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Native wild edible : Piper sarmentosum

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Jun 172014

Photo specimen : Cultivated

Specimen height : 1/2 meter

Trade names : Wild betel, Kadok, Chaphlu

Botanical name : Piper sarmentosum

Family : Piperaceae

Traits : Evergreen; Fast-growing; Herbaceous creeper; Low to medium altitude species; Perrenial; Shade tolerant

Recommendations : Backyards; Edible gardening; Farms; Home gardens; Landscaping; Large gardens; Living mulch; Medicinal plant; Natural ground cover; Ornamental; Pharmacological uses; Plantations; Potted/Container plant; Public spaces; Reclamation; Urban parks; Urban greening; Wildcrafting

Used for : Leaves are eaten with salad as condiment or used as vegetable or edible food wrap or as an alternative to Piper betel; Leaves, roots and fruits have uses in traditional medicine

Native range : India, Andaman Islands, China and Southeast Asia (including the Philippines)

National conservation status : Not threatened

Native wild edible : Momordica cochinchinensis

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Jun 142014

I have always wondered why we Filipinos have not exploit the use of our native Momordica cochinchinensis. I’ve heard from friends that they’ve encountered this strange fruit during forest walks and at times in forest clearings near settlements. In Thailand, where it is called Fak Khao, a few pieces of fruits may seasonally be seen in fruit markets. The orange, spiny fruits sometimes weigh from 250g to a kilo per piece and they are a little more expensive than the common fruits. There are small plantations in Surin but few and far between outside of the province. The red aril covering the seed is extracted to make a nutritious beverage; the same is also used in making glutinous rice desserts imparting a natural red color. The young shoots are steamed, dipped in Nam Prik (Thai chili sauce) and eaten with rice.

Photo specimen : Cultivated

Specimen height : 6-10 meters

Local names : Patolang-uwak, Balbas-bakiro

Trade names : Gac, Cochinchin gourd

Botanical name : Momordica cochinchinensis

Family : Cucurbitaceae

Traits : Dioecious; Drought tolerant; Fast-growing; Full-sun; Low to medium altitude species; Perrenial vine; Woody climber

Recommendations : Backyards; Edible gardening; Farms; Fence climber; Fruit collector’s; Hedgegrow/Screen; Large gardens; Medicinal plant; Pharmacological uses; Plantations; Reclamation; Urban parks; Wildcrafting

Used for : Young shoots and flowers are eaten as vegetable; The pulp is also eaten; The nutritious aril is used in making specialty beverages, glutinous rice desserts and in the manufacture of dietary supplements; Aril is used as a natural food color; Leaves, roots and seeds have uses in traditional medicine

Native range : India, Bangladesh, China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia (including the Philippines), New Guinea, Australia

National conservation status : Not threatened

Native wild edible : Ficus pseudopalma

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Dec 012013

In 2008 I went to a fruit nursery in Angeles City, Pampanga to purchase a few seedlings of Philippine native fruit trees and met there for the first time Verman “Berns” Reyes; the nursery owner and also the lone founding member of the merry group the “Rare Fruit Society of the Philippines” or what is always called “RFSP”. Asking for membership through Yahoogroup ([email protected]) was easy as a breeze and so in time I became a “Rarefruiter” (a moniker for every member) myself. RFSP now hosts thousands of members from different trades and professional backgrounds and still dozens get membered at RFSP’s Yahoogroup or Facebook page everyday. Anyway, on that first meeting, Berns gave me a lot of freebies and among those were half-germinated Lipote (Syzygium curranii) seeds and Niyog-niyogan (Ficus pseudopalma) seeds. Fast tracked to June 2011 and finally it was his turn, with fellow rarefruiters TJ Gonzalez, Boy Gonzalez and J.A. Aguirre, to visit the farm for some native fruit hunting and sight-seeing. Whenever we have visitors, I usually ask them to plant whatever native tree seedlings we have at the nursery to make the event meaningful and in line with our advocacy. At the time, it was the Niyog-niyogan seedlings that I had them out-plant.

Niyog-niyogan is a culturally important food source especially in the Bicol region of the Philippines where its young leaves are usually cooked with fish, chillies and the ubiquitous coconut milk.

