Growing Saurauia elegans
Admittedly, I'm not much into trees. Horticulturally at least. But really, it's more of a reflection of a lack of sufficient space to maintain a number of them than a lack of appreciation or interest. There is, however, a tree I am infatuated with. I now introduce you to Saurauia elegans.
Saurauia elegans are small trees that don't seem to achieve even 20 feet in height, and all that I have seen so far are in the 10 to 15-foot range, with an open canopy of rough, reddish-pink stems and petioles and clothed with large, very stiff and textured leaves with serrated margins. To be truthful about it, these are more like large shrubs than trees. The genus is represented by at least 57 species in the Philippines, some of which bear edible fruits. Dagwey, a small fruit made into preserves and jams in central Luzon, is from S. bontocensis. The amusingly named 'sundot-kulangot' (literally, booger pickings) from Baguio is also from a Saurauia. I hasten to add to my non-Filipino audiences that this snack IN NO WAY contains booger. The fruits of Saurauia elegans, I have been told, are also edible but I have so far not tasted it. Saurauia is from the family Actinidiaceae, whose most well-known member is undoubtedly the kiwi fruit.
The trees grow mostly in exposed locations such as ravines and mountain ridges at altitudes not lower than 600 m to a high of 2,300 m, preferring areas with either high rainfall or frequent mists. Naturally, growing these in the hot lowlands would not be easy. A few months ago I had the opportunity to try and grow the species from four seedlings, which I potted in a rocky mix with very little soil. Watering is carried out once a day, or two to three times during torrid periods. These seedlings are fertilized with a dilute balanced fertilizer once a week. Despite their preference for exposed sites, lowlands cultivation dictates that the same would prove disastrous. There was a brief period when the small plants were inadvertently exposed to full sunlight after days of heavy rains which resulted in the browning and shedding of the leaves. Now the seedlings are placed in a more shaded spot and getting filtered light at the most. Maintaining a balance between acceptable light levels and temperature gradients isn't always easy, but I'm getting the hang of it. The tricky part is the change of seasons wherein the annual angle of sunlight varies. For example, plants may be getting direct light from the setting sun starting at 4 PM, but it would be totally shady in the same spot at the same time two months later. But even with meticulous care, all four are very slow-growing and it might take years before any of them manages to attain even five feet.
Why go through all the trouble, you might ask. I'll let these couple of photos below do the explaining:
Now you see what the goal is. These plants certainly live up to their name, don't you think?
Saurauia elegans are small trees that don't seem to achieve even 20 feet in height, and all that I have seen so far are in the 10 to 15-foot range, with an open canopy of rough, reddish-pink stems and petioles and clothed with large, very stiff and textured leaves with serrated margins. To be truthful about it, these are more like large shrubs than trees. The genus is represented by at least 57 species in the Philippines, some of which bear edible fruits. Dagwey, a small fruit made into preserves and jams in central Luzon, is from S. bontocensis. The amusingly named 'sundot-kulangot' (literally, booger pickings) from Baguio is also from a Saurauia. I hasten to add to my non-Filipino audiences that this snack IN NO WAY contains booger. The fruits of Saurauia elegans, I have been told, are also edible but I have so far not tasted it. Saurauia is from the family Actinidiaceae, whose most well-known member is undoubtedly the kiwi fruit.
The trees grow mostly in exposed locations such as ravines and mountain ridges at altitudes not lower than 600 m to a high of 2,300 m, preferring areas with either high rainfall or frequent mists. Naturally, growing these in the hot lowlands would not be easy. A few months ago I had the opportunity to try and grow the species from four seedlings, which I potted in a rocky mix with very little soil. Watering is carried out once a day, or two to three times during torrid periods. These seedlings are fertilized with a dilute balanced fertilizer once a week. Despite their preference for exposed sites, lowlands cultivation dictates that the same would prove disastrous. There was a brief period when the small plants were inadvertently exposed to full sunlight after days of heavy rains which resulted in the browning and shedding of the leaves. Now the seedlings are placed in a more shaded spot and getting filtered light at the most. Maintaining a balance between acceptable light levels and temperature gradients isn't always easy, but I'm getting the hang of it. The tricky part is the change of seasons wherein the annual angle of sunlight varies. For example, plants may be getting direct light from the setting sun starting at 4 PM, but it would be totally shady in the same spot at the same time two months later. But even with meticulous care, all four are very slow-growing and it might take years before any of them manages to attain even five feet.
Why go through all the trouble, you might ask. I'll let these couple of photos below do the explaining:
Now you see what the goal is. These plants certainly live up to their name, don't you think?
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