. The trees look like they are the original plant cover as most of them are native plants, including impressive large specimens of Macaranga grandifolia.

Macaranga grandifolia

Surprisingly Alfonso town still hides a few natural wonders. They are unfortunately hidden away inside the private properties for owners to enjoy. But then again I would imagine such a view would be exploited if it had public access. The Orosas really treat it as a prized possession as most of their garden and living areas revolve around maximum appreciation of the creek valley. They carefully framed it with an equally lush garden.

Tropical ornamentals

I wrote a more detailed account of the Orosas' garden in the next issue of Metro Home, out December 12. You could find more pictures of the whole garden plus images of the house's interiors. I hope you do get a copy and check them out.

Urban Banilad

2011-12-07T10:21:00.000+08:00

Banilad or Sterculia comosa was the tree that inspired my thesis in 2007. In 2008 I brought home banilad seeds from Bohol and grew them into seedlings. When they reached a certain height, I gave all of them away to friends. Now I only have a single seedling in my garden, relatively small at a foot height.

The urban banilad specimen

The other day I went to my friend Pinky's house and I was elated to find her banilad big and tall. It was one of the seedlings I handed out, but since hers was outplanted in soil, it has become relatively a small tree. It could have been bigger but their driver is constantly pruning the excess branches so that it would not over cast the whole house. I believe banilad promises to be one of the nicer native trees to plant in an urban setting, definitely A-okey to grow in Manila.

The Large Tree that could Make a Lizard Cry

2011-12-01T22:27:00.005+08:00

The very large Ficus variegata

The Marcos Museum

Detail of fig fruits

We visited the Marcos Museum in Batac. Finally I got to see where the body of the late president Ferdinand Marcos was and still is temporarily laid to rest. Our ocular was brief as we were quickly ushered in and out of the refrigerated mausoleum. No pictures were allowed.

Bayawak

Because it was our first stop and a quick one at that, my foreigner companions became more interested in a large fig tree standing at the middle of the museum complex. It is Ficus variegata or tangisang-bayawak.

I heard of two versions regarding how this tree got its vernacular name. First one is that the leaf rustle sounds like two fighting bayawak lizards (native monitor lizards from the genus Varanus). Second is that the bark of its trunk is so smooth that no bayawak could ever climb it. The lizards probably attempted to climb the tree because of the visible fruits. Some species of Varanus are fruit-eaters like the butaan. I am not sure which story is more credible. But that is how most of things here in the Philippines are named, by hear-say.

It is Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-11-30T10:05:00.007+08:00

The life-size belen

'Symphony of Lights' in Ayala Triangle

Christmas is indeed in the air!

I decided to join my fellow Arki teachers for a night of wholesome leisure. Celine fetched Faith, Maureen and myself at around 5PM and we surprisingly reached the Fort with virtually no traffic. We took a quick but filling bite at the Venetian Mall and chose to leave an hour early for the 8 PM schedule of Ayala Triangle's Symphony of Lights. We were estimating the hour was enough for us to get from the Fort to busy Ayala Avenue. Or so we thought...

My awed companions

Mc Kinley Road was in its usual heavy traffic. Looking at my watch, we reached EDSA at 7:45. We almost made it to the 8 pm sched but Celine's van is too high to pass Tower One's parking height clearance. We were advised to use the open parking adjacent Nielsen Tower but when we made a turn coming from Paseo de Roxas going to Makati Avenue, the cars were already piling up just to enter the small alloted parking. Quickminded Celine took a turn at the back of Manila Peninsula and we immediately found ourselves back at Ayala Avenue and making a left towards the Greenbelt Area. This was already 8:15. We missed the 8PM dot.

People are jam-packed to see the show

Literally a shower of lights!

There were also shining star lanterns

Smoke machine adds drama

We reached Greenbelt 3's parking a few minutes later and when Celine was queueing for a parking card, the dispenser ran out of cards. Had to literally walk up the vehicular entry ramp to tell the guard the dispenser was empty. Another delay. But luckily the next few minutes were smoother-sailing as we easily got a parking slot. A little while more we were making our way by foot to the Ayala Triangle Park. The 8:30PM light show was already playing when we got to the quadrangle and people were already packed, swaying, humming and marveling around the light and sound spectacle. In no time at all it was over and we decided to stick around for the next outing. At 9 PM, the garden lights playfully flickered once more to happy Christmas music. It was still amazing the second time around. Afterwhich we left for some late hour shopping in Greenbelt 5. We were already at Christmas mode! The phrase from the symphony's song- 'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!' -was still ringing in my head. Too bad all the prices in Greenbelt 5 are way to high!

Heavy traffic, jolly music, festive lights, late night shopping, empty pockets: stuff that signify that Christmas is just around the corner looming, lurking, waiting to pounce. Beware hehehe!

The Secretive Cliff

2011-11-28T20:32:00.003+08:00

The view from the top of ravine

The hidden cycads

Cycads on cliff slope

In terms of number of species, the richest spot we have gone to in our Ilocos trip is far off the main highway. It was almost at the end of the world as we went off the usual tourist route and headed for rougher country. It was another half hour till we stopped as the bus could not anymore go on the narrowing path. We got off and continued on foot till we reached the edge of a ravine. The beach is still a few meters down and we had to go down a flight of stairs into the mixed rock and sand coast. The waves pounds strong on the craggy surface.

Probably Cycas nitida

The beach was not our purpose. It was the cliff line looming a few meters above sea level. The cliff wall is separated from the coast by a vertical plane of sharp limestone. Above the difficult barrier, is a patch of intriguing dwarfed vegetation. The small trees are secretive, hiding specimens of fruiting cycad and much more.

Fruits

There were probably a lot of the cycad. It is hard to count as they were tucked under the gnarling branches and thick canopy of the trees. The cycad looks different from other coastal species like pitogo (Cycas edentata). The individual plants appear to be smaller in size compared to C. edentata. Plus, as pointed out by Mr. George Yao, the fruit stalk had serrated edges (C. edentata has cleaner fruit stalk edges). The species is probably C. nitida which was previously recorded collected from the area.

An Apocynaceae member

Probably an Aglaia

But the cycad was not the only hidden treasure hidden in the brushes. The coastal greens hideaway different trees from taxonomic families like Apocynaceae, Annonaceae, Sapindaceae, Myrtaceae, Bignoniaceae, Combretaceae, Pandanaceae, Dracaenaceae, and a lot more. Never under-estimate what nature could hide away from man's destructive reach. Hope they stay hidden as long as possible.

The Mystery of Kapurpurawan

2011-11-26T19:53:00.004+08:00

The botanists sorting through the green

On the road, in Ilocos Norte

I joined the post symposium trip of PNPCSI to Ilocos Norte. We stayed in Northwestern University in Laoag and went on a 3 day whirlwind tour of the province from the common tourist attractions to the not so common areas where we got to explore the untouched flora. We were in the company of local and foreign delegates, some botanists, horticulturists, enthusiasts, collectors but all in general, plant lovers. I would say that most our company enjoyed the plants much more than the tourist spots. I heard more hoorays and moans when we spotted flowering trees than when we saw churches, the windmills and architecture.

Coastal vegetation of Kapurpurawan

Saltwater marsh

A network of saltwater pools and streams

In terms of the destinations we went to, it is Kapurpurawan in Burgos town which was most intriguing. It was one of the last attractions we visited yet it made the most impact on me because of its unique landforms and vegetation. The cove is probably a result of water and wind erosion. It created unique headlands, bays and a lot of undulating plains in between. Instead of a beach, the coast is covered with hard-edged sharp rocks, remnants of old coral reefs. Cutting through the hard surface are pools and small streams filled with salt water, like an estuarine swamp. And on one end, a headland is sculpted clean white mimicking a large block of chalk. It is like a big iceberg in tropical waters.

Kapurpurawan means white, maybe so called because of the whiteness of this rock

The Kapurpurawan silhouette

Dwarfed mangroves

The patches of mangroves

Another weird thing is the flora. Coastal species which grow big in other parts of the Philippines are dwarfed by the wind and the sea in this part of Ilocos. The mangrove specimens, which are small trees, grow close to the ground like grass. Yet you know they are healthy because they flourish and flower. Just goes to show how diverse the Philippine landscape is - as diverse as the plants we saw in our trip. The remaining green patches, plus the equally interesting landforms they grow in, however small they have been reduced into, still solicited amazement from our botanist and plant enthusiast companions.

Unique rock landscape

The Heavily Burdened Tagpo Trees

2011-11-14T23:44:00.003+08:00

Tilting tagpos

Heavily laden with fruit and foliage

Quickpost: I was at Jardin Isabel the other day and found specimens of Ardisia or tagpo heavily laden with fruit. The small trees are already tilting because of the fruits' weight. I am not sure if these are Ardisia squamulosa or A. whitfordii but they look interesting especially because they are prolific fruiters. Not sure if fruits are edible though. But they sure make a nice addition to any garden.