Specimen : Cultivated

Local names : Niyog-niyogan, Lubi-lubi

Trade name : Philippine Fig

Botanical name : Ficus pseudopalma

Family : Moraceae

Height : 2 to 6 meters

Fruiting season : Year round

Traits : Evergreen; Fast growing; Prolific fruiter; Shade tolerant; Tolerant of infertile soil; Willowy

Used for : Edible fruits; Leaves are cooked and eaten as vegetable; Leaves used as food wrap; Fodder for livestock; Firewood

Recommendations : Backyards; Farms; Home gardens; Nurse tree; Ornamental tree; Potted; Public spaces; Urban greening; Wildcrafting

Native range : The Philippines

National conservation status : Not threatened

Getting up

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Nov 192013

As central Philippines is still reeling from the damages brought about by the recent super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), we can’t help but feel sorry for our less fortunate brethren who were at the center of this epic calamity. It is really difficult what they are going through right now; how can we, at least, lessen their pain and anguish? Despite the overwhelming influx of volunteers, donations, pledges and prayers both from local and international communities I still feel that, collectively, they are not enough… There was simply too much havoc and chaos but not much help getting in until only recently. We feel very lucky now that when typhoon Nari (Santi) struck Central Luzon last month, it left us alive and complete in spite leaving the farm operations impaired for a time.

Rebuilding our visitor’s area will have to wait until next year when budget has been set aside again but replacing damaged crops and planting anew is being done as usual.

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The aftermath of Nari (Santi)

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Nov 012013

21 days after typhoon Nari (Santi) struck Central Luzon, fallen century old Mango and Saman trees still litter the roadsides of rural San Miguel, Bulacan. Rice still lay flattened on the fields, some businesses still closed, some properties still unrepaired; there’s evidence everywhere of the devastating deluge that passed. We were one of those early placed under a state of calamity when unbelievable amount of floodwater surged and sank the town proper and nearby low-lying barangays which reached a record high of 2 meters in some areas of the town. The event, I believe, was a first for us.

The farm has taken it’s share of destruction as well : the once pompous Alibangbang (Bauhinia malabarica) and Ligas (Semecarpus cuneiformis) trees had fallen from grace due to intense wind, Binayuyu (Antidesma ghaesembilla) trees were left standing leafless, felled branches and roofing are strewn about, an hectare of our vegetable crops (Long beans and Bottlegourd) ironed out flat and the helper’s quarter plus the adjacent newly renovated visitor’s area were completely brought down. The sight was a big headache!

Rebuilding and replanting in complete surrender to the forces that shape the world and us, we felt cleansed and lucky to be alive and gifted with another work, another plan, another hope.

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The anticipated leaves

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Oct 212013

In our part of the world, August until November is that much-awaited time to collect the edible newly sprouting leaves of the native Alibangbang trees (Bauhinia malabarica). Bulakenyos, especially us who are from the town of old San Miguel, are particularly fond of using this butterfly-looking leaves as a flavoring, notably, for cooking beef shanks (Sinigang na pata ng Baka sa Alibangbang) and chicken (Inalibangbangang Manok). Our friends from Manila have been regularly requesting for Alibangbang leaves and even seedlings after knowing that we have a few wild trees growing in the farm. Our Alibangbang trees are not really remarkable to look at but they are always an attraction to visitors who often have a childhood memory of this tree. Sometimes, we also wrap some fresh leaves to give as gifts when visiting friends or relatives.

This species must not be confused with other tree Bauhinias that exhibit the same leaf shape but has large, often brightly colored, orchid-like flowers. (630)

The Batoon tandem

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Aug 292013

The year that passed had been a very fortunate one indeed for the farm and quite a busy one for us as well! The farm had considerable developments especially in the areas of irrigation, electrification, crop production and concrete fence installation. That year also saw us segregate our makeshift nursery of native trees as we had formally allocated a proper space for this very important endeavor. Surrounded with nets and all and with a diverse stock of native seedlings, our nursery of native trees have lured fellow advocates, conservationists, farmers, hobbyists, scholars, researchers and students alike to visit despite the road, the mud and meter-high grasses. Our farm is not at all remarkable but I guess our native trees and the nursery we have painstakingly established worked all the magic! Such could be the case for the gracious husband and wife tandem, Drs. Lito and Cora Batoon, who came to visit last June.

