Jardinerong Sunog (the Burnt Gardener)

One of those plants that I usually see and admire from my frequent hikes around my area is Alocasia portei , a large-growing aroid that can be quite common where they occur. There are apparently two forms known to exist, one with plain green leaves and greenish petioles with thin bandings and the other with pale green veining with petioles that eventually become very dark, and whose juvenile plants bear striking resemblance to A. sanderiana . Both forms are found naturally in the mountains within my area, but their populations do not seem to overlap. In the wild, A. portei  appears to favor more exposed sites such as road embankments and trails, with leathery leaves that are held sub-erect and gives the impression of reaching out into the light. Really old individuals eventually develop a thick stem in the same manner as those found on the more common and widespread A. macrorrhizos , and truly spectacular examples reach to about 3 meters in height and have practically b...

For about two months now, not a week passes without some form of precipitation falling down on us. Even very sunny days are broken into episodes of drizzles which can escalate into a full-blown shower before the sun wins again, to be overwhelmed once more by rain. Sometimes both play at the same time on the stage, a precursor to rainbows that add color to an otherwise gray, humorless sky. But, I do not mind. Most of my plants are rainforest species, and I do not concern myself too much about the welfare of most of my succulents during these rainy days, except for a very few species that may need shelter once the rains fall practically non-stop for about 5 days or so. I do not maintain as many orchids as I used to, but what I do have, I try quite hard to take care as much as I can. And because there are species orchids that sulk when their roots are on the dry side and thus require more watering from my part, the almost constant rains make maintenance easier while making the plants ha...

A quite widespread  Dendrobium in the Philippines is D. serratilabium , a species found on Luzon and Mindanao, but with very localized populations in the provinces of Aurora, Quezon, Rizal, Laguna, Leyte, Bukidnon and Misamis. The species was described from plants collected in Rizal by Augustus Loher in September 1909, but was described only in 1937, by Louis O. Williams. The pseudobulbous, jointed stems are pendulous and dangle to around a meter in length, with glossy, dark green leaves; older branches are leafless. The inflorescences arise from near the stem tips and usually 6.5 cm long, bearing up to 10 flowers. These blooms are 3.2 cm wide but do not open widely. In common with related species, the mentum is long and spur-like, but the most distinctive feature, of course, is the labellum with toothy margins. The faintly fragrant flowers of D. serratilabium are variably colored, but usually in a ground color of yellow or greenish, with or without dark brown tesselat...