Remembering JTMA and my 3rd Floor Prudential Life

2011-11-12T22:53:00.015+08:00

I had a memorable 11-11-11.

The Manosa family with the old JTMA gang

Ibay and Rani with Trixie Manosa

Chi Victorino at the helm with the gang

Three days ago I received a text message from Arch Chi Victorino inviting me to a JTMA (Jose T. Manosa and Associates) reunion. The venue will be somewhere in Makati and she was doing a headcount who will attend. The idea of a reunion 11 years after I left JTMA was quite interesting so even though I had a few deadlines I immediately said yes. I see a few of my old officemates every now and then and chat with some over at Facebook. To see them in one room together would be fun and an event which might not happen again in a long time. It was timely as one of our old bosses, the animated Nonoy Messina passed away a week ago. He did not want a funeral service. To meet with old friends, and of course, Arch Pinngoy Manosa (JTM to most of us) and the Manosa Family would signify celebrating Nonoy's life for most of us.

With my batchmates at JTMA

It was determined that the reunion will take place in Mary Grace Cafe over at Greenbelt 2. I came with friend Arch Pinky Gendrano who worked at JTMA as a specs writer in 1996. I myself entered the company in 1997 and left at 2000. That was a good 3 years of my life. I was a senior designer/architect and it was at JTMA where I enriched my design experience doing a variety of design projects. I remember being involved in San Miguel Training Center, International School, Max's Restaurant, Tequila Joe's, California Pizza Kitchen, Prudential Bank and a lot more projects ranging from residential, institutional to commercial. I was part of the team when JTMA's business was at its peak with us employees reaching 60 at a time. And it looked like a good number, about 35 people, was present that day.

Arch. Pinggoy and Mrs. Manosa

Greeting the newly arrived guests

As we entered the second floor dining area of Mary Grace we found JTM and Mrs Manosa sitting at the center of the room with ID tags labelled 'tagabayad' and 'tagabayad's wife'. Trixie was also present, taking time out from her U.S. life. They stood up to welcome us warmly into the event. They did successively for everyone who came that night. They knew us all. We were issued name tags, as we were all employed at different times - former employees, coming from 3 different companies and various generations, the old Manosa Brothers (1959) to Manosa-Zialcita and finally JTMA (1978 to present). It was chance to see the old and new faces, and how everyone evolved after their Manosa employment, their life beyond 3rd floor Prudential Bank Building.

The lovely far-view girls

JTM clowning around with the girls

JTM looked as feisty as ever. He hopped from one table to the other taking pictures himself and having his pics taken with us former employees. All these photos and of course the chance to see and hear stories from everyone are priceless. It was a happy and nostalgic 3 hours, simple yet very memorable. To cap the night, JTM addressed all of us and expressed his elation in seeing a room full of architects and professionals making life after JTMA. He said it was rare to see a collection of old former employees in any company, and he was proud that people have stayed friends and very much in touch with one another. He hopes the night will be repeated.

Trixia and JTM talking to all present

Arch. Jose 'Pinggoy' T. Manosa

I was particularly touched by his sentiments. Some of us present did not exactly leave the company in good terms, but the Manosas seemed to have not held any grudge against anyone. My image of JTM has always been like a father to us his JTMA family. He is more than a mentor considering his status (the architect of the famous San Miguel headquarters, and the first Pinoy architect to be included in Sir Banister Fletcher's History of Architecture). My vision of Filipino architecture was greatly influenced by him. I still remember what he told me regarding Philippine Architecture, that it is beyond the usage of indigenous materials, but it relies more on the training of the Pinoy architect and how he reflects his experiences through his designs. Very well said and kept in the corners of my psyche.

I was glad to be there that night despite ditching all my deadlines. It was great to reconnect with the Manosas and old JTMA gang. May there be another reunion in the future.

The rare JTMA group shot

Bocaue is a Bamboo

2011-11-09T02:03:00.013+08:00

PatisTito

Patis with the Metro Home team

I just learned that another place from Bulacan is named after a plant!

I was in PatisTito in San Pablo a few weeks ago, Patis Tesoro graciously hosted the Metro Home team into her rustic home and garden. She gave a quick tour of the grounds and in one corner she showed us a weird bamboo. She told us it is bocawe, from which Bocaue in Bulacan got its name.

I am not sure what the species name of bocawe, but the plant Patis calls bocawe is indeed very impressive and quite unique. It is moderately attractive and weird. It is typically bamboo with the nodal culms. But it is not upright like most bamboos we know. The thick culms are vining and need a support like a trellis or a nearby tree. Bocawe was probably abundant in Bocaue and nearby Meycauayan. It was said to be the material used as spears by early katipuneros (which makes it historically relevant).

Bocawe leaves

The vining bamboo

Incidentally, Bocaue used to be part of Meycauayan - bocawe, the plant, being a kawayan (local name for bamboo). I am not sure if presently there are any bocawe in both these towns.

Bocawe, the bamboo

Panoramic Baler

2011-11-09T00:36:00.001+08:00

Baler proper cove

Dicasalarin beach

Another view of Dicasalarin beach

Private swimming cove

I recently learned that my camera is intelligent. I could take a series of shots and the camera stitches them together, instantly. Galeng! And I thought I bought a bobo-matic. Turns out the only 'bobo' is me, hehehe. Tried it out taking panoramic pictures of scenic Baler coasts.

Hoya Joy!

2011-11-09T00:21:00.002+08:00

The flowering Hoya was in its element

Hoya halconensis flower

Quick Post: I visited Ronald's house and was elated to find his Hoya halconensis in flower. He was one of the handful of people I gave cuttings to, coming from my mother plant which came from cuttings given to me by Nahdanielle Simonnson (of Sweden, from her expeditions). Good to know that other than in my own garden, there are other people having success in propagating this beauty. May it multiply more in number.

Gendering Aspleniums

2011-11-05T18:45:00.006+08:00

The sea of garden plants

Angiopteris

Fern propagations

Almost a year after the last, I went back to garden haven, Tabang. After being flood stricken by typhoon Pedring, it is good to see that most of the Tabang plants are safe, alive and kicking. This is after most of the fields and open areas were submerged under water for more than a week. There are still remnants of makeshift sand dikes along the roads. But plant propagation still extends as far as the eye could see. As if there was no evidence of Pedring in the plants except that the prices were up, up, up! As usual there were a lot of plant varieties and what caught my eye this time are the ferns, which usually are hard to rear in hot Bulacan. But there were a few varieties being propagated here including Angiopteris, Polypodiums and of course the ever popular Aspleniums or dapo.

Dapong babae

Juxtaposition of male and female

Dapong lalaki

Have you ever heard of dapong lalaki and babae (male and female bird's nest fern)? In garden talk, the Aspleniums are given genders because there are two particular varieties common in the trade. As expected the rounded bird's nest was assigned the female or babaeng dapo monicker while the sharp-and-angular-leafed one became the male or dapong lalaki. From what I have heard, the so called babae and lalaki are not even the same species. If I got it right, babaeng dapo is Asplenium musifolium while lalaking dapo is the more popular Asplenium nidus. They are two distinct species, not genderized versions of one species. Now which do you think command a higher price? The stereotypical female is claimed to be more beautiful, more sought after, therefore more expensive.

The Biggest Stairway to Heaven

2011-11-04T23:50:00.001+08:00

Freycinetia multiflora

Anthony Arbias dwarfed by the 'stairway'

Quick Post: We visited the UP Bonsai Garden and found the biggest Freycinetia multiflora we ever saw. It stands taller than I am and much much wider. Really makes a very nice addition to any garden. I looked around for a specimen to add and rear in my garden. Already found a small one in seedling bank but will probably take long long years before it reaches comprarable size to the one over at the bonsai garden. It really is a patience game for most of us gardeners, but it would be much sweeter once my own specimen take off and become a big 'stairway to heaven'.

Dine and Design in the Room Upstairs

2011-11-03T20:54:00.007+08:00

The TRU logo

I found myself last Saturday meeting up with former UP classmates Arch Dino Delotavo and Interior Designer Pinky Peralta in Market, Market! We went around Alabang but eventually ended up in Pinky's shop in LRI Building over at Reposo. It is aptly called The Room Upstairs or TRU for short, located at the second floor and just above the stairs. Pinky and her husband Ari had been keeping a furniture shop cum coffee corner. But in recent years the coffee shop part have already overtaken the sales area, becoming popular with LRI clients, designers and recently with internet users, named one of the most popular coffee shops (in a foodie website) around the metro.

Salad

Tuyo pesto

The Room Upstairs has the eclectic look of furniture showroom but is also cozy, perfect for coffee-goers. We sat at a deep corner and Pinky ordered away their specialties. They got me a salad, tuyo pesto pasta and for desert, Russian cookies. It was a gastronomic delight, as well as a visual one as the platefuls were beautifully presented. My eyes were further visually stimulated as I went through the furniture pieces which Pinky designed. I would definitely go back and try the other stuff on their menu. Hope the comfy couch we sat on would be available the next time I am back at TRU.