I had quite a talk with Dr. Lito when I invited him for a walk around the farm erstwhile introducing him to the native trees we’ve grown trough the years; Val came ahead to slash the unruly Cogon as we trudge along. This I really like to do with our visitors; talking to them about native trees and listening on what they have to say - you can really tell who did their assignments. In the end, everyone else that came here seemed more knowledgeable than I am! That’s, actually, a good thing. We passed by a row of Anubing (Artocarpus ovatus) trees that I planted about 3 years ago and one tree is now showing flowers; it’s amazing how some species can mature so fast!

Dr. Lito gave us a hefty sales that day which all went to buying polybags for a new batch of seedlings that needed bagging; it’s all good! But he left something else for the farm; 5 Bani (Millettia pinnata) seedlings which if had been in sapling sizes already I would have asked them both to stay a few minutes more to do tree planting. Thank you Drs. Lito and Cora, we hope you can come back again to, at least, plant your Bani trees. (606)

The casual visitors

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Jun 082013

When trees are not our priority for the day we just walk the periphery of the farm to see what critter might show-up. And often the birds are the first to give. The casual visitors became regulars and some even set up home among our fruiting wild trees or wide Cogon fields.

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Mr. Victor Ramos for his arboretum

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May 312013

This May, our family have been blessed with the birth of my son, Hunter; a spunky, snorting ball of cuteness.

Our native trees nursery, meanwhile, was privileged to be visited by the very pleasant former Environment Secretary Mr. Victor Ramos; a meeting which got delayed by a few weeks due to my wife’s pregnancy condition that had me personally attending to. Mr. Ramos is beefing up his inventory of Philippine native trees at his arboretum in Pangasinan and was happy to find some of the species he’s looking for here at the nursery. The kindly former Secretary even gifted us with two signed books which he himself authored, namely “San Miguel de Mayumo : Growth, Decline and Renewal of a Museum Town” and ”The Governance of Ecology : Struggles and Insights in Environmental Statemanship”. The first book, which highlights my hometown, immediately took my attention and made me want to read on right there and then but we have a lot of farm work going on at the moment so reading will have to take its time later.

Once again Mr. Vic Ramos, thank you for the books, for sharing the same passion and for supporting our cause.

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The season of the shiny berries

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Mar 162013

The past few weeks have been very busy for me and Pim with all the doctor’s visits required of her 7th month of carrying, updating public records, acquiring necessary documents and filing her immigrant visa application that we never had much time to visit the farm except to make short stops to check the work done. With a baby coming along I miss the times when I spent most of my free time making the rounds at the farm and sometimes, when I’m feeling more adventurous, even going out far into the open grassland and woodlands beyond our fence; not even deterred by the sun’s heat or occasional rains.

Yesterday gave me free time so Val, my farm overseer, and I walked to check the partially shaded trees we’ve planted the past years along the shallow creek that borders the farm. We don’t usually collect fruits during the first quarter of the year because most trees we observe are not in fruit this season. It slipped my mind though that one particular cauliflorous and water-loving tree displays its magenta to deep-purple berries from January to March. And so there they were, ready for the picking! We have about a dozen of this wild trees scattered along the same natural waterway.

Val helped himself in sampling this season’s harvest; the shiny berries are sweet but they leave a little astringency on the tongue; truly a forest fruit! (503)

A Thai garden

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Dec 042012

My sudden trip to Thailand in 2010 paved a lot of good opportunities in my life; I’ve seen places, met new friends and met the girl who would later be my wife. Yes, that trip has been very fortunate for me indeed! Looking back though, all those almost didn’t become possible had I entertained the thought of not joining that trip — which I almost did. Thailand was then the least of my priorities to visit although I’ve heard a lot about the interestingly wide array of fruits that they grow there and the notoriously spicy concoctions that the Thais used to lure food adventurers from all over the globe. I would rather go far off sea on a semi-habitated island of coconuts or where there is cooler climate or where it snows or somewhere mountainous or medieval or far more exotic than the Philippines or Thailand. And where it got me? Thailand! ha!

Fasttracked to the present and through numerous back trips to Bangkok to woo, Pim, now embraces the married life with me here in the Philippines and enjoys every opportunity to visit and work the farm. With plainly native trees planted on every nook and corner of the property and a few hundreds of the Philippine Carabao mangoes and bananas, there’s not much in there really that would interest a foreigner like her. But Pim, lucky for me (!), is not that hard to please. Nonetheless, I made the most visible area of the farm a little special for her - something to remind her always of home; a garden of Thai herbs and vegetables. She liked the idea very much that on a return trip to Bangkok we brought in (ssshhhh!) seed packets of various herbs - which we have already tested planting with favorable results, a few cuttings of the leafy vegetable they call “Phak waan” (Sauropus androgynus, “Binahian” in the Philippines) and the aromatic Phak phai (Persicaria odorata). The Phak waan and Phak phai will have their own beds soon.

