Casuarina equisetifolia

 What we grow  No Responses »
Dec 012013
 

Photo specimen : Cultivated

Specimen height : 6-14 meters

Local names : Agoho, Agoo

Trade names: Casuarina, Sea pine, She-oak

Botanical name : Casuarina equisetifolia

Family : Casuarinaceae

Traits : Deep-rooted; Evergreen; Fast-growing; Full-sun; Low altitude tree; Medium-sized tree to Large tree; Nitrogen-fixing; Salt-spray tolerant; Subtropical to Tropical tree; Tolerant of infertile soil; Wind hardy

Recommendations : Boundary marker; Coastal stabilization; Erosion control; Fallow improvement; Farms; Green manure; Home gardens; Landscaping; Large avenues; Large gardens; Light shade for crops; Living fence; Living post; Living trellis; Mangrove management; Nurse tree; Ornamental tree; Paper & pulp tree plantations; Pioneer species for coastal areas; Public spaces; Reclamation; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Timber belt; Timber plantations; Urban greening; Windbreak

Used for : Roots, twigs and bark have uses in traditional medicine; Leaf litter as fuel; Raw material for Rayon fibres; Wood for flooring, interior works, ship building, paneling, poles, agricultural implements, walking canes; Pulpwood; Fuelwood and charcoal

Native range : Australia, New Zealand; New Guinea; Polynesia, Bangladesh; coastal Southeast Asia (including in the Philippines)

National conservation status : Not threatened in the Philippines

Further reading :

AgroForestry Tree Database (Casuarina equisetifolia) http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/Sea/Products/AFDbases/AF/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=477

Philippine Woods : Principal Uses, Distribution & Equivalent Woods in Asia Pacific (A. Ella, A. Tongacan, R. Escobin & F. Pitargue)

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. P. Rojo) (694)

Native wild edible : Ficus pseudopalma

 Native wild edibles, Our Blogs, What we grow  No Responses »
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

Further readings :

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo)

Tropical & Subtropical Trees (M. Barwick) (1152)

The anticipated leaves

 Our Blogs  No Responses »
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. (657)

Glochidion rubrum

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Oct 052013
 

Photo specimen : Wild trees

Specimen height : 2 - 4 meters

Habitat : Creek banks, open grasslands, roadsides and scrublands

Local name : Bagnang-pula

Botanical name : Glochidion rubrum

Family : Phyllanthaceae

Fruiting season : probably year-round

Traits : Drought-tolerant; Evergreen; Full sun; Grassfire-tolerant; Low to medium altitude tree; Shade-tolerant; Small tree; Tolerant of infertile soil; Undercanopy tree

Recommendations : Bird food; Hedge or screen; Landscaping; Living fence; Ornamental tree; Pioneer species for reforestation purposes; Potted; Public spaces; Roadside tree; Urban greening

Used for : Firewood and charcoal

Native range : Southeast Asia (including the Philippines)

National conservation status : Not threatened in the Philippines

 

Further reading :

Flora of China Glochidion rubrum http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242323539

Glochidion rubrum http://www.asianplant.net/Phyllanthaceae/Glochidion_rubrum.htm

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo) (713)

Native wild edible : Terminalia catappa

 Native wild edibles, What we grow  No Responses »
Oct 042013
 

Photo specimen : Domesticated and semi-domesticated trees

Specimen height : 14 - 18 m

Local name : Talisay

Trade names : Indian almond, Tropical almond

Botanical name : Terminalia catappa

Family : Combretaceae

Fruiting season : Fruits seen on January and August (probably year-round fruiting)

Traits : Buttressed; Deciduous; Drought tolerant; Fast-growing; Full-sun; Long-lived species; Low altitude species; Medium-sized tree; Salt spray tolerant; Spreading crown; Tolerant of infertile soil; Water-logging tolerant; Wind hardy

Recommendations : Backyards; Boundary marker; Coastal stabilization; Edible gardening; Erosion control; Farms; Fruit collector’s; Honey tree; Landscaping; Large avenues, Large gardens; Living fence; Living post; Living trellis; Mangrove management; Nurse tree; Ornamental tree; Paper & pulp tree plantations; Pioneer species for reforestation of coastal areas; Plantations; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Timber belt; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak

Used for : Fruit pulp and seed kernel are edible (the nuts are important food source in the Pacific islands); Wine is made from fruit pulp fermentation; Timber for small constructions, interior work, veneers, plywood, musical instruments and furnitures; Firewood and charcoal