The different dining sets to dine in

Flower Market, Market!

2011-10-29T20:15:00.003+08:00

The flower stalls at Market Market!

A bevy of flowers

Instant flower corridor

I was at Market Market! this morning. I was surprised to find the flower section transformed into a second Dangwa. The stalls were stacked with all kinds of flowers. There were also makeshift stalls where you could have made-to-order arrangements. It was starting to become a frenzy. The commotion will probably build-up more towards the next few days. Really shows how much Pinoys honor their departed loved ones. I myself will be making the pilgrimage to North Cemetery on November 1 to visit my mom. But will probably carry orchid blooms coming from my own garden, from my mom's own pet orchids.

The Mystic Balete Tree of Baler

2011-10-22T09:53:00.016+08:00

The Baler balete

The super root structure

Into the cavity

Today we got to see the 500 year old humongous balete tree located in one of the remote barangays of Baler municipality. The historic tree has long been standing as one of the pride of Aurora province but sadly has been deemed a tourist spot. It constantly is plagued by influx of tourists and enterprising locals. Now we were among them, trying to check out the marvel of this fig tree's natural wonder.

Ficus hugging

The balete is a Ficus, probably F. balete, F. philippinensis or a close relative. It is a strangler that probably started from the branches of another tree bringing out numerous aerial roots and branches over time. The five hundred year history has built a formidable fortress of root network. It already choked its former host and remnants of it have vanished without a trace. In its place is a cavity void allowing people to climb the magnificent tree. Local children are the expert climbers, doing the feat to the amusement of spectators and of course a fee.

The Ficus' side view

My companions from U.P. Diliman number 30. They tried to encompass the diameter of the balete tree by measuring it collectively at arms' length. Thirty was not enough to circle the tree trunk's circumference. But some faculty, especially the history and theory of design teachers were hesitant in joining in. They said they felt the presence of elementals and a couple of 'tikbalangs' (supernatural beings half man half horse). The tikbalangs were apparently sleeping and the U.P. Arki crowd's commotion was disturbing them. So we decided to cut our curiosity short and head back to our hotel, to leave the supernatural beings in their tiresome peace. The balete's super structure will give them the proper shelter they need for their mystical slumber.

Teachers' Baler Weekend

2011-10-21T22:08:00.012+08:00

Mam Espina and paparazzi

Teachers in frenzy inside bus

I am surfacing from checking duties to join the other Arki professors in a weekend trip to Baler in Aurora. We left U.P. Diliman exactly at 6 am and boarded luxurious Genesis buses enroute to the Western Luzon town. After a very comfortable ride through the NLEX and the rice fields of Nueva Ecija, we reached Pantabangan and the Border of Aurora and Nueva Vizcaya at around 10 am.

Down the Pantabangan waters

Phalaenopsis

Our very animated dean, Arch Mary Anne Espina, could not resist forcing us to alight from our comfy transpo and immerse ourselves into the spectacular view of the dammed waterway. We walked towards the main highway, obvious as tourists to onlooking locals. My companions took their wacky shots and mountain man poses. And while they were doing it I was surveying the trees at the roadway adorned with local orchids. I found a flowering butterfly orchid which I think is Phalaenopsis aphrodite, but I still have to confirm with the experts. There were other orchids which i think would be more suited for higher altitude growth.

Bahia de Baler

Platycerium coronarium

An hour after we reached Baler and Bahia, our home for the next 3 days. Bahia de Baler is a small inn with cozy rooms designed by Arch Espina. It had a very simple landscape. But nevertheless it still delighted me because it had Platycerium coronarium specimens and large Aspleniums integrated into some nooks and crannies. Hopefully I will get to explore Baler and its hidden treasures in the next couple of days. It would mean more blogs about them if I do. Let us cross our fingers.

Flowers from the Visayas

2011-10-16T16:17:00.001+08:00

Pittosporum pentandrum

Tabernaemontana

Quick Post: I was checking my plants in the garden and found 2 of my seedlings from seeds now tall and flowering: The first one is Pittosporum pentandrum, which I brought back from a friend's property in Bohol. My specimen is now taller than I am and flowering. The flowers are frequented by bees. The second one is Tabernaemontana which I collected from a resort in Puerto Galera in Mindoro. 3 specimens grew from seeds and brought out minute white flowers. The flowers developed into the unique seed pods. Can't wait for them to turn red.

The Trees Students Used

2011-10-14T11:04:00.001+08:00

Sorry I have not been blogging lately because I am checking students' plates and exams. Look at the pile I am hurdling to check. And it is just one pile for one subject, I have 2 more! Just imagine how much paper students use in a semester. How many trees were cut to make such pile of useful paper?

Pressed for Time

2011-10-08T22:52:00.001+08:00

Roan and Eric in one corner

Roan holding her new find

This is Roan and Eric. They are taking their biology lab subject in PUP (Polytechnic University of the Philippines) requiring them to create herbarium sheets. For the past weeks they have been combing the different garden shops to find 10 members each of the numerous botanical families assigned to them, namely ferns, Commelinaceae (spiderworts), Cycadaceae (cycads) and Vitaceae (grape family).

On the day I met them in Manila Seedling Bank last week, they were seated in a corner with their newspaper pile, wood press and denatured alcohol bottle. They have just found new fronds of ferns and Cycas riuminiana, and doused then with the

Newspaper and denatured alcohol

denatured alcohol to hasten moisture loss. The leaf was then flattened onto a sheet of old newpaper, covered and pressed along with their other leaf acquisitions. Roan just finished collecting the 10 fern species and Eric, almost the same

Pressing the sample in paper

with the spiderworts. They had a hard time completing the cycads as there were lesser small specimens sold in MSB and the big displayed varieties are quite expensive. So their hunt was still far from over. After collecting all, the waiting game to dry will follow and the process to authenticate the plant identities. The semester's end is nearing, which gives pressure for them to find their sought after species at the earliest.

Plywood to press on the samples

I have not heard from both Roan and Eric, whether they finished their goal of getting the required plants. But one thing I am sure is that both of them have found a new respect and love for botany. In the past days they have gone through the numerous members of their four assigned families, learning more about the varieties and the beauty of plants in general. I heard Roan say she was starting to love plants. Eric on the other hand brought home seedlings of 2 cycads. Hopefully we add 2 more young ones into the ranks of plant lovers in the country.

Anthony Arbias helps both to sort out the fern samples

SM - Sayawan Mall

2011-10-03T23:00:00.000+08:00

I was eating my lunch in Max's resto over at SM Makati. Suddenly loud folk dance music played over the public address system and sales clerks of the nearby Kultura store went in the middle of the mall and danced. It took me by surprise, but not enough to hinder me to bring out my trusted camera and take quick pictures of the happy dancers. They all looked like they were enjoying themselves. The spectators and diners on the other hand had mixed feelings. Some seemed not amused and some oblivious to what was going on, but generally people were staring, and a few sported a smile. I for one was glad because it was a different sight to see in the usual mall. My week started bad with bad emails and rain soaked shoes in my first meeting, but the Kultura employees gave a little ray of light into a seemingly bad Monday (the afternoon was filled with more surprises in Seedling Bank but that would be another story).

And another thing that completed my day was hearing 'Mamang Sorbetero' by Celeste Legaspi. My childhood was filled with memories of these kind of Filipino music like 'Kataka-taka', 'Pipit', ' Saranggola ni Pepe','Limang Dipang Tao', 'Salamat Musika' and a lot more. I should go back to the music store and look for a compilation of such songs.

Next time I am again in the area at lunch time, I will look forward to the the folk dance over at Kultura. I hope they will dance to other memorable Filipino songs as well.

May Diliman pa ba sa Diliman?

2011-09-25T23:24:00.001+08:00

Diliman fern on a lattice.

Other ferns in collection

Did you know that Diliman in Quezon City was named after a fern? I only found out about it a few years ago. I always thought that Diliman was named because it always rains there, always getting too cloudy. But I was corrected as the place where U.P. stands is named after Stenochalena palustris, a climbing fern once abundant in the area. But Diliman, the district, being too developed, I am not anymore expecting to see a wild diliman fern growing in its vicinity.

The leaf fronds

But this afternoon I went to a private garden in Quezon city and rediscovered the diliman fern. Fern man Anthony Arbias, who was with us, identified the species. The specimen was healthy and growing profusely on a lattice trellis in one quiet corner. It is not a wild specimen but nevertheless, it was the original diliman growing in South Triangle, Diliman. So there is indeed still some diliman ferns in Diliman district!

Nepenthes Overload!

2011-09-25T22:51:00.002+08:00

Nepenthes ventricosa green

Nepenthes alata

There seems to be a renaissance for pitcher-plant hobbyists nowadays as more and more Nepenthes and carnivorous plants are becoming available in cultivation. Before, the only Nepenthes species I see are alatas and ventricosas. Now even the big Nepenthes truncata is very much available.

