Jardinerong Sunog (the Burnt Gardener)

Plants from the genus Medinilla are among the most spectacular shrubs a gardener can possibly have, with the aptly named Medinilla magnifica taking the lion's share of the attention, though with serious competition from Medinilla 'Gregori Hambali'. For such a large and diverse genus, relatively few are known in cultivation. Medinilla annulata  is one of those obscure species that is rarely represented in private collections, although these are by no means rare plants. This species is known from Sulawesi, and Luzon, Polillo, Catanduanes, Mindoro, and Leyte islands in the Philippines, where they grow often as epiphytes from sea level to about 900 m elevations. As is often the case with many medinillas, the number of floral segments may diverge from the usual in some instances. A flower with four segments is shown here. Medinilla annulata  is a slender species that clamber onto surrounding vegetation for support. When the stems come into contact with any ...

Kohleria hybrid What does forest deforestation have to do with losing plants in my collection? Over the years I have managed to expand the plant collection in waves- many were obtained either via trades or given as gifts, or simply bought. This was a time when I was as rabid a collector as anyone could possibly be, a time when I always had my eyes set on a plant or two and will seek out anyone who happened to have that plant I want. Now, as many of you probably already know, I have made it a habit of trekking into forests to observe plants in their natural habitats and fortunately, there is one within my area, although much of the old growth has already been harvested way even before I was born. But on my later visits, I was appalled by the sudden influx of charcoal producers- trees were being cut down and land being razed to the ground to make way for coal production. And this was particularly troubling because this forest is one of the two sources of water for our town. It wa...