Native range : Tropical Asia (including the Philippines), Australia to the Pacific islands

National conservation status : Not threatened in the Philippines

Further reading :

Philippine Woods : Principal Uses, Distribution & Equivalent Woods in Asia Pacific (A. Ella, A. Tongacan, R. Escobin & F. Pitargue)

Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry (Terminalia catappa) http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/T.catappa-tropical-almond.pdf (694)

Native wild edible : Canarium ovatum

 Native wild edibles, What we grow  No Responses »
Oct 042013
 

Photo specimen : Domesticated trees

Specimen height : 14-18 meters

Local name : Pili

Trade name : Pili Nut

Botanical name : Canarium ovatum

Family : Burseraceae

Fruiting season : Fallen fruits seen on December

Traits : Buttressed; Dioecious; Drought tolerant; Evergreen; Full sun; Long-lived species; Low to medium altitude tree; Medium-sized to large tree; Spreading crown; Wind hardy; With extensive root system

Recommendations: Agroforestry; Backyards; Boundary marker; Edible gardening; Farms; Fruit collector’s; Large avenues; Large gardens; Living fence; Plantations; Public spaces; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Specimen tree; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak

Used for : Nutritious and oily kernels are used in making pastries and confections and made into preserves but they are also good eaten raw; An oil suitable for culinary use, as raw material for soap making and as illuminant can be extracted from the pulp and the kernel; Young shoots are cooked as vegetables or used in green salads; Green pulp pickled; Ripe pulp boiled, seasoned and eaten as a delicacy; Wood and seed shells are used as fuel; Seed shells are processed and sold as small souvenirs and ornaments; Light construction wood used under cover; Wood for furnitures, handicrafts, musical instruments and novelties; Pulpwood

Native range : The Philippines

National conservation status : Other Threatened Species (DENR AO 2007-

Further reading :

Philippine Woods : Principal Uses, Distribution & Equivalent Woods in Asia Pacific (A. Ella, A. Tongacan, R. Escobin & F. Pitargue)

Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops 6 Pili NutCanarium ovatum Engl. (R.E. Coronel)

DENR Administrative Order 2007-1 (Establishing the National List of Threatened Philippine Plants and their Categories, and the List of Other Wildlife Species) (622)

Pterocarpus indicus

 Salvaged, What we grow  No Responses »
Sep 012013
 

Photo specimen : Semi-domesticated trees

Specimen height : 20-25 meters

Local names : Narra, Smooth narra, Prickly narra

Trade names : Narra, Smooth narra, Prickly narra

Botanical names : Pterocarpus indicus forma indicus

Pterocarpus indicus forma echinatus

Family : Fabaceae - Faboideae

Traits : Buttressed; Deciduous to evergreen; Drought tolerant; Emergent tree; Fast growing; Large tree; Long-lived species; Low to medium altitude species; Nitrogen-fixing; Spreading crown; Tolerant of infertile soil; Tolerant of occasional water-logging; Wind hardy; With extensive root system

Recommendations : Boundary marker; Erosion control; Fallow improvement; Farms; Green manure; Honey tree; Landscaping; Large avenues; Large gardens; Living fence; Medicinal plant; Ornamental tree; Plantations; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Timber belt; Timber plantations; Urban greening; Windbreak

Used for : Young leaves and inflorescence are edible but rarely eaten; Barks and leaves are used in the preparation of traditional medicines, also made into herbal teas and pills; Timber for boat building, light constructions, interior works, high-class furnitures, musical instruments, decorative veneers and flooring, tools and handicrafts; Red dye can be extracted from the heartwood; Felled branches for fuel wood and charcoal

Native range : Southeast Asia (including the Philippines), Ryuku islands (Japan), Caroline islands, Bismarck Archipelago, New Hebrides, Solomon Islands

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

(Note : Difference between Smooth narra and Prickly narra is mainly about their fruit (pod). The latter’s fruit have soft pricks as compared to the former’s being smooth; other vegetative characteristics do not hold)

Further reading :

DENR Administrative Order 2007-1 (Establishing the National List of Threatened Philippine Plants and their Categories, and the List of Other Wildlife Species)

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo)

Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry (Pterocarpus indicus) http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Pterocarpus-narra.pdf

  (1043)