Nepenthes truncata

I went to Manila Seedling bank last week and discovered that some of the plant stalls were selling garden grade Nepenthes, already adapted and reared for garden use. They have nice looking and established pitchers and have better chances growing in Manila. The only other problem is that whether the sought-after species is highland or lowland.

Probably N. mindanaoensis

The Philippines has about more than 20 species of native pitcher plants, but only a handful are lowland dwellers. Most grow in high humidity and full sun in high altitude areas like mountaintops, which is hard to duplicate in Manila. I only saw specimens of Nepenthes alata, N. merrilliana, N. ventricosa green, and N. truncata being reared in gardens around the metro. There are probably more but given controlled conditions by their patient owners.

Cultivated nepenthes with numerous pitchers

New Momentum for Orchid Sketching

2011-09-22T23:03:00.000+08:00

My latest orchid sketch

I just went back to orchid sketching. I found this journal book with grid dots instead of lines. The paper is smooth and would accommodate the fine strokes of hard colored pencil. I could now draw complete plant profiles. In my previous sketch book, I could only do blow ups of flower details.

Cut Fruits!

2011-09-19T13:01:00.002+08:00

Freycinetia fruits

The guys checking out the fruits

Bariw!

Quick Post: I was with the PNPCSI guys last Fricay attending Jim Cootes' book launch. On our way home we passed by Dangwa and saw a stall selling a bucket of bariw fruits. Immediately Ronald parked his car and we all went down to check out the fruits. There were other stuff there which was to our delight.

We got seeds of bariw of course (Pandanus copelandii) and a Freycinetia which Uly identified. There were also Schefflera berries and Alpinia. It is always a treat to go to Dangwa. It is like a box of chocolates - you'll never know what you would get!

The other berries

At the Edge of City Existence

2011-09-13T00:27:00.001+08:00

The Makati Stock Exchange Building

Bats taking refuge

Quick post: Mike Asinas showed us this unusual thing happening in Makati. In the absence of caves, trees and other natural habitats, life does find a way to exist. Fine example are these bats in the Ayala Triangle, trying to get refuge from the shade provided by the deep eaves of the Makati Stock Exchange Building. The bats take their sleep hanging from the rough texture of the sun baffles and the concrete overhang. That is how animal adaptation works for you in this age of urban concrete jungles!

The urban bat 'cave'

The Makiling Bounty

2011-09-08T23:37:00.003+08:00

White lauan seeds

I was with some botanists and members of PNPCSI last weekend and we toured areas around the UPLB campus. Some of the trees were in fruit and we managed to see some seeds which were lying around on the ground. I took pictures of them for documentation.

Round tamayuan seeds

Seed no. 1 is tamayuan or Strombosia philippinensis. This is a shrub to a small tree and appears to be abundant in the campus and Mt. Makiling. I got the seeds under a tabon-tabon tree, but there were no tamayuan trees in the vicinity. Dennis Pulan and Pat Malabrigo said that the fruits of tamayuan are fondly eaten by bats, which is probably why we found the seeds away from any tamayuan tree as they were carried out by the bats and deposited there. Shows you how effective animals are as seed dispersal agents.

Tambalaw seeds

Seed no. 2 is from a nutmeg. There are a lot of species of nutmegs in the Philippines and they are distributed in several genera including Myristica and Knema. The nutmeg that I picked up is said to be from Knema glomerata or tambalaw. The nutmeg spice is derived from the seeds of these nutmeg trees. So what I pictured is actually priced for its flavor. But hopefully these particular nuts would not be grind down to bits but rather grow into new nutmeg trees.

Germinating seeds of white lauan

Seed no 3 is from the famous white lauan or Shorea contorta. White lauan is one of the members of the dipterocarp family which is known to be the Philippine mahoganies. The unique seeds have wings which help it glide under the tall tree canopies and establish themselves far from the mother tree. Dipterocarp seeds should be grown in moist and shaded areas to mimic the rainforest undergrowth. Seedlings should be shelterd from direct sunlight to grow healthy and strong. If it survives the competition with other forest trees, it will eventually overtake any other species and dominate the forest canopy, hovering over the crowns of other trees.

Pangnan acorns

Seed no. 4 is from a native tree species related to the famous oaks of the temperate countries. This is pangnan or Lithocarpus sulitii. The seeds resemble the iconic acorn which most cartoon squirrels and chipmunks tuck into their winter stash. I previously tried to plant seeds of this species before in Metro Manila and some managed to germinate. But eventually I neglected the seedlings and they eventually wilted. I hope these seeds would germinate and not end with the same fate as my Manila seedlings.

I wish that pangnan trees and the other 3 species would eventually be introduced into the Diliman campus and the rest of Manila.

Ang mga Namumutakte sa Galamay-Amo

2011-09-07T22:31:00.002+08:00

Schefflera leaves

The flowers attracting some ants

Quick Post: We saw this Schefflera sp. flowering profusely at the Makiling Botanic Garden. It was amazing! And apparently its beauty did not only attract us, but also an array of different insects, ranging from ants, wasps, butterflies and beetles. I wonder why such beautiful plant with gorgeous flower clusters would hide its inflorescence underneath the very wide leaves? Probably if it was exposed, more pollinators can be attracted to it. And of course more predators would also be lurking, waiting for the pollinators to be caught of guard. The host of feeding animals seemed contented while rummaging through the blooms for pollen and nectar. They were oblivious that bigger species like us are examining them. Good thing we don't eat these kinds of insects. We were more enticed and salivated by the spectacular blooms of this Schefflera.

The impressive inflorescence

A different species attracted to Scefflera

Berries

Collectively Scheffleras are called galamay-amo in the Philippines. But there are numerous species, some with particular vernacular names like sainat, etc. This species in particular have large simple whorled leaves. There are other native species that are much more ornate and foliage-attractive.

The Mud Spring Ordeal!

2011-09-06T20:54:00.001+08:00

The dirt road to the mudsprings

After an hour of walking

I first tried to climb up the Mt. Makiling mud springs in 2008. I came with my MTLA classmates and went up riding with one of two vehicles, trying to brave the impossible dirt road across the mountain's rainforest reservation. Sadly the owner of the vehicle I was in gave up and everyone in that car readily agreed to go back. After all I said to myself, what could we ever see in the mudspring beside the mud.

The sari sari store on the mountain

It is not an easy route to follow

This morning, the possibility of climbing up Makiling to the mudsprings presented itself again and this time I was coerced by the members of the Philippine Native Plant Conservation Society to join. Ma'am Elisa's pick up truck took us to about a third of the way up the mudsprings. When it proved to hard to manage for our vehicle, all of us decided to make the rest of the way on foot, through a non-paved dirt road, generously laden with loose rocks. Of course all of us started on even ground but eventually an hour's walk found me lagging behind from the rest of our group. After all the complaining and self pity, I managed to catch up with them in the sari-sari store at the top of Makiling (yes, there are sari-sari stores there). The buko sold there is not exactly the sweetest and the most delicious, but at that time it was the most refreshing. I ordered two because the Sinigang they were selling was already finished off by my companions. Sigh!

The mysterious mudsprings

692 meters seemed forever!

A rattan blocking the way

I was ready to hang my walking shoes and just wait for them under a makeshift tolda. But these guys are hardballs. They would not let me be to just enjoy sitting away my time in the sari-sari store. They sweet talked me into descending down into the actual mudsprings. They said it was only 800 meters away. They were all liars, hahahaha! Even the signage on the crossroads said it was 600 meters. Do not be deceived as the 600 meters is pure unadulterated trekking evil! The reason they probably called it mudsprings is that the path going there is completely covered with mud. It is not flat and straight but rather uneven and winding. The surface is slippery and booby trapped with gnarling roots and stones. As if the challenge was not enough, they added the twist of spiny rattan stalks and sleeping vipers! And my sinister companions kept on telling me that it is already near, but it probably took much more time than what they painted in my mind. As a result my shoes, pants and especially my butt was completely covered with slimy mud because of balancing, squirming, crawling and treading through mud puddles. Felt like a really old man in the end, hahahahaha!

Steam-hazed tree canopies

Just a venomous viper sleeping beside the trail

But my sarcasm and complaints aside, I secretly enjoyed my ordeal to the mudsprings. Yes, there is only mud to see in this part, but the hazy springs presented the mystique of Makiling. It showed a very unique landscape which is far from my known images of U.P. Los Banos and Mt. Makiling since I was a kid. It also illustrated that this part of the mountain is still wilderness which is hard to be accessed by most people like myself. My PNPCSI friends probably deceived me to motivate me to partake with them the experience getting there.

Oh and I managed the trip back with much greater ease. That is after sipping and downing another buko juice at the sari-sari store.

The Two Palms of the Loboc River

2011-08-27T14:55:00.010+08:00

I'm down with the flu. Defeats the purpose of having cool rainy weather, conducive to relax and sleep. Nevertheless it will allow me to blog a little longer this time, a little escape from the rudiments of checking papers and doing routinary work.

