ENDANGERED PLANTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

ENDANGERED PLANTS

The Philippine archipelago is a collection of more than 7,100 islands and outlets, located off the southeastern coast of the Asian continent. The Philippine Islands feature more than 8,000 plant species, with 3,500 of those being native to the Philippines and found nowhere else on Earth. There are dozens of plant species that are classified as endangered in the Philippines, some of which are considered as critical, or even being totally dependent upon conservation for survival. Of the endangered species, a few receive special attention because of the circumstances that relate to their survival.

Some of the Endangered Plants in the Philippines

Pakong-Buwaya Anahaw or Fan

Palm Kabantigi Almaciga Belladonna Jane Vine Philippine Date

Palm Kanyon, Luplupak Tree Fern Waling-Waling Bungang-Ipot

Pakong-Buwaya (Tree Fern) Scientific Name: Cyathea spp. Family: Cyatheaceae Common Name: Tree Fern Local Name: Natong

Description: A large tree fern found in various mountains of the Philippines. The large leaves are a meter or two in length, with leaflets that are divided and then further subdivided. Its stalks are a meter or more in height and are covered with hairs and dull brown scales.

Habitat: Terrestrial, in moist primary forests, from about 200 to 1,300m elevation.

Conservation Status: Threatened Threats: Over-collection for ornamental purposes

Tree Fern

Anahaw or Fan Palm Scientific Name: Cycas chamberlainii Br. & Kienh. Family: Cycadaceae

Common Name: Chamberlain's PitogoLocal Name: Pitogong Arayat

Description: The Filipino word "Anahaw“ are nice-looking, tropical palm known for its round fan-shaped leaves. Its leaf has some uses like: to fan yourself during hot days. The Tagalogs of Quezon Province even use it to wrap their brown and delicious tikoy. Anahaw leaves are also a widespread symbol in the Philippines that is often used in awards and medals to represent high achievement, strength, and loyalty. The Anahaw leaf features a large, round outline and is glossy green in color. It spreads out grandly from the center of the shaft and opens to a full crest divided shallowly at the ends and is known to be one of the most beautiful plant in the Philippines.

Habitat: Known to be found on the steep, rather rocky ridges

Fan Palm

Kabantigi Scientific Name: Pemphis acidula Forst.

Family: Lythraceae

Local Name: Kabantigi

Description: Grows up to 5m high. The trunk and branches develop stunted, crooked, or twisted formations. The leaves grow on opposite sides of the stem. The leaf is 2 to 4 times as long as it is broad, and has a smooth, undivided outline. Flowers are solitary and have pure white petals. The fruit changes from red to brown. Seeds are many and angular in shape.

Habitat: Found on sandy and rocky beaches or limestone rocks, sometimes associated with mangrove species.

Conservation Status: Threatened

Threats: Over-collection as bonsai or rock garden plants.  

Kabantigi

Almaciga Scientific Name: Agathis philippinensis Warb.

Family: Araucariaceae

Common Name: Almaciga

Description: evergreen large tree that grows up to 65m. It has a smooth, gray bark; its oval leaves narrow gradually at times, sharply, toward the tip. The seed cone is oval while the seed itself has a sharp, but not extended point.

Habitat: Found in montane forests from 1,200 to 2,000 m.a.s.l

Conservation Status: Threatened

Almaciga

Belladonna Belladonna, from the Italian expression "bella donna" meaning

"beautiful woman“

Atropa belladonna or Atropa bella-donna, commonly known as belladonna or deadly nightshade, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Solanaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. The foliage and berries are extremely toxic, containing tropane alkaloids. These toxins include scopolamine and hyoscyamine which cause a bizarre delirium and hallucinations,[1] and are also used as pharmaceuticalanticholinergics. The drug atropine is derived from the plant.

It has a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic, and poison. Before the Middle Ages, it was used as an anesthetic for surgery, the ancient Romans used it as a poison (the wife of Emperor Augustus and the wife of Claudius both used it to murder contemporaries) and predating this it was used to make poison tipped arrows. The genus name "atropa" comes from Atropos, one of the three Fates in Greek mythology, and the name "bella donna" is derived from Italian and means "beautiful woman".

Belladonna

Jade Vine Scientific Name: Strongylodon macrobotrys A. Gray

Family: Leguminosae

Common Name: Jade Vine

Local Name: Tayabak

Description: The jade vine is a tree climber with a woody stem that twines and twists to yield a rope-like appearance. The flower clusters measure 60-90cm long, draping the tree support like a heavy curtain. Each flower is boat-shaped, gently curved like an upturned beak and deep blue-green in color. The fruit is an ovoid capsule bearing large brown seeds.

Habitat: In humid forests and ravines from 700 to 1,000 m.a.s.l.

Conservation Status: Threatened

Threats: Over collection for ornamental purposes.

Jade Vine

Waling-Waling Scientific Name: Vanda sanderiana Reichb.f.

Family: Orchidaceae

Local Name: Waling-waling

Description: This epiphyte grows on branches of tall dipterocarp trees. It is 25-100cm tall with long narrow leaves. The sepals are greenish with purple streaks and irregular spots. Though similar to the petals, the sepals are smaller, rose purple in color and have purple spots on the lower margins near the base.

