The Philippines is blessed with beautifully diverse and colorful and unique flowering plants.

Here are some of the most unique plants that you’ll find only in the Philippines.

 

Flowering Plants

 

Jade Vine – Located exclusively in the Philippines, the Jade Vine, otherwise known as Strongylodon macrobotrys, is a beautiful and rare specimen. The physical characteristics of this plant can be described as delicate and fascinating. The woody vine is covered in claw shaped flowers, giving it a unique look. These claw-like outcroppings sprout from hanging trusses and can grow up to three meters in length. The coloring of the flowers varies between a shade of mint green and a blue green tint.

 

 

Pitcher Plant – Another rare flower that hails from the Philippines, the Attenborough’s Pitcher Plant has an intriguing history attached to its name. After a two-month expeditionary trip into the heart of the jungle on several islands, Stewart R. McPherson, Volker B. Heinrich, and Alastair S. Robinson discovered this plant. This discovery was considered an amazing success, as the point of the expedition was to catalog the various indigenous pitcher plants of the Philippines, of which the Nepenthese attenboroughii now claims membership.

 

Waling-waling – Euanthe sanderiana is a flower of the orchid family. It is commonly called Waling-waling in the Philippines and is also called Sander’s Euanthe, after Henry Frederick Conrad Sander, a noted orchidologist. The orchid is considered to be the “Queen of Philippine flowers.”  It is endemic to Mindanao in the provinces of Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga where it is found on the trunks of dipterocarp trees at elevations below 500 meters. Over-collected, the plant is considered rare in nature. It is often used in hybridization.

Studies have shown that when raised at high altitude, the plant bears flowers early.

 

Sacred Garlic Pear – The flowering tree Crateva religiosa is a flowering tree commonly called the Sacred Garlic Pear. Sometimes it is also called the Spider Tree because the showy flowers bear long, spidery stamens. Aside from the Philippines, it is also endemic to other Southeast Asian countries, Australia, Japan, and many Pacific islands. It is grown elsewhere for fruit, especially in parts of the African continent. It is also commonly called Temple Plant.

 

 

Sea Poison Tree – The unique-looking but beautiful Sea Poison Tree is a species of endemic to mangrove habitats on the tropical coasts and islands of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean like the Philippines. It is also known as Fish Poison Tree or Box Fruit due the distinct boxed like shaped fruit it produces.

 

Rafflesia – This species of Rafflesia is a parasitic plant which has the largest flower among the Rafflesia species found in the Philippines. Among all other Rafflesia species, it has the second largest flower. Its first specimen was collected in 1882 and it was not seen for over a century and was thought to be extinct. It was rediscovered in 1994 on Mount Matutum, South Cotabato. In 2007, a population of this rare Rafflesia species was discovered in Baungon, Bukidnon.

 

 

Corpse Flower – Named for the stench emitted from its blooms, the corpse flower, or Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, is endemic to the Philippines. It produces heat within the flowers to accompany the odor for mimicking an animal carcass. This is to attract flies and other insects for pollination. The corpse flower can be found in the rain forests and tropical jungles of the Philippines, but it also will grow in a garden with black,  humus-rich soil and plenty of moisture. The flower prefers deep shade, hot temperatures and plenty of compost to keep it nourished. It blooms only once every five or so years.

 

 

 

Devil’s Tongue – A relative to the corpse flower, devil’s tongue, or Amorphophallus bulbifer, is an endemic flower species found in the jungles of the Philippines. The plant can grow to 3 feet in a  pot, producing a single large bulbous flower of a pale pink hue. The deep green foliage of the plant makes it a lovely houseplant if given proper warmth. It can be propagated by seed in tropical and subtropical regions, or cuttings from the plant can be rooted with a rooting solution. It prefers partial shade and dark,  loamy soil.

 

 

 

 

Isn’t it amazing to retire in a place like this, with so many rare flowers that are there for us to see and discover?  I am so eager to be in the Philippines and appreciate all these life’s wonders personally!

 

 

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