Canarium asperum ssp. asperum var. asperum

 Salvaged, What we grow  No Responses »
Jul 032013
 

Photo specimen : Wild and cultivated trees

Specimen height : 8-25 meters

Habitats in the wild : Disturbed or secondary forests, dry grasslands, moist and dry thickets

Local name : Pagsahingin, Patsingin

Botanical name : Canarium asperum ssp. asperum var.asperum

Family : Burseraceae

Traits : Dioecious; Drought tolerant; Evergreen; Fast-growing; Medium-sized tree; Tolerant of infertile soil; Tolerant of occasional water-logging; Wind hardy

Recommendations : Agroforestry; Erosion control; Farms; Landscaping; Large avenues; Living fence; Nurse tree; Paper & pulp tree plantations; Pioneer species reforestation purposes; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Timber belt; Timber plantations; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak

Used for : Tapped resin sold as Manila elemi or Elemi which is used in the manufacturing of paint, varnishes, perfumes, incense, aromatherapy and pharmaceutical products; Resin also used as illuminant; Wood for light interior works, furnitures, veneer, plywood, agricultural implements, musical instruments, boxes, crates and toys; Pulpwood; Fuelwood and charcoal

Native range : Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines,New Guinea and Solomon Islands

National conservation status : Not threatened

Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use; Indiscriminate cutting of wild trees for charcoal and fuelwood production

Further reading :

Philippine Woods : Principal Uses, Distribution & Equivalent Woods in Asia Pacific (A. Ella, A. Tongacan, R. Escobin & F. Pitargue)

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo)

The IUCN Red LIST of Threatened Species - Canarium asperum http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/33233/0 (854)

Macaranga tanarius

 Salvaged, What we grow  No Responses »
Jun 302013
 

Photo specimen : Wild trees

Specimen height : 4-6 meters

Habitats : Coastal thickets, creekbanks, grasslands, roadsides, wastelands

Local name : Binunga

Botanical name : Macaranga tanarius

Family : Euphorbiaceae

Fruiting season : December to January

Traits : Drought tolerant; Fast-growing; Low to medium altitude tree; Semi-decidious; Shade tolerant; Small tree; Tolerant of infertile soil

Recommendations : Coastal protection; Cut and carry fodder; Erosion control; Fallow improvement; Farms; Green manure; Home gardens; Landscaping; Living fence; Living trellis; Nurse tree; Ornamental tree; Paper & pulp tree plantations; Pioneer species for reforetation purposes; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Urban greening; Wildcrafting

Used for : Fruits added to palm juice to improve the quality of sugar produced; Bark and leaves are used locally in the preparation of Basi wine; Resin or gum from the bark is used as glue in making musical instruments; Black dye is obtained from the leaves; Tanin from the bark is used to toughen fishnets from seawater exposure; Leaves as cattle fodder; Pulpwood; Firewood and charcoal

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

National conservation status : Not threatened

Further reading :

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo)

Tropical & Subtropical Trees (M. Barwick)

World Agroforestry http://www.worldagroforestry.org/af/treedb/AFTPDFS/Macaranga_tanarius.pdf (936)

Melanolepsis multiglandulosa

 Salvaged  No Responses »
Jun 202013
 

Photo specimen : Wild

Specimen height : 4-6 meters

Habitats : Open grasslands, creek banks, roadsides and scrublands

Local name : Alim

Botanical name : Melanolepsis multiglandulosa

Family : Euphorbiaceae

Fruiting season : Fruits observed from February to March

Traits : Deciduous; Drought tolerant; Fast-growing; Low to medium altitude tree; Small tree; Tolerant of infertile soil

Recommendations : Landscaping; Living fence; Living trellis; Medicinal plant; Nurse tree; Pioneer species for reforestation purposes; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Urban greening; Wildcrafting

Used for: Wood for shoes; Bark and leaves used in traditional medicine; Firewood

Native range : Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, New Guinea, Marianas Islands

National conservation status : Not threatened

Further reading :

Malesian Euphorbiaceae Descriptions (Flora Malesiana)
http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/euphorbs/specM/Melanolepis.htm

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo) (735)

Chionanthus ramiflorus

 Salvaged  No Responses »
Jun 192013
 

Photo specimen : Wild

Specimen height : 6-8 meters

Habitat : Creek banks

Local name : Karaksan

Botanical name : Chionanthus ramiflorus

Family : Oleaceae

Fruiting season : April to June

Traits : Evergreen; Fast growing; Shade tolerant; Water-logging tolerant

Recommendations : Landscaping; Living fence; Living trellis; Public spaces; Riparian mangement; Urban greening