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Tindalo : A mighty search for a mighty tree

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Sep 062012

Among the very first Philippine indigenous trees I really got interested to grow in Balinghasai farms is the rare Tindalo; a lesser known cousin of the ubiquitous Narra. In my younger years, I’ve heard accounts of this prized timber from small-time loggers and wood workers who said that, decades ago, Tindalo is the wood of choice for house interiors like stairs and flooring. The demand now made this tree alarmingly few and far between.

The handful Tindalo seeds I purchased from Sansin Dio of Cebu in 2008 produced robust seedlings that we were able to field plant after just a few months. I decided then to spend some time looking for specimen trees to document and maybe collect seeds from but I have never hoped that my search will just be short and unbelievably near! Mighty search huh! That turn of luck came in January 2009 when, on a walking expedition outside of the farm, my farm assistant and I noticed a few but scattered trees bearing unusually large and thick green pods. We have no idea at first whether what to call these homely, nearly leafless trees that habitate the thin forest shading the same creek running through the property. When the woody pods popped open a few months later to reveal desperately clinging black seeds with short orange coats - they were, to my amazement, the Tindalo trees I was searching for!

Specimen : Wild trees

Habitat : Creek bank thickets

Local name : Tindalo

Trade name : Merbau

Botanical name : Afzelia rhomboidea

Family : Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae

Specimen height : 8-15 meters

Fruiting season : Mature fruits observed in April and May

Traits : Semi-deciduous to deciduous; Drought tolerant; Low to medium altitude tree; Medium-sized tree; Nitrogen fixing; Tolerant of infertile soils; Tolerant of occasional water-logging

Used for : Timber for house construction, doors, interior works, high-grade furnitures, handicrafts, musical instruments, tools, carts and veneer; Felled branches for firewood and charcoal

Recommendations : Fallow improvement; Farms; Light shade for crops; Living fence; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Timber belt; Urban greening

Native range : Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines

National conservation status : Endangered Species (DENR AO 2007-1)

Threats : Forestry logging; Conversion of woodlands to agricultural, commercial or residential plots; Cutting of wild trees for fuelwood and charcoal production

Goin’ bananas

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Aug 212012

Inspired by our very first harvest from the Saba banana we have experimentally planted in late 2010, my wife and I decided to dedicate about an hectare in the northeastern section of the farm to growing this Filipino staple. It looked that everything was in place; the spacing of the Carabao mangoes planted there over 3 years ago were wide enough for inter-cropping and it’s the season of rain - the ideal time for planting, but the over pouring monsoon made the soil too clayey and difficult to rotovate. The rented Tractor backed-out just a few hours after it started! Manual digging became labor intensive; taking a lot more time than we have expected.

The area was wide enough so we looked to exhaust around 500 pieces. The rub was asking around for friendly supplier of corms that sells also at a friendly price. Ruth Avila, a good friend from Quezon province and a co-fellow at the Rarefruit Society of the Philippines ([email protected]), can sell her extra corms and can ship them too at a good value but transporting them from the pick-up point would be a challenge and may even cost more than the actual price of the merchandise. It was a good thing that the neighboring farm offered to give planting materials for free otherwise we have to spend a lot more than we have reserved for this project. A provision for a simple irrigation system is on the plans; we are hoping to install before summer of the coming year.

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The creek and its bounty

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Aug 132012

Rain marks the arrival of many good things; everything seemed to grow faster during this season and the creek never seem to run out of nutrient-rich and freshly oxygenated running water - particularly good for its common inhabitants. Despite the unruly weeds and knee-high grasses, which also seemed to take advantage of the rain, a walk by our muddy creek every now and then to gather the favorite “Susong-palipit” has become an anticipated affair. The rainy months are also the time when the Putat trees (Barringtonia acutangula) showcase their short-lived but magnificent blooms so its not unusual to pluck the hapless snails out of the shallow creek that has been littered with freshly aborted Putat inflorescence. In the past years, the creek has been very generous in providing us with delicious dinner, this year though the snails appear to arrive disturbingly late.

