Jardinerong Sunog (the Burnt Gardener)

This was sent to me as a tiny plant by a friend from Singapore back in 2012, I believe. It grew slowly at first but when it finally did recover, it quickly branched out and began producing flowers in just a few months after acquisition. Within the first year it produced the characteristic above-ground caudex-like tuber that the genus is known for. This storage organ is most definitely the reason why sinningias have also found their way in succulent collections. I was informed that this plant is a hybrid, but I am at a loss about the possible name or parentage. Let's call it Deep Purple instead (I am actually listening to Deep Purple's Child in Time as I write this). At any rate, the flowers satisfy my penchant for the color purple. Typical for many sinningias, the leaves have a soft and downy indumentum. In deep thoughts I would sometimes find myself stroking its leaves as I look into the sky 😁 The leaf undersides are purple  Once this plant begins to flowe...

Cynanchum viminale was first described as Euphorbia viminale  by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, until he came to his senses and moved it to the genus Cynanchum in 1771. However, the plant has, for many years, been better known as Sarcostemma viminale , and still is called under that name even up to now. Cynanchum is a very large genus scattered in the tropics, with many sections recognized and more than a thousand species described. The species name is derived from the Latin word ' vimina ', which means 'broom'. This is a very widespread species and occurs in a vast swathe of territory, from much of Africa to the Middle East, and eastwards to India and the islands of the Indian Ocean, Indochina, southern China, Southeast Asia, and southwards to Australia. Preferred habitat varies from tropical forests to arid deserts. Due to its extremely wide distribution, a number of subspecies have been named, but their delimitation from one another is problematic. The ones from ea...

Phalaenopsis pallens  was first described as a species under Trichoglottis by John Lindley in 1850 and then was transferred by Heinrich Reichenbach f. to Stauropsis in 1860. But four years later he changed his mind and moved Lindley's species to Phalaenopsis , where it remains to this day. The species is endemic to the Philippines on the islands of Luzon (Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Vizcaya, and Rizal), Palawan (Puerto Princesa), and Mindanao (Bukidnon). This is a low altitude species that occurs at elevations of about 200-500 m above sea level. The species name is Latin for 'pale'. In this post, I am presenting to you some of the variations seen in the species. The specimen above is quite typical with pale, sienna-colored markings and a white and orange labellum. Contrast that to the two examples below, with (brown-) reddish broken lines and a labellum in orange, purple-pink, and white.: This P. pallens  have more pronounced markings that fade to brownis...

In my previous post, I introduced to you Ceropegia sp. 2, which is beginning to commence its flowering period. And for this edition, I am highlighting the one I call ' Ceropegia sp. 4', a plant which has been in bloom for almost 2 weeks now. In contrast to my other Philippine ceropegias, this one is from limestone, a rock type that is often very dry due to its water permeability. Thus, the stems are thicker and more succulent and the plant more tolerant of dry spells than its forest-dwelling cousins. Among my 5 Philippine species from this genus, this is the one that is most difficult to propagate. The cuttings take a longer time to root and until these do, there is a very high likelihood of the cuttings rotting. And, rooted cuttings even take time to fully establish, sulking for a number of weeks before finally beginning to elongate. A more meritorious facet of the plant, however, is that it blooms sooner than its congeners. Whereas the other species will only flow...

A Ceropegia I am currently giving a designation as Ceropegia sp. 2 has finally opened a flower just two days ago. This is a plant that has kept me waiting impatiently since it started producing peduncles early last month, with some of the buds dropping off before finally having some that looked as if they are on their way to further development. Two named ceropegias are known from the the Philippines, C. cumingiana   and C. merrilliana , the latter probably better off included in Brachystelma , where it was originally described under, as Brachystelma merrillii . However, it appears that the archipelago is host to a greater number of species than what it is currently given credit for. Supposedly the most widespread species, C. cumingiana  has been described from Benguet but has since been reported outside the Philippines, in New Guinea and Australia. However, in Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines- which contains the most definitive list of Philippine plants- one finds a ju...