We took the river cruise at the lower part of the Loboc River

River boats carrying the tourists up and down the Loboc

Recently I went back to Bohol to accompany my sister and niece on a leisure trip (finally!). When I was preparing our itinerary, I made it a point to include the Loboc River cruise, as it was one of the most popular tourist attractions It is my 10th time to be in the province and I have not gone to the river cruise before. I heard that there is a buffet lunch which allows people to eat a sumptuous meal while enjoying the views of the river. So food and a view, two items I am crazy for, so we had to experience it this time around!

Enjoying whatever barbecue we got

When the day finally arrived, and we set on foot the river boat, I found the part of

The sumptuous buffet

the buffet lunch is true. For 350 pesos you get the joy of touring the stretch of the Loboc River and the fresh breeze while nibbling on the treats of a 6-course meal. You just have to brave sea-sickness and fast enough to intercept the barbecue before they reach the buffet table. The Koreans (there were a lot) hoard them, getting as much as 15 pieces per person. But other than that, the river cruise is a recommendable experience which any Bohol tourist should take part in, barbecue or no barbecue.

Limestone outcrops

The tailing half-beaks

The wide Loboc river

The view promised is not as breathtaking as the Chocolate hills but nevertheless interesting. The river was wide and much cleaner than the Pasig waters (sorry, I find the Pasig River much better rehabilitated than compared decades ago but obviously Loboc is still cleaner). The water is a bit mud-murky but teeming with life. Half-beak (small fishes familiar to aquarium hobbyists) schools were tailing our boat as we made our way upstream. Every now and then a few archer fishes dart to the surface, trying to pounce on dragonflies and other striding insects on the water surface. The riverbank ranges from swampy area to limestone outcrops. The landscape is dominated by 2 species and ironically, both are considered the most improtant of palms, at least in this region. Sprouting from the muddy flats are the almost trunk-less fronds of the nipa or Nypa fruticans while rising over them are the heavily fruit laden crowns of the popular niyog or Cocos nucifera.

Palms grew abundantly on the banks of the river

Coconuts growing at the river banks

Niyog is considered the most economically important palm in the Philippines. It is grown all over the archipelago ranging from coastal areas to mountainside plantations, just to harvest the different parts that could be used in everyday life. The fruit is very much edible and the juice very refreshing. The fruit meat could yield coconut milk which is fixture in Filipino cuisine. The fresh sap collected from the fruit stalk could be drank as tuba, fermented into coconut vinegar or further more into lambanog. Coconut is also grown for copra, and utilized to yield the coconut oil used for different commercial and domestic purposes. Wood is used as light construction material. Leaves and even the roots are used in weaving and other crafts. There is almost an endless list of how other parts could be harnessed.

Thick stand of nipa

Nipa, or sometimes referred to as sasa, was the subject of my last blog poll as it was the emergent winner of being the second most important Philippine palm. It is also popular in light construction, as it is the main material for the indigenous nipa hut or the famed bahay kubo. The leaves are weaved to form the thatched roof and walls of the vernacular house. Like the coconut, tuba is also yielded and havested from its cut fruit stalk, further fermented into vinegar and ultimately distilled as lambanog. Even the weird fruit now is collected, epoxied and exported as house decoration.

The abundance of both palms in the countryside determines what type of tuba, suka or lambanog are commonly used in a particular localilty. For coastal areas like in Hagonoy in Bulacan and adjacent areas, the sasa is the favorite source for the said products (Nypa is a mangrove species thus being abundant in the estuarine and coastal flats). That is why sukang sasa has become known as sukang Paombong (referring to Paombong Bulacan, known to make vinegar from nipa). In mountainous provinces like Laguna and Quezon, on the other hand, the tuba, suka and lambanog are created from coconut sap as you'll find the coconut growing even on the steep slopes of tall mountains. In some cases, you'll find them dominating the Quezon landscape, as far as the eye could see.

River boats making their way thru a river of nipa and niyog

The divided crowns of nipa at bottom and niyog on top

Going back to the Loboc River, we find a unique landscape dominated by two of the most economically viable local palms. I wonder whether the Boholanos get their vinegar from the nipa or the coconut. Obviously both species are abundant here, growing juxtaposed along the swampy banks and dominating the flora in the area. But just the same, the palms should be given enough importance not only because they are very useful but rather they form a vital part of this beautiful rich environment. Minus the tuba, suka and lambanog, they should exist to provide shelter and sustainance to the ecosystem dependent on them. Or else there would not be anything beautiful to see while eating the few sticks of pork barbecue we managed to snatch from the quick Koreans. Sayang naman diba yung view, hindi yung barbecue, hahaha!

The next poll is up!

Mananalastas Tungkol sa Pamamalaspas

2011-08-26T01:48:00.006+08:00

The author Elmer Nocheseda

We went to the Ateneo Art Gallery today to see my plant friend Elmer Nocheseda talk about his baby, his book 'Palaspas - An Appreciation of Palm Leaf Art in the Philippines". Elmer devoted almost all his lifetime in making this book, nurturing a passion since he was 4 years old and compiling all the weaving techniques he had learned and collected. Elmer recounted how his dad made a simple palm leaf ball from 2 coconut palm fronds to amuse him and this ignited an interest and later on a devotion to record the dying art of weaving palaspas and other palm leaf crafts from all over the country.

Elmer holding up an 'oten' palaspas

Pineapple-like palaspas

The palm leaf ball

In his talk, Elmer cited how important the coconut and other palms are in Philippine culture. He said he wondered why we Filipinos have not come up with great historical landmarks like Borobudur in Indonesia, the great Indian Temples and the Pyramids of Egypt. The answer may have been because of the coconut and other palms. We may have discovered how useful the coconut that it rendered impractical to carve out stone, which is obviously much harder to do. I remember watching a documentary once citing why there were no paleolithic and neolithic tools discovered in Southeast Asia. The reason for this was said to be the abundance of bamboo in the region. Bamboo proved to be an easier and better material to carve out tools. Which strengthens the theory that most Southeast Asian cultures, including the Philippines, rely heavily on plants found in their environment for use in their everyday lives.

Bird in close-up

Palaspas birds

Elmer made a vivid recollection how painstking it was for him to research on palapas and palm leaf weaving all over and beyond the Philippines. It took him up north in Batanes to really down the Southern islands just to learn about a new weaving technique. He braved climbing mountains and being caught in insurgence crossfires just to retrieve samples of palm leaf craft. He professes that what he learned enriched his understanding of local weaving. He enumerated the weaving terms like 'habi', 'lala' (pertaining to mat weaving) and 'higit' (term used to make fishing nets). He painted a clear image of how rich the culture of palm weaving is.

Felice Sta Maria

Renowned writer Felice Sta Maria was in attendance as special guest. It was the first time for her to meet the author and she described Elmer as 'crazy'. She said it puts him in the league of herself and other scholars present who were 'crazy' enough to devote their time in documenting some important parts of our culture that are in danger of being lost in years to come. It made me think how 'crazy' I have become in researching about native trees and blogging them here. Hmnnn...!

Simple palaspas weave

Elmer Nocheseda's 'Palaspas' book is available at the Ateneo University Press. It gives a good background on palaspas as well as step by step instructions on how to do different palm weave art. Palaspas samples were used to adorn the lobby of the Ateneo Art Gallery showing the variety of shapes one can do with just a few pieces of palm fronds. To Elmer, congratulations for a well attended talk and reaping the fruits of your efforts on your book 'Palaspas'. May the valuable information contained in it reach more people who will value its importance. May it inspire more students and scholars to learn more about this dying art of palm weaving.

The siko-siko

The Luzon Hoya in Davao

2011-08-24T02:38:00.001+08:00

Hoya meliflua in flower

Quick Post: It has been so long since I last saw a Hoya meliflua in flower. So far back that I forgot that there is a Hoya named meliflua, hehehe. It escapes my mind that it has a very unique and pretty flower cluster. Good thing I rediscovered it in my friend Ron's garden in Davao, Mindanao. Come to think of it, it has also been long since I saw a specimen of H. meliflua in Luzon, flowering or not. Ironically because Hoya meliflua is synonymous to Hoya luzonica, suggesting the plant was (or is) found in Luzon. Hopefully there is still Hoya meliflua out here in Luzon.

Kali-kaliwang Waling-waling

2011-08-23T22:04:00.002+08:00

Motorcycles in parade!

The ABS CBN caravan

I just got back from Davao! I spent the past 3 days trying to make the most out of the last leg of the Kadayawan festival. I did not get to see anymore the street-dancing but got there in time to see parts of the floral parade. I did not get to view much because I stayed with the crowd over at the city hall (which was a bad idea), and for over 2 hours, the only thing I saw was maybe half of the motorcycle riding population of the city ( I could not imagine there are a lot of motorcycle clubs in Davao and they all paraded!). I grew impatient waiting for the parade proper and decided to walk several blocks going to Aldevinco Mall to buy tubao instead.