Snail-gathering became an efficient method to interest the kids about the mundane life in the farm, especially the older ones. I never had a hard time inviting my nephew Brix if I say we will collect snails for dinner, otherwise I will have to bribe him. Sometimes if we get lucky, we will also see juvenile Asian box turtles on clearer waters but mudfish fry are common. There are a number of fruiting Tibig (Ficus nota) and Bangkal (Nauclea orientalis) trees that run along our winding creek; the fallen fruits provide wild fodder for the turtles.

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RFSP fruit tree planting in Biak na Bato and collecting wild fruits with Dr. Coronel

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Aug 042012

Last May 26, me, my wife and with few other enterprising members of the Rarefruit Society of the Philippines (RFSP) made a contribution to the greening of Biak na Bato National Park by planting Philippine native fruit trees. This project was initiated in the RFSP online forum upon the suggestion of Dr. Roberto Coronel; renowned fruit expert and highly esteemed professor emeritus at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos. With prior coordination in CENRO San Rafael, we have been allotted with a strip of freshly weeded planting area at the bank of the river that runs through the park. The sun was high and the humidity truly oppressing but we managed to put on happy faces as we plant Bignay (Antidesma ghaesembilla), Bunog (Garcinia benthami), Basiad (Canarium luzonicum), Alupag (Litchi chinensis ssp. philippinensis), Kamagong (Diospyros blancoi), Hunggo (Elaeocarpus cumingii), Bignay-pugo (Antidesma pentandrum), Paho (Mangifera altissima), Pili (Canarium ovatum), Balobo (Diplodiscus paniculatus), Ligas (Semecarpus cuneiformis), Amugis (Koordersiodendron pinnatum), Binukaw (Garcinia binucao), Kalumpit (Terminalia microcarpa) and Kubili (Cubilia cubili). Left-over seedlings were donated to the park’s nursery for future planting.

Attendees : Rey Palacio, Ernie Aquino, Dr. Roberto Coronel & crew, Gigi Morris, Noi Cruz & son, Mr. & Mrs. Ped Unson and Ving Sico

After a brief luncheon of Adobong manok and salted eggs, Dr. Coronel and his crew took the long drive here to Balinghasai farms to collect wild edible native fruits for study while the rest of the group decided to stay and see what the forest park has to offer. Dr. Coronel and I have corresponded thru email days before regarding what wild fruits are in season here in the area. Half a day of walking, driving and more walking yielded voucher specimen for Binayuyu (Antidesma ghaesembilla), Halubagat-baging (Capparis zeylanica / Capparis horrida), Kalubkob (Syzygium calubcob), Kayumkom (Ixora philippinensis), Balinawnaw (Lepisanthes fruticosa) and some scion materials.

Not beaten down by the weather, the good doctor still welcomed my invitation to tour even the farthest recess of the farm to check a wild-growing Garcinia by the creek that we’re really itching to identify. The genus was confirmed by noted field botanist Ulysses Ferreras but the exact identification yet remained unknown.

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Native wild edible : Bauhinia malabarica

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Aug 032012

In my occasional field explorations in the cogon-dominated, cattle-grazed grasslands peripheralizing Balinghasai farms I can say that this is the most abundant native tree species in this part of the Philippines but is also the most exploited for use as fuelwood. Bauhinia malabarica stumps left by wood poachers readily coppice and wildlings emerged to the onset of rain thus the availability of this wood especially for charcoal producers seemed limitless but sometimes the rate of human collection far exceeds the natural capability of the species to reproduce, and this becomes the problem that leads to species decline. Bauhinia malabarica, for now, may be categorized as a common tree but for how long?

Locally called “Alibangbang”, a common reference which it shares also with a number of exotic Bauhinia species which are grown as avenue trees for their colorful and ornate, orchid-like flowers; this mainly due to the very close resemblance of their leaves. This also got a lot of people mistaken in thinking that these large-flowered ornamental Bauhinias are the real Bauhinia malabarica.

True Bauhinia malabarica is an esteemed tree by plant hobbyists and farm owners due to its edible tart leaves. Chopped leaves, particularly the shoots and tips, are used to flavor all sorts of “Sinigang”. At home, we prefer using this over any other sour-imparting ingredients for our “Sinigang na pata ng baka”. Even the regular “Munggong-guisado” and Sauteed sardines (canned) become a little more interesting to the palette when cooked with this vegetable leaf.

