Jardinerong Sunog (the Burnt Gardener)

Most Begonia flowers are white. Or white and red at the back. Or pink. In fact, no matter how pretty the flowers may be, we don't really pay attention to these that much because the flower color is pretty uniform in many species. Not so with Begonia cumingii , a species with large, bright orange flowers. Begonia cumingii is a Philippine endemic, and is found only in a few provinces on Luzon. I have seen this species in the provinces of Laguna and Quezon, which are adjacent to one another. These plants are often found in very wet areas close to running bodies of water, mostly at medium altitudes. The species was named after Hugh Cuming, who collected the first plants known to science in 1811, but without precise locality. However, since he collected extensively in the province of Laguna, it is possible that the type specimen was found from somewhere there, possibly either in the town of Calauan or Majayjay. Pistillate flowers of B. cumingii. This is quite a lar...

Eleven species from the genus Dillenia is known from the Philippines, including this one, D. luzoniensis . Whilst most Dillenia species are trees, this species is more of a large shrub, with dense stems that reach to the ground. The species, despite its species name, is known from many localities in the islands of Palawan and Balabac, as well as, of course, Luzon. The plants are characteristic components in seasonally dry forests and hence are known mainly from the western side of the archipelago, which experiences a distinct Type 1 climate. This climate type has a long dry period lasting, on average, five months per year. In contrast to D. philippinensis - the most common and widespread species in the Philippines- the flowers of D. luzoniensis are yellow, with reflexing perianth segments. Like many Dillenia , the large leaves are prominently veined, with reddish-brown new growths. This  Dillenia  is said to grow to 5 meters tall, but I haven't seen any at that h...

Anemone vitifolia is a widespread species found from the Himalayas eastward to China, and southwards to Taiwan and Luzon, where it occurs in the central highlands. During a recent trip to Benguet, I found flowering examples of these plants along roadsides, mostly growing on disturbed sites such as roadcuts and eroded slopes. The plants are about a meter tall with leaves bearing similarities in outline to grapes' hence the species name ' vitifolia '. Boy, do I love descriptive names. The roots of this plant have found their way into folk medicine; if boiled, the juice is used to treat dysentery and topically can be used to alleviate toothaches and headaches. The fresh root is used for rheumatism and a paste is applied on scabies. The powdered leaves are used to get rid of head lice. Additionally, the roots are used to kill agricultural pests. The achene hairs are collected and used as tinder- a valuable resource in cool and often moist highland habitats. As useful a...

Blue is a rare color in flowers, and among plant genera, Rhynchoglossum is one of the extremely few whose every member carry the color in their flowers. Three species of this gesneriad genus is found in the Philippines, of which one- R. spumosum - is endemic.  These plants were found at a roadside in the Benguet-Ifugao border in the central Luzon highlands. A few months ago, I also found a small population in the province of Laguna in southern Luzon. In both instances, the plants were observed rooting in moving water in rocky soils with thin deposits of clay in open, yet shady situations. Rhynchoglossum spumosum is supposedly the smallest in the genus, attaining average heights of 8 cm with prostrate stems acting as creeping rhizomes. The leaf backsides are tinged reddish-purple, particularly the veins. Despite the popularity of gesneriads worldwide, very few rhynchos are in cultivation, perhaps due to the difficulties in their cultivation. However, these are rather ea...

If it's any gauge, the number of people I see on social media lamenting about their cacti turning into masses of jelly says that even with the more commonly available types, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding regarding the growing of these otherwise easily cultivated plants. And if many hobbyists, particularly the beginners, can't even get past the more standard types, then how can we expect the cactus scene to develop further? In many plant bazaars, I frequently see people huddling over some rather pricey specimens only to overhear them say "I can't even keep most of my cacti alive, so if I buy that, it would just be like throwing away my money." It's not atypical to find stalls still displaying so many of their offerings on the final day of a plant show. And no, it's really not about the price of these plants as even the more expensive ones are still within the range of most collectors. It's about the experience of the vast majority of...

About 12 years ago I was given a cutting of Dischidiopis ramosii  from the eastern coast of Luzon which thrived until its death in 2013, a casualty of the poor water quality that I (and the plants) had to endure (for more of that story, click here:  https://jardinerongsunog.blogspot.com/2018/07/how-deforestation-decimated-my-plant.html ).  At that time my D. ramosii, which was maintained in a rather shaded position,   grew fairly slowly, with rather large, boat-shaped leaves in green. The leaves and flowers remind one of Dischidiopsis parasitica , but the leaves were noticeably wider and relatively thicker. Additionally, it was a much slower growing plant than the D. parasitica that I maintained under similar conditions. When the plant died it would be three more years before I got the opportunity to keep one again.  My current plant is now being exposed to full sun where it grew much more sluggishly than the previous one. But I'm not complaining. Bein...

If you have seen my previous post regarding the blooming of my two Amorphophallus urceolatus , then you probably already know that I am looking forward to obtaining seeds of this species. Amorphophallus urceolatus is rarely represented in private collections (even in the Philippines, where it is native), and even when it is, the specimens involved are what I would call 'typical' examples, being vase-like and dull purple. My two plants are atypically dark, with the pollen parent being an exceptional clone with very dark coloration and more widely flaring spathe with crenate margins. I have since referred to this plant as A. urceolatus 'Saitan', a name derived from the Tagalog god of the underworld. The seed parent is what I now call A. urceolatus 'Lakapati', whose name refers to the Tagalog deity of fertility. If you haven't seen the previous post I am referring to, please click here: https://jardinerongsunog.blogspot.com/2019/07/two-amorphophallus-urceo...