Jardinerong Sunog (the Burnt Gardener)

Amorphophallus saururus , the 'lizard-tail' (from the Greek ' sauros ' which means 'lizard', and ' oura ', meaning 'tail') again decided to throw out a bloom. I noticed it coming up last week, but initially thought the inflorescence to be an upcoming new leaf. The last time a saururus 'flowered' for me was... let's see... around July 12, 2016. So that's three years. With Amorphophallus you kinda expect such infrequent and unpredictable blooming, but I guess it's one of the more enthralling facets of the species in this genus. Apart from the stink. Like many of its brethren, A. saururus emits a scent that is disrespectful to the olfactory senses. Think of a carcass that's left in the sewer to fester. But to be fair, the scent isn't that too powerful, and you have to be about 30 cm away from the plant to catch a whiff of its exquisite aroma. And yet, one really wouldn't mind an A. saururus without them blo...

If you have been reading my posts lately particularly about Pomatocalpa bicolor ( https://jardinerongsunog.blogspot.com/2019/06/orchids-on-rocks.html ), you surely would have noticed me bitching about the rampant vine growth in a forest in the province of Laguna. Well, here's one of those vines, but one that I wouldn't mind taking over. This is Hoya meliflua , a large-leaf species with large clusters of pink flowers that turn orange. I'll explain later the change in flower color. Hoya meliflua was originally described as Stapelia meliflua by Francisco Manuel Blanco in 1837, but was moved to the genus Hoya by Elmer D. Merrill in 1918. It is found in several islands from Luzon to Mindanao and has been recorded from Indonesia as well. The species name is a concatenation of two Latin words which means 'dripping in honey'. And that is the reason why the plants is called as such- because of its dripping orange nectar that stains the flowers and drips to the groun...

In my early years of gardening, I thought these plants were Hosta . Blame the books I was initiated with, which covered temperate plants, including Hosta . But hey, the leaves look like Hosta 's and the white flowers looked like, to my then untrained eyes, Hosta 's. It took me a few years to find out that I got the identification wrong. But in my mind, I still call them Hosta 😁 Anyway, these are common garden plants in some provinces in the Philippines, although apparently never found in the wild except in secondary forests close to human habitation, which presents the possibility of it only being an introduced ornamental. Nevertheless, it has a Tagalog name: tambal . And yes, because it's widely cultivated in the archipelago, it also has Bikolano at Bisaya names. Its English name includes Christmas lily and Cardwell lily, the latter referring to a town in Queensland where it is supposedly native. In Spanish it's called ' cebollas del monte ' or 'moun...

Ginger collectors would surely be familiar with Globba winitii and the yellow-flowered ones like G. marantina and G. schomburgkii . The former have mauve to white bracts, but all three bear golden yellow flowers; indeed, many species from this genus have yellow flowers. Globba campsophylla , a widespread Philippine endemic, breaks the norm by being one of the few white-flowered ones. And during a solo trek, I had the opportunity to observe this species in flower. Like many globbas, G. campsophylla are low-growing plants usually only around 70 cm tall. They are mainly lithophytic and shade-lovers, often near bodies of water. In some instances, colonies can be found in water seepages, although there are those that are found on rocks that get very dry during the warmer months; in these situations, the plants undergo a slight dormancy where the emaciated pseudostems droop but are not shed off. The plants usually bloom at the onset of the wet season. Compared to many Globb...

June 22, 2019- While on a solo trek in northern Laguna I saw this clump of Pomatocalpa bicolor in full bloom. I have been seeing these plants in this location since the early 2000s and when I am here at the right time, I can expect to see the plants in flower. And this day I wasn't disappointed.  Pomatocalpa bicolor is endemic to the Philippines and found in the provinces of Bataan, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Laguna, Nueva Vizcaya, and Rizal on Luzon; Polillo off eastern Luzon; Busuanga and Palawan; Bolo, Leyte, Negros, and Romblon in the Visayas; and Agusan del Norte on Mindanao. Despite being widely distributed, the species appears to have very localized populations and therefore not often encountered. The stems attain lengths of more than 3 meters, with roots produced along the stem length. The branched inflorescences reach about 60 cm in length and bear fleshy flowers clustered at the rachis tips. The flowers are fragrant, 1.7 cm across by 2.3 cm high, usually off-white w...

Now I must admit that I was in this same exact spot about two weeks ago and did not notice these plants. And I'm pretty sure that it's because about two weeks ago, the plants were just beginning to form their capitate (head-like) inflorescences. The white flowers made the difference. And you would be forgiven if you think that these are just some obscure 'weed' but it's actually an orchid. I know, I know. These do not look like they are orchids at all, but they are. When I first saw one, I thought I was looking at a Tropidia , another orchid that doesn't look like an orchid. Nevertheless, this is a species of Vrydagzynea , which belongs to the group commonly called the 'jewel orchids' for their shimmering, patterned leaves. Three species are known from the Philippines, but these plants differed mostly by their lance-shaped leaves and more contracted inflorescences. In fact, it is most similar to a species known from outside the archipelago, V. la...

One of the larger Alocasia species endemic to the Philippines is Alocasia maquilingensis , a species superficially similar to the common and widespread A. macrorrhizos . In the field, one can easily determine this species from the latter by the downy indumentum covering the leaf undersides and petioles- you just have to touch and feel 'em! It is a very slow-growing plant that eventually forms a trunk similar to other large Alocasia species. Alocasia maquilingensis petiole with short, whitish 'hairs'. I found these plants on Mt. Makiling, the plant's namesake, while hiking with my friend Noel Malacad and his two sons. These plants are found only at a narrow altitudinal band and occur mostly with Elatostema , Schismatoglottis , and rattan ( Calamus spp.). This species is not in general cultivation; I don't maintain even a single plant. Alocasia maquilingensis , despite its subtle tactile qualities that some might find intriguing, has very exacting ecologi...

This is the expedition that led to the description of Nepenthes aenigma . May 22, 2015- I have been to this same mountain before, April 8, 2012, upon the bidding of Herman Nuytemans, who first found these plants on this mountain in April of 2002. Herman was supposed to join me on that first trip of mine, but had to rest it out due to an accident that happened shortly before his arrival to the Philippines. And so for the 2015 ascent, Herman finally had the opportunity to once again see his discovery made from a little over 13 years ago. And for this hike, we were joined by two of his original companions from 2002, Mael and Mulo; both were with me when I re-found the plants in 2012 and we knew exactly where the plants were located. Immediately after setting up camp, we headed straight to the Nepenthes . If you haven't yet seen the protologue of this species, please proceed here:  https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/dbbb/2bb9f2f290d5f141d53c4a3bf0b3be0a4edc.pdf This populatio...