Used for : Reports of flowers being edible; Essential oil (from fruit or seed?); Light construction timber; Firewood and charcoal

Native range : India, Bangladesh, Andaman Islands, China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia (including the Philippines), New Guinea, Australia and Solomon islands

National conservation status : Not threatened

Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use; Firewood and charcoal production

Further reading :

Biodiversity and Local Perceptions on the Edge of a Conservation Area , Khe Tran Village, Vietnam (M. Boissière, I. Basuki, P. Koponen, M. Wan, D. Sheil) http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/publications/pdf_files/BBoissiere0601.pdf

Co’s Digital Flora of the Philippines - Oleaceae http://www.philippineplants.org/Families/Oleaceae.html

Flora of Taiwan, 2nd Edition Vol. 4 - Oleaceae (YANG, Yuen-Po and LU, Sheng-You) (pages 129-130) or at Plants of Taiwan http://tai2.ntu.edu.tw/ebook/ebookpage.php?book=Fl.%20Taiwan%202nd%20edit.&volume=4&page=129 (582)

Trema orientalis

 What we grow  No Responses »
Jun 062013
 


Photo specimen : Wild

Specimen height : 8-14 meters

Habitats : Open slopes, grasslands, river banks

Local name : Anabiong

Trade name : Pigeonwood

Botanical name : Trema orientalis

Family : Ulmaceae

Fruiting season : March to July

Traits : Drought tolerant; Evergreen; Fast-growing; Have extensive root sytem; Medium-sized tree; Spreading crown; Tolerant of infertile soil; Wind hardy

Recommendations : Cut and carry fodder; Erosion control; Fallow improvement; Farms; Green manure; Landscaping; Large avenues; Large gardens; Light shade for crops; Living fence; Living trellis; Medicinal plant; Nurse tree; Ornamental tree; Paper & pulp tree plantations; Pioneer species for reforestation purposes; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak

Used for : Bark and leaves are used in traditional medicine; Bast fibre made into rope; Wood used for paneling, boards, wooden shoes, containers, toys and novelties; Bark and leaves yield black and coffee-coloured dye; Leaves used as animal fodder; Fallen leaves used as mulch; Pulpwood; Firewood and charcoal

Origin : Tropical Africa, India, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan; Southeast Asia (including the Philippines), New Guinea, Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia

National conservation status : Not threatened in the Philippines

Possible threat : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use

Further reading :

AgroForestryTree Database (Trema orientalis)http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sea/Products/AFDbases/af/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=1654

Philippine Woods : Principal Uses, Distribution & Equivalent Woods in Asia Pacific (A. Ella, A. Tongacan, R. Escobin & F. Pitargue)

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo) (631)

Gymnosporia spinosa var. spinosa

 Salvaged  No Responses »
Jun 052013
 

Materials identified by : Ulysses Ferreras (Field Botanist)

Photo specimen : Wild

Specimen height : 2-4 meters

Habitat : Dry thickets and open grasslands

 

Local name : Amumut

Botanical name : Gymnosporia spinosa var. spinosa

Family : Celastraceae

Traits : Deciduous; Drought tolerant; Grassfire tolerant; Large shrub to small tree; Much-branched; Tolerant of infertile soil

Recommendations : Erosion control; Hedging; Living trellis; Pioneer species for reforestation purposes; Public spaces; Urban greening

Used for : Fuelwood and charcoal

Origin : Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia (including the Philippines), New Guinea and Australia

National conservation status : Not threatened

Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use

(Note : Synonymous to Maytenus emarginata)

Further reading :

Reinstatement of Gymnosporia (Celastraceae):
implications for the Flora Malesiana region (Marie Jordaan and A.E. van Wyk) http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/72714/Tel10Jor155.pdf

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo) (619)

Native wild edible : Spondias pinnata

 Native wild edibles, What we grow  No Responses »
May 312013
 

Photo specimen : Wild

Local name : Libas

Trade name : Hog plum

Botanical name : Spondias pinnata

Family : Anacardiaceae

Specimen height : 20-30 meters

Fruiting season : Matured fruits collected on July

Traits : Deciduous; Drought tolerant; Fast-growing; Low to high altitude tree; Medium-sized to large tree; Tolerant of infertile soil