Habitat: The species is found in dipterocarp forests at low and medium altitudes and seldom over 500 m.a.s.l.

Conservation Status: Endangered

Waling-Waling

Kanyon, Luplupak Scientific Name: Phoenix hanceana Naud. var. philippinensis Becc.

Family: Palmae

Common Name: Philippine date palm

Local Name: Voiavoi

Description: This is a solitary, erect palm with a trunk up to 10m tall and up to 25cm in diameter. The leaves are to 1m long with leaflets at the lower portion. Its fruits are oblong, turning black when mature. Covering one-fourth of the entire fruit is the perianth which protects its developing reproductive parts.

Habitat: On grasslands and occasionally, along mountain streams at low medium altitudes

Conservation Status: Threatened

Threats: Collection of the whole plant for ornamental purposes; fruit for food; leaves for raincoat-making, bags, hats, baskets, and others; grassland fires

Kanyon, Luplupak

Bungang-Ipot Scientific Name: Areca ipot Becc.

Family: Palmae

Local Name: Bungang-ipot

Description: A small stocky tree to 4m high and to 12cm in diameter. The dark green leaves reach 1.5m in length, are gracefully curved outward, and appear to be swollen near the base. Its flower arrangement is dense with clusters of flowers. Its deep orange fruit has a flattened base and a rounded top. Its seeds is oval-shaped. The natives use the nuts for betel-chewing.

Habitat: Found in primary forests at low and medium altitudes.

Conservation Status: Threatened

Threats: Over-collection for ornamental purposes.

Bungang-Ipot

STAGHORN FERN Scientific Name: Platycerium grande Family: Polypodiaceae

Common Name: Staghorn Fern

Local Name: Capa de leon

Description: The giant staghorn fern has upright sterile leaflike structures of glossy, vivid green. Upper lobes of its leaves are forked at both edges. Leaf patterns are clearly visible while large, forked pairs of leaves also appear with age. These woody and striated structures are 55x80cm in size, approximately 1cm thick near the middle, then widen gradually. Its wedge-shaped leaf blades are equally divided into 2 more or less symmetrical lobes, separated by a narrow strip.Habitat: This can be found on crowns of forest trees at sea level to 1,000m elevation.Conservation Status: ThreatenedThreats: Over-collection due to its ornamental value.

PHILIPPINE CAMIA

Scientific Name: Hedychium philippinense K. Schum.

Family: Zingiberaceae

Common Name: Philippine Garland, Philippine Camia

Local Name: Camia, White Ginger

Description: An epiphytic herb with 1 to 3 stems. The terminal flowers are white with a shade of yellow and with crinkled margins. The fruit is a three-sided capsule which turns orange-yellow and bears dark red seeds.

Habitat: Epiphytic on trunks and branches of trees in primary forests at altitudes 900 to 1,800m.

Conservation Status: Rare

CEBU CINNAMON Common Name:             Cebu Cinnamon,

Kaningag, KalingagScientific Name:             Cinnamomum cebuenseCategories:                    MedicinalConservation Status:     unassessed

The Cebu Cinnamon is endemic to Cebu Island, Philippines and is relatively new to science.

It is a member of the family Lauraceae, known for their aromatic bark and leaves.

It is a small to medium sized tree, reaching a height of approximately 6 to 8m and diameter of 25 to 35 cm with smooth outer bark. 

Nepenthes-Tropical Pitcher Plants, Monkey Cups

Nepenthes are native primarily to the Malaysian region, India and Australia. They form wonderful hanging pitchers that are sure to attract attention. Some are vines while others form rosettes. Most make two or more types of pitchers:lower pitchers are often more rotund and arise from stems closer to the ground, upper pitchers are often more slender, small and arise from climbing stems which are farther from the roots. Upper pitchers usually have a tendril that wraps around branches, etc. before forming the pitcher; this is one way Nepenthes can climb into/above surrounding vegetation.They can be grown in a greenhouse, sun room, partly sunny window, or under lights.

RAFFLESIA

Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots. It is an

endoparasite of vines in the genus Tetrastigma (Vitaceae), spreading its absorptive organ, the haustorium, inside the tissue of the vine. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petaled flower.

*Philippine species Since 2002 there has been a tremendous amount of activity

by Filipino scientists who have discovered and named several new species of Rafflesia. Before this time there were two species known: R. manillana and R. schadenbergiana, the latter of which was last seen in 1882 on Mt. Apo in Davao Province on Mindanao Island, but was thought to be extinct

Narra or Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus)

- Narra tree is a striking, large and strong shady tree. It is one of the most wanted wood for furniture but because there are only a few trees left, cutting down a Narra tree is no longer allowed. It is mostly found in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests. The Narra trees grow all over the Philippine islands and are mostly found and grown in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests.

Balete Tree

The gnarled Balete tree can be found as wild or culture tree almost everywhere in the tropics. It is told, that already Robinson Crusoe has allegedly lived in a Balete tree. In the Philippines it grows in almost all regions pines. "Banyan-Tree" and "Balete-Tree" are also common names. The Balete tree is belonging to the family of fig trees (Ficus). About ten of 800 species are growing in the Philippines.