The GMA Amaya float

Nice mother and child float

The SM durian and orchid float

While finding my way to Aldevinco, I chanced upon a few floral floats and some TV station caravans. As expected, the crowd pleasers were the Kapamilya and the Kapuso contingents with their reliable and ever bankable stars drawing in the attention (and the screams) of the spectators. I do not know most of these younger actors and actresses but I got enchanted by Marian Rivera who I think looked awesome in her Amaya costume (forgot to even take a snap of her pic). But she is not the star who got the biggest media mileage in the festivities. The star of the parade would go to 2 ubiquitous Davao residents, the durian and waling-waling, which both got a lot of expected and well deserved exposure. But between the two, it is waling-waling which has a sweeter-smelling reputation (could not be contested by the foul-smelling durian, hehehe).

The biggest and the most beautiful waling-waling specimen I have ever seen!

Maeven's winning booth

Puentespina's orchid and ornamental display

In the Kadayawan orchid show over at SM City Davao, the waling-waling or Euanthe sanderiana was the more obvious center of attraction. The plant exhibits displayed the best of their flowering and blooming orchids but the obvious stand-outs were specimens of the waling-waling. They were prominently positioned among other orchid species, cultivars, bromeliads, specimen aroids, ferns and a lot more ornamentals. Its erect wide petals cannot be rivaled.

A lot of flowering waling-walings

Waling-waling for sale

Another variety

In the commercial areas, a wide array of cultivars were also made available, also very obviously parented by the Euanthe. Different shades of waling-waling lookalikes are interesting to look at and compare. There were brown, reddish, lilac, pinkish as well open, narrow petalled, wide petalled, folded etc. I have never seen so much waling-waling in one place. It still is presently and pleasantly the darling of Davao and the most beautiful pride of the Kadayawan festival.

The different waling-waling varieties.

The Quezon Legacy

2011-08-18T16:39:00.004+08:00

Manuel L. Quezon, picture from Wikipedia

This week is 'Linggo ng Wika' which usually coincides with the birthday of Manuel L. Quezon. Quezon is the commonwealth president and considered the father of Filipino language. It was in his term as president when they adapted the Tagalog dialect as national language. But do you know the real story why Manuel Quezon suddenly decided that the Filipinos should have a national language? It goes a little something like this.

It was said that when Pres. Quezon was in office, he had a lady secretary, hailing from the south, who did his daily schedule. One day, after finishing a meeting early, he asked the secretary if he had any other appointments lined up. She answered him and what the president understood from her was 'the PRESS is here already waiting'. Quezon tried to recall if he had recollection of any meeting with the PRESS, but since he had free time, he decided to oblige with an impromptu meeting. He told his secretary, 'okay, let the PRESS come in'.

The secretary went out of the room. After a few moments she came back ushering the visitor in. President Quezon took a glance at the 'PRESS'. What he saw was a thin lanky man garbed in holy robes carrying a small bible. He realized that what his secretary meant was 'PRIEST'. But because she had a crisp Visayan accent, what he understood was press. He could only chuckle in his mind regarding the wrong pronunciation but swore that Filipinos should have a more definitive language to consider ours. I do not know the details why they chose Tagalog as dialect to adopt. But the rest of course is already history, contributing to us having a language which we could call our own.

Paulo Alcazaren's CCP

2011-08-16T17:03:00.003+08:00

In light of the controversies surrounding the CCP lately, I lifted sketches from my teacher Arch. Paulo Alcazaren. Paulo is a known archivist, landscape architect, writer and apparently an illustrator. He puts his own humorous take on the matter and rendered quick sketches of how he envisions different entities see the future of the cultural center, as institution or otherwise.

The Big One, the White One, the Stinky One

2011-08-15T21:34:00.005+08:00

Amorphophallus XL

Anthony's Amorphophallus

Quick Post: Amorphophallus seems to be claiming a lot of superlatives in terms of descriptions. Apart from being one of the largest inflorescence and the stinkiest flower, I think it attempts to claim the title - the largest aroid - from its cousins Alocasia, Cyrtosperma and Colocasia.

Yesterday at the Sidcor Sunday market we chanced upon a very large specimen of pungapung or Amorphophallus paenifolius being sold at one of the stalls. Even giant-fern-and-aroid addict and PNPCSI president Anthony Arbias could not contain himself to have a picture beside this humongous representative of one of his beloved genera. He served as scale indicator to show how big this pungapung is. I wonder how big the flower of this specimen would reach, and how intense its smell would be!.

Giant aroid and the giant-fern enthusiast

Variegated pungapung

Another wonder is this small specimen with variegation we saw in an enthusiast's collection. Amorphophallus is not the most attractive (certainly not the most fragrant, hehehe) but a variegated specimen would definitely be also one for the books. A real plant oddity with the rare mutation is certainly a treasure, probably one of the most sought after for plant lovers!

The U.P. Katmon Revisited

2011-08-10T02:19:00.002+08:00

Katmon fruit

Tree with lots of fruit

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to point out to the production staff of a local television show where the katmon is growing in the U.P. Diliman campus. The show had a wonderful idea of exploring lesser known native trees and their choice to feature that week was the underrated katmon tree or Dillenia philippinensis. They approached me as I have featured katmon in a previous blog at http://pinoytrees.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-have-shown-my-tree-lecture-to.html.

Open fruit

The Melchor Hall katmon

I knew then that trees would be in fruit, because a a month or so earlier, most katmons I saw were in flower. A katmon tree in flower is a sight to behold,
because of the impressive frisbee-sized white blooms. But a specimen in fruit is also attractive with the light colored round fruits standing out against the dark green foliage. I was also looking forward to see the big UP specimen in front of Melchor Hall and we found it heavily burdened with fruits in different ripening stages. The show staff then went on to do the necessary shots of the katmon tree. We also tasted the fruit and found it sour. But it is more pleasntly agreeable than the true elephant apple fruit or Dillenia indica.

Katmon and elephant apple

Cross section of katmon and elephant apple

Sadly the show did not feature the katmon as scheduled. My inquiry regarding its airing remained unanswered (no courtesy reply -SOP for TV shows?). They probably scrapped it because of deadline issues. But I have taken pictures of the tree that afternoon which I hope would do justice to its beauty. Picked up a couple of the fallen ripe fruits too. I hope the seeds will germinate as I can't wait to have a specimen of my own in my garden.

My Accidental Pink-Flowering Tree

2011-08-09T21:52:00.006+08:00

Quick Post: My valayvayan already flowered. It is one of the seedlings I got from my 2009 trip to Batanes. It has an anecdote attached to it.

Bell-like flowers

Flower similar to Tabebuia

Radermachera pinnata

I first saw valayvayan in the compound of Basco High School. I did not want to bring home a seedling of this nice tree even though I saw it in flower. I thought it was Tabebuia which is not a Philippine native. When I requested seedlings from the ENRO office, it was actually a DENR personnel who suggested to me to bring home a seedling of valayvayan for my thesis, and he plucked out a wildling growing out of a pavement in the DENR backyard. I took it home hesistantly, barerooted, just as a good gesture. But when I got home here in Manila, Leonard Co promptly identified my 'Tabebuia' seedling as Radermachera fenicis (now R. pinnata), which is a bignonia/tabebuia native counterpart. So I quickly planted the uprooted specimen in a pot hoping it will recover. More than a year after my trip, my accidental valayvayan has already rewarded me with its bell-like flowers! Thank heavens for my resource person in DENR for shoving this specimen into my luggage!

Valayvayan tree at the Basco school

Revisiting Rizal's Last Days

2011-08-08T22:32:00.007+08:00

The Fort Santiago gate

Rizal the doctor

I was supposed to spend the day with some UP professors in Corregidor. But since it has been raining for the past week, we decided to postpone the trip to the island at the mouth of Manila Bay and instead sketch the Spanish ruins of Fort Santiago. After all, most of us have not been back there for quite some time, some even since our grade school years. We were aiming to absorb the details of the old structures and get a refresher on the old Spanish architecture inside the fort and also Intramuros.

Rizal's death, painting at museum lobby

Rizal the writer

Through the stone walls

Fort Santiago is still a place worth visiting, mainly to rediscover a part of our culture and history. It is after all a very important icon of that era which ignited our own national independence. It is where our national hero, Jose Rizal, spent the last remaining days of his life. His time there ultimately led to penning his 'Mi Ultimo Adios', which fired up the revolution and resulting to freedom from four centuries of Spanish rule. But apart from this, it is a mirror of how Filipinos lived in the 19th century behind the formidable walls. We were after the latter reason when we opted to sketch in Fort Santiago. But when we arrived there, we got a crash course on Rizal instead.