Recommendations : Agroforestry; Backyards; Edible gardening; Erosion control; Farms; Fruit collector’s; Large gardens; Light shade for crops; Living fence; Living trellis; Medicinal plant; Nurse tree; Plantations; Public spaces; Riparian management; Urban greening; Wild-crafting; Windbreak

Used for : Young fruits, inflorescence, young leaves and leafy shoots are used as vegetable; Ripe fruits are eaten raw or made into preserves; Bark, leaves and roots are used in folkloric medicine; Timber for temporary constructions; Wood for cases, boxes, chests, matchsticks

Native range : India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia (including the Philippines),

National conservation status : Not threatened in the Philippines

Further readings :

Flora of China - Spondias pinnata http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012721

India Biodiversity Portal - Spondias pinnata http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/18401

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo) (679)

Doryxylon spinosum

 Salvaged  No Responses »
May 142013
 

Materials identified by : Ulysses Ferreras (Field Botanist)

Specimen : Wild

Specimen height : 4-6 meters

Habitat : Dry thickets and open grasslands

Local name : Dilap

Botanical name : Doryxylon spinosum

Family : Euphorbiaceae

Traits : Drought tolerant; Grass fire tolerant; Low altitude tree; Small tree; Tolerant of infertile soil

Recommendations : Erosion control; Hedge tree; Landscaping; Living fence

Used for : Fuelwood

Native range : Indonesia and the Philippines

National conservation status : Not threatened

Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use; Indiscriminate cutting of wild trees for fuelwood and charcoal production

Further reading :

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo)

Smithsonian Institution Collections Search Center - Doryxylon spinosum http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=record_ID%3Anmnhbotany_10093828&repo=DPLA (529)

Cratoxylum sumatranum

 What we grow  No Responses »
May 092013
 

Specimen : Wild

Specimen height : 4-6 meters

Habitats : In open grasslands, creek banks

Local names : Kansilay, Lakansilay, Paguringon

Botanical name : Cratoxylum sumatranum

Family : Hypericaceae

Fruiting season : May to July

Traits : Drought tolerant; Emergent tree; Evergreen; Low altitude tree; Small to medium-sized tree; Tolerant of infertile soil

Recommendations : Erosion control; Farms; Home gardens; Landscaping; Living fence; Medicinal plant; Ornamental tree; Pioneer species for reforestation purposes; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Timber belt; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak

Used for : Leaves and bark have medicinal uses; Timber for light construction, interior work, boards, paneling, furniture, poles, wooden crates, boxes and carving; Pulpwood; Fuelwood and charcoal

Native range : Southeast Asia (including the Philippines)

National conservation status : Not threatened

Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use; Indiscriminate cutting of wild trees for fuel and charcoal production

Further reading :

Cratoxylum sumatranum http://www.asianplant.net/Hypericaceae/Cratoxylum_sumatranum.htm

Philippine Woods : Principal Uses, Distribution & Equivalent Woods in Asia Pacific (A. Ella, A. Tongacan, R. Escobin & F. Pitargue)

Trees of Sungai Wain - Cratoxylum sumatranum http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/sungaiwain/ (606)

Pandanus luzonensis

 Salvaged  No Responses »
Apr 212013
 

Specimen : Wild trees

Specimen height : 4-6 meters

Habitat : Creek banks

Local name : Alas-as, Alasas, Pandan-luzon

Botanical name : Pandanus luzonensis

Family : Pandanaceae

Fruiting season : Fruits observed from February to March

Traits : Dioecious; Evergreen; Shade tolerant; Small tree; Water-logging tolerant; Willowy

Recommendations : Landscaping; Ornamental tree; Public spaces; Riparian management; Wildcrafting

Used for : Prop roots have been used as diuretic; Leaves employed in weaving hats, mats and baskets; Firewood

Native range : The Philippines

National conservation status : Not threatened

Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use

Resources :

Bureau of Plant Industry’s Medicinal Plants Publication - Pandanus luzonensishttp://www.bpi.da.gov.ph/Publications/mp/pdf/p/pand (503)