Specimen : Wild trees

Habitats : Creek banks, dry grasslands, open slopes, roadsides

Local name : Alibangbang

Trade name : Malabar orchid

Botanical name : Bauhinia malabarica

Family : Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae

Specimen height : 6-10 meters

Trunk : Bole erect, branching starts at 3-4 meters; Bark flaking, grey or brown

Leaf : Cordate, with notches on both apex and base (apple-shaped); Yellowish green

Flower : Clusters of minute, greenish-white, pendulous tubular florets supported by reddish or maroon peduncles

Fruit : Pod; 10-15 cms in length, green to reddish-brown; Seeds numerous, small, hard, brown

Traits : Drought tolerant; Evergreen; Grassfire tolerant; Nitrogen-fixing;
Small tree; Tolerant of infertile soil; Water-logging tolerant; Wind hardy

Recommendations : Agroforestry; Backyards; Edible gardening; Erosion control; Fallow improvement; Farms; Home gardens; Honey tree; Living fence; Nurse tree; Ornamental tree; Pioneer species for reforestation purpose; Plantations; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak

Used for : New leaves and shoots are used to flavour soupy fish and meat dishes; Animal fodder; Firewood and charcoal

Native range : South Asia, Southeast Asia (including the Philippines) to Australia

National conservation status : Not threatened in the Philippines

Threats : Cutting of wild trees for fuelwood and charcoal production; Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, residential or commercial use

A family affair

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Jul 222012

June 3, 2024 - A few days after arriving from nearly a year of dreamy sojourn in Thailand, I took my lovely wife and 2 kids with me to the farm to do what I liked to call a little family affair : planting Philippine native trees. The kids, Hannah and Ben, are yet very young to understand the value of the activity but my wife, Pim, is already conscious of my interest in conserving and propagating true Philippine native trees. This was the first time for the kids to immerse in field work and I was a little excited myself in teaching them. Stepping onto the soft clayey soil even with his gumboots on was hard for Ben at first but everything seemed to go smoothly after that. We out-planted 10 seedlings of Anang (Diospyros pyrrhocarpa ) and 3 of Bagawak (Clerodendrum minnahasae); both native to my home province, Bulacan. The first was seed-collected along the forest trail in the nearby Biak na Bato National Park and the latter from wild mother trees that thrive in open grasslands around the farm.

It was a big day for the kids; they even managed to climb some dried bamboo stakes with gumboots on.

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The beginning

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Jun 272012

In 2008, a modest 3.4 hectare woodland property located near the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains in Bulacan was offered to me for sale. The property was densely populated with wild trees like Binayuyu, Alibangbang, Ligas, Kalios among others and was thickly overran by weeds, primarily Cogon and Talahib. Immediately, I thought of how much work and time it needs to make the place habitable and, more over, how much money I will need to buy the property and start a dream farm project. Despite the impending big headache, I still got excited! It must be my love for farming, my appreciation for nature and my strong inclination for conservation that made me threw all cautions to the wind and bravely staked all I have to own this no man’s land…. in installments, of course!

By 2009, we are already securing the whole lot with bamboo fence (which we replaced gradually with concrete posts), building a simple wooden homestead for my overseer with an adjoining reception hut for visitors and setting up a deep-well for potable water source. We also painstakingly took out most of the redundant wild trees and stumps left by wood poachers but retained the ones that shade the natural creek and those that needed identification. The cleared space rendered for crops like carabao mangoes, coconuts, papayas and seasonal vegetables but it must be the soil or the general climate in the area that made the coconut ambition unsuccessful. One by one, the coconuts wilted and died despite our efforts to keep them. Lesson learned!
What’s left of the planting space, most notably on the sides aligned to the fence, along the creek bank and the pathways, gave way to various native forest trees seedlings that were either given to me or traded for by fellow advocates in conservation or sourced from the Manila Seedling Bank and Hortica Filipina Foundation. Friends from the Rarefruit Society of the Philippines also generously shared their planting materials.

In the early years, we called this “Cocomangas Farm”; readers from my web journal (www.indi-journal.info) might have possibly read about it. Last year, when I registered the business with DTI, I was stuck in a dilemma of jotting down the old name or renaming it with a more suitable one. Finally, I decided to name it after a native tree that is prolific along the wooded creek bank of the property, hence the curious name. (3092)