The ruins and the museum

Rizal in his cell

Immersion in exhibits

What we were after was to sketch the details of the ruins, particularly the stone gate across the moat. But upon entering the gate we were reminded that this place is a shrine to the martyrdom of Rizal. It was impossible to miss the marked steps, following Rizal's path on his way to the Bagumbayan execution. The Rizal museum was also there housing the memorabilia and the interactive displays. How it was presented is conducive for visitors to tour and immerse themselves into the exhibits. I particularly liked how they highlighted the strong words of Rizal reminding me that more than being an hero, doctor, artist, linguist etc, he is a writer. His writings were already embedded in history, but in here they are literally etched and immortalized into the walls of the shrine.

The etched writings of Jose Rizal on the walls

His words are all over the wooden floor

Rizal's lit words

Our impromptu Rizal lesson was also timely as a few months ago, his 150th birth anniversary was commemorated and I personally did not attend any of the events or festivities. Revisiting Fort Santiago somewhat gave me and probably my companions a renewed perspective of our national hero. We are not like Rizal as we are not geniuses or exceptional writers. But we could do our share by passing on nationalism and excellence in what we know best. It gave us the added inspiration to do a good sketch of Fort Santiago and better hone our skills, for us to hopefully better impart to our students. It made us look forward to our next adventure, Corregidor perhaps, to further learn more about another part of Philippine history.

Scouting the Low-Tide Coasts of Libaong

2011-08-02T21:59:00.001+08:00

My view while sketching

The Amarela Resort main house

I went back again to Amarela after 2 years of absence. This time I had my sister and niece in tow, and the trip is purely leisure. I planned day 1 for exploration of the resort, for my companions. My niece donned on her swimsuit and swam at the pool while my sister lounged at the deck area. I spent half of the day sketching but when it was nearing sunset, I went down into the beach to witness the Bohol low tide. A little Boholano lesson: they call low tide as hunasan and high tide, taob.

The more secluded wing of Amarela

The far view of extended beach

Exposed grass beds

The sandy beach at Libaong, Panglao is white but not as wide and granules not as fine as in Boracay. But I would prefer Libaong's pristine and unexploited state anytime over Bora. The beach is partly developed but much more quiet. And at hunasan, the sandy grass beds adjacent to the beach become exposed upto 50 meters off the coast. At this time a few residents get out into the exposed beds and explore what they could collect like small fishes, shells, clams etc. It was quaint and rural.

Locals walk the edge of the hunasan coast collecting shellfish

Crab hole

The Libaong coast is full of sea grass

I myself was tempted to step into the expanded beach area to see what is hidden under water in the daytime. At hunasan, an extended white beach is revealed, trapping a few fishes and invertebrates in shallow sea water pools. Personally I could see small butterfly fishes and damsels stranded along with sea urchins. Starfishes and crabs also abound, creating weird shapes and patterns into the fine white sand.

There were numerous holes made by crabs and other creatures

Sky turning into orange and purple

Exposed starfish

The sunset was enchanting eventhough you can't physically see the sun going down into the horizon. At this point the bluish sky turned warm with orange and purple hues. Even the slightest ripple in the white sand was casting very long shadows, creating a contrast of dark and light. I would have stayed longer if only that moment would not have been too fleeting. Eventually the ephemeral low-tide beach was slowly eaten up by the impending darkness of dusk and eventually night time. In the morning, the blanket of darkness will be lifted, but taob would have already eaten up the whatever was previously exposed by hunasan. The extended hunasan coast would be already under water, to be enjoyed again by its usual sea residents.

The lush silhouette against the warm sky

The next day, there was even something out of the usual that broke the countryside calmness. Some excursionists, staying beside Amarela resort, brought along their portable karaoke machine and shouted tunes out loud on top of their lungs. The serenity posted by the calm hunasan landscape the previous afternoon was long gone. Its echoes were further wiped out by the shrieks and the amplified noise created by these urban visitors. It was a good thing I scheduled our Bohol sightseeing that day as we were gone practically the whole of the morning and the rest of the afternoon. But when we arrived the group was still not tired hearing their exasperating voices, completely ruining that afternoon's hunasan. And when they finally got tired, it was already too dark to enjoy the same warm atmosphere painted by the previous day's low tide. It was a shame not to see the hunasan coast once more. But at least its memories and the pictures would linger in my mind and in my sister's cam's memory card.

On a bad note, I dropped my camera at the start of the trip, but my sister had her instamatic with her. Good thing or else we did not have any pictures to cherish and share.

Tillandsias Versus Orchids

2011-08-01T15:21:00.013+08:00

Sanggumay plantlets

Tillandsia capitata var.

I am writing this next blog in honor of Bom Gomez, the plantchaser, who is celebrating his birthday and a year of plant-blogging! He has requested his blogging friends to write about particular plants which he tackled in the past year. I chose to blog about Tillandsias, which is a passion we share. I know Tillandsias are not Philippine native plants, but will feature them here in context of how I keep these bromeliads with my native orchids in my garden. Again, Bom, congatulations and happy celebrations! You could see Bom's blog at www.plantchaser.com.

The trellised part of the garden with Tillandsias and orchids


Tillandsias and orchids

My garden of succulents

My garden is on the roof. It gets a lot of sunlight which is actually ideal for growing succulents and sun loving plants. But since the rainy season began, I have been worried that my Agaves, Euphorbias, Aloes, etc. would suffer and melt under the continuous rains, which was quite the case in the last few weeks. The sentsitive ones I have been transferring under the cover of available eaves. It is quite a tiring routine when raindrops starts to fall. But there seems to be a few plants in my collection that welcome the excess of water. These are my Tillandsias and orchids, as majority of them are showing signs of good health and growth even though they are wet, wet, wet. Some are bringing out new shoots and ultimately, flowers.

Tillandsia caput-medusae in flower

Flowering T. xerographica

Tillandsia recurvata

I have been collecting Tillandsias for the longest, eversince I saw and fell in love with my very first specimen, a Tillandsia ionantha. I have tried to rear quite a number of species and I have propagated - and lost - some along the way. In that duration my attention was refocused on other plant genera but the Tillandsias have stayed always close to my heart and at a good position in my rooftop garden.

Flowering Trichoglottis sp.

My love for orchids, on the other hand, is quite new. Before, I have always thought of them as being corny, with all the cultivated varieties and the large-sized and loud-colored cross-breeds. My mother

Vanda luzonica with new leaves

collected orchids and after she died, it was only then that I discovered the interesting species she had. In the garden, her orchids have not stopped to flower. Factored with the emergence of my being enamoured with native flora, I eventually added native orchid species into her plants, now my collection. The drab colored flowers of the native orchids appeal to me more than the staples like Cattleya and Oncidiums.

New roots of V. merrillii

T. bergeri with new shoots

I only have a small portion of the garden that is trellised and this where I have the Tillandsias and the orchids, with the former all at left, the latter at right. And they are the ones which are enjoying the prime spot to collect the excessive rain and moisture. Both groups are now racing to exploit the wet season at two opposite ends of that trellis. In a time when I am looking for roof to cover and shelter my other plants from the rain, Tillandsia and the orchids are competing to gain dominance in that part of my garden. Tillandsias versus orchids, the old love versus the new ones, the exotics versus the natives - let us wait till after the rainy season which group would emerge as winners. I prefer that they both proliferate because come summer season, both would again give way to my succulents and native plant species, which is another, and larger, race to observe.

How to Eat Mabolo without the Added Fuzz

2011-07-31T00:37:00.010+08:00

Mabolo fruit

This is my second time to eat mabolo. First time was yesterday when I saw it being served in the Barretto-David household in Zambales. They cut it in a way I have never seen before and I thought it was another fruit.

Halved fruit looks like an apple

To my surprise they said mabolo. I have always known mabolo to have a fuzzy exterior thus I equate eating it similar to santol. You break the skin and you eat the fleshy parts, which is actually disgusting. You see and feel the velvety skin. You could also smell the overpowering scent of it. that is why I never actually tried to even taste the fruit before.

Quartered and peeled fruits

Today I asked our cook Edison to prepare the mabolos which the Davids gave me to bring back home. First he cut the fruit into quarters then to eighth portions. He removed the large seeds from the sectioned fruit parts. Then he ran the knife very close to the peel to cut out the fleshy part from the velvety skin. After which I asked hime to place it inside the ref till eating time. A few minutes after we enjoyed the mabolo without the hairy exterior and the strong smell. Yum!

Ready to enjoy!

Mabolo is Diospyros blancoi syn. D. philippinensis and D. discolor. The tree is sometime referred to as kamagong. Though it is closely related to persimmons, the fruit is commonly called velvet apple. I always thought that it was called such because it has a velvety exterior. But finally eating it similar to the way an actual apple is prepared, made me realize that mabolo tastes somewhat like what else, an apple. But when you place it in your mouth, the texture is smoother than the crumbly feel of the real apple. It is a rather enjoyable fruit to eat, which I would look forward to in the next seasons to come.

It is Time for Sambong!