Alstonia scholaris

 What we grow  No Responses »
Apr 192013
 

Specimen : Wild and semi-domesticated trees

Specimen height : 20-30 meters

Habitats : In open woodlands, coastal thickets and along natural waterways

Local name : Dita

Trade name : Devil tree, Milkwood, White cheesewood, Milky pine

Botanical name : Alstonia scholaris

Family : Apocynaceae

Traits : Drought tolerant; Emergent tree; Evergreen; Fast growing; Low to medium altitude tree; Medium to large tree; Salt spray tolerant; Shade tolerant; Tolerant of infertile soil; Tolerant of occasional water-logging

Recommendations : Boundary marker; Coastal stabilization; Erosion control; Farms; Large avenues; Large gardens; Living fence; Mangrove management; Ornamental tree; Paper & pulp tree plantations; Pioneer species for reforestation purposes; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Specimen tree; Timber belt; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak

Used for : Latex are made into chewing gum; Fiber are obtained from the bark; Inflorescence yields essential oil; Sap from the bark is used as tonic, vermifuge and anti-malarial drug; Latex and leaves are also medicinal; Wood for interior work, veneer, plywood, wooden crates, bowls, food containers, boxes and shoes, coffins, chalkboards, small wooden items, buoys or floats and carving; Pulpwood; Fuelwood

Native range : India, Sri Lanka, China, Southeast Asia (including the Philippines), New Guinea, Australia and neighboring islands

National conservation status : Not threatened

Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use; Forestry logging

(Note : The wood is made into chalkboards and slates used for school hence the epithet “scholaris”)

Further readings :

Philippine Woods : Principal Uses, Distribution & Equivalent Woods in Asia Pacific (A. Ella, A. Tongacan, R. Escobin & F. Pitargue)

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo)

Tropical & Subtropical Trees (M. Barwick)

World Agroforestry Centre - AgroForestry Tree Database Alstonia scholaris http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/Products/AFDbases/AF/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=201 (816)

Parkia timoriana

 What we grow  No Responses »
Apr 182013
 


Photo specimen : Wild

Specimen height : About 25 meters

Habitats : Riverine and limestone forests, secondary forests

Local name : Kupang

Botanical name : Parkia timoriana

Family : Fabaceae - Mimosoideae

Traits : Buttressed; Emergent tree; Drought tolerant; Fast growing; Large tree; Low to medium altitude tree; Nitrogen-fixing; Semi-deciduous to Evergreen; Shade tolerant; Tolerant of infertile soil

Recommendations : Boundary marker; Erosion control; Fallow improvement; Farms; Fodder tree; Landscaping; Large avenues; Large gardens; Living fence; Ornamental tree; Paper and pulp tree plantations; Pioneer species for reforestation purposes; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Timber belt; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak

Used for : Fruits reportedly edible and can be eaten raw or cooked; Leaves, root, bark and seeds have uses in traditional medicine; Cut and carry fodder; Firewood and charcoal

Native range : India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines

National conservation status : Not threatened

Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use; Forestry logging

(Note : Literatures claim this is synonymous to Parkia javanica)

Further readings :

ASEAN Tropical Plant Database http://211.114.21.20/tropicalplant/html/print.jsp?rno=145

Parkia javanica http://www.bpi.da.gov.ph/Publications/mp/pdf/k/kupang.pdf

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo)

Tropical & Subtropical Trees (M. Barwick)

(652)

Sterculia rubiginosa

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Mar 192013
 

Specimen : Wild

Habitat : Creek banks

Local names : Sinaligan, Kadlihan, Panakitin

Botanical name : Sterculia rubiginosa (3 varieties occur naturally in the Philippines - var. rubiginosa, var. divaricata and var. setistipula)

Family : Malvaceae

Height : 6-10 meters

Traits : Dioecious; Semi-deciduous to deciduous; Fast-growing; Low to medium altitude tree; Small to medium-sized tree; Tolerant of occasional water-logging

Recommendations : Erosion control; Farms; Honey tree; Landscaping; Large gardens; Living fence; Ornamental tree; Paper & pulp tree plantations; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Urban greening

Used for : Timber for light constructions, interior work, wooden containers, shoe heels, veneer, plywood; Pulpwood

Native range : Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines

National conservation status : Not threatened

Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use; Indiscriminate cutting of wild trees for firewood and charcoal production

Further readings :

ASEAN Tropical Plant Database - Sterculia rubiginosa http://211.114.21.20/tropicalplant/html/print.jsp?rno=873

Philippine Woods : Principal Uses, Distribution & Equivalent Woods in Asia Pacific (A. Ella, A. Tongacan, R. Escobin & F. Pitargue)

Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo) (637)

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