2011-07-27T18:46:00.005+08:00

A wild bushy sambong

Is it obvious that I have been house bound because of the rain? For one I have been regularly posting in my blog, in between doing other stuff in my computer and watching the Planet Earth documentaries. Well that is how Philippine climate works for you. You get a little rain and a lot of school holidays. Well, I am not complaining, hehehe.

Since it looks like we are pushing deep into the rainy season, I bet the old folks are already looking for a stash of sambong to usher in the 'cold' season, stress on cold as it doesn't only mean cool weather but also the time for sore throat and runny nose. Reminded me to post pictures of the sambong for easy recognition, if you do decide to go out in the rain and find one.

Terminal tips

Sambong or Blumea balsamifera is a Philippine native. I have encountered it as a weed in a lot of places, like the lahar stricken banks of Zambales, watershed Ipo Dam and even the empty lots near U.P. Diliman. The leaves are quite nice with a silvery sheen but the plant is too lanky to qualify as a garden ornamental. But I have visited a lot of households which chose to keep a potted sambong just because of its medicinal value. Tea prepared from the sambong is used to cure cold or act as an expectorant. For more info on its medicinal value, search http://www.stuartxchange.org/Sambong .

Introducing the Candidates for Floral Beauty...

2011-07-26T14:45:00.005+08:00

My last poll was about the sampaguita and how it is our national flower yet it is not native. There are other much more beautiful native flowering plants and i listed a few for people select one as probable candidate to replace sampaguita:

Waling waling clumps in a garden show

1. Waling-waling or Euanthe sanderiana - the queen of orchids
2. Katmon or Dillenia philippinensis, one of the showiest flowering trees
3. Bagawak morado or Clerodendrum quadriculare, one of the most colorful flowering shrubs
4. Kamuning or Murraya paniculata, one of the most fragrant
5. Rafflesia sp., one of the biggest flowers

The choice by 60 percent of respondents was waling-waling while the remaining flowers all got 10 percent of votes.

Waling-waling is a symbol of pride in Davao

Probably more than being a national flower, the waling-waling or Euanthe sanderiana should become a national cause. It is considered the queen or ornamental orchids yet it is nearing extinction in its native range. The remaining population is hanging by a thread, being protected by insurgency in Mindanao. We wouldn't want to see the native orchid reduced to specimens grown in gardens and worse, in nurseries outside of the country as other Southeast Asian countries have better breeding programs for the waling-waling.

Hybrid of waling-waling

Waling-waling

In the the duration of this poll, other natives were also nominated to be included but the settings of the poll could not anymore be changed when voting started. Just goes to show that we have far more deserving candidates as national flower, and we truly have forests blessed with a diversity of beautiful species.

The next poll is up!

The Elusive Tuko in the Limelight

2011-07-25T17:54:00.009+08:00

I was in Amarela Resort in Bohol when I read an article in the Inquirer regarding the native tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) or tuko. We were about to take our dinner in the Amarela resto, where I previously knew plays home to a few tukos. I asked the waiters in charge where the geckos are. They were in their usual hiding places, on top of the bar and behind one of the art frames in the function hall. In Amarela, they are already a fixture. I regretted telling my niece, Cydney, that there were tukos hiding near where we will eat our dinner. She got scared of them. Hers was the wise reaction to the tokay gecko.

In the Inquirer article, it said that giant tokays could fetch ridiculous amounts of money. It also cited that it is coveted because of the healing properties it has to cure serious ailments. I am not sure if these are even true. From what I know, they are valued more as curiosity pets because of their weird large heads and eyes, and their colorful bodies. Collectors and reptile hobbyists are the ones that value them the most.

But if you see a tuko upclose, I think you should be more frightened. It is much larger than the house gecko we have learned to live with in our own homes. From what I have heard it could crawl on you and stay stuck, clinging tightly onto your clothes or skin. To remove it you should stun it with the lighted end of a cigarette. Personally, if I see a tuko living at our own house, I probably won't feel comfortable till I drive it out the premises.

Probably the tuko hype will attract a few entrepreneuring Pinoys to trap specimens in the provinces. In the internet, there are sites selling specifically 300-grams-and-above-weighing tokays, which were the ones said preferred to use as wonder remedy. I hope the tukos would stay stuck to where they are and give these exploiters a hard time. May the geckos cling on to them till their thick skins get peeled off!

This Year's Seed Bounty

2011-07-24T18:55:00.008+08:00

It is the season to collect seeds again. Most trees are in fruit, which means it is time to bring out the gloves and ziplocks. And I did.

Seed no.1 is from a Visayan tree called banilad or Sterculia comosa. I found trees of this species lining the Libaong Beach in Panglao. Everytime I get the chance to go back there, I collect the seeds falling from two specimens. Timing has to be right as I am in stiff competition with the starlings that frequent the trees. Not sure though if the birds do eat the nut-looking seeds.

Another tree from Libaong beach is anan (Visayan) or balinghasay (Tagalog). Buchanania arborescens is a coastal tree that I have seen growing in limestone formations from Zambales to Bohol. The fruits are berry-like which later dry up to a crisp. I will not extract the seeds anymore and plant the dried fruits straight into a pot.

Seed no. 3 is from another coastal species, Dodonaea viscosa or kalapinai, which I heard could rival mangkono in wood hardness. The trees have fine leaves and are quite attractive. The seeds are very minute specks enclosed in a paper like pod. I collected a few clumps of the pod but yielded only few viable seeds. Some of the pods were completely empty.

These are not coffee beans but rather the seeds of kanumai or a beach persimmon. Kanumai is Diospyros maritima, and is found in a lot of Visayan islands. They fruit profusely and the seeds cover a good area under the tree's shade. I've only managed to sift a handful of the small seeds from the fine beach sand. If I had more time I would have gotten a lot more.

Seed 5 is from my favorite tree, Reutealis trisperma or baguilumbang. Every year I try to get seeds coming from a specimen in the UP Beta way, but everytime I come late. The seeds have already germinated to seedlings which are harder to tranport (as I have to go straight home and replant them). This time I managed to get fruits from a tree in the DENR nursery. The fruits of baguilumbang are about the size of a santol, but the seeds are really big, almost the size of a chestnut.

The last but certainly not the least seeds are from Dillenia philippinensis or the much raved katmon. I was with members of the Philippine Native Plant Conservation Society when we found the tree specimen heavily burdened with fruits. The members could not resist tasting the sour fleshy part of the fruit and have taken a few back home with them. I got one to dissect and show the beautiful spiral carpels of the fruit. Tucked within them are the seeds which have a short shelf life. I will have to plant them soon if I expect them to germinate. I will also have to prepare pots for the other seeds to have a very nice bounty of seedlings to keep, exchange and share in the next coming months.

In the Forest of Good and Evil

2011-07-18T22:55:00.019+08:00

There is a decades old problem in Philippine reforestation. We have been using non-native species to regreen our forests because these exotic species are previously known to be fast growing and would do the job with quick visible results. We thought because we filled the gaps with trees (regardless what these trees are), we solved the problem. Thus we find introduced species like mahogany, gmelina, ipil-ipil and knife acacias encroaching to our protected areas housing our native flora and fauna. Little do we know that they disrupt the fragile ecology of our delicate endemic species. Little by little, the spaces that our native species were occupying are slowly being replaced by these exotics. And the government continues to do so till this day.

One fine example is Bohol's manmade forest. This forest of the non-native mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) is considered one of the province's major tourist attractions. It is a source of pride as it is a living proof of Bohol's accomplished environmental project. It was in 1968 when the local government asked students to plant the mahogany seedlings to reforest a portion of Billar town. Forty years after, the seedlings have grown to considerable size, forming a forest dominated by a single introduced species.

I remembered uttering the phrase 'parang wala ka sa Pilipinas' (as if you are not in the Philippines) when I first caught glance of the manmade forest. Now I understand why. It reminded me of a temperate zone woodlands where single or only a few species dominate because of low biodiversity. The usual Philippine rainforest would have a varied selection of trees as it has high biodiversity. But because the government is still maintaining the dominance of the mahogany, the native species are given less chance to repopulate the area. Fallen mahoganies are replaced with mahogany seedlings rather than letting the native species get a foothold and reestablish themselves.

But upon closer look, the native species are undoubtedly trying their best to reemerge. Native Pandanus species seedlings are growing under the shade of the tall mahoganies. Celtis seedlings are waiting for their chance to get their share of sunlight, which is hogged by the tall exotics. Osmoxylons are trying their very best to survive, trying to get whatever share of filtered light they could steal from the thick canopy. The natives are there patiently waiting.

If the Bohol people only planted native species in 1968, the manmade forest would have boasted large specimens of dipterocarps or perhaps kamagong by now and not these introduced mahoganies. Probably sometime in the future the locals would grow tired of maintaining the dominance of this exotic species. Hopefully when it happens, the dipteros and the natives like kalingag liitan, binunga, molave, antipolo and a selection of others would reclaim the land and repopulate. The great diversity of large native species would have been a better spectacle to see than the monotonous tall mahogany trunks visible in the manmade forest.