Sampaguita jasmine (Arabian Jasmine) is the national flower of the
Philippines, found throughout the island nation. It is a vining plant
with ovate evergreen leaves, growing to 9 feet tall. It blooms
throughout the year in the Philippines, producing large clusters of
sweetly fragrant, snow-white flowers that fade to pink as they age. The
flowers are waxy with eight petals arranged in a star-like pattern. In
wild plants, decorative black-purple berries emerge post flowering, but
these seldom appear on plants under cultivation.
One of the largest and most unusual orchids in the Philippines, the
waling-waling (Euanthe sanderiana) is native to the island of Mindanao.
Sometimes called "the Queen of Orchids," this species produces
exceptionally large, 5-inch flowers with intricately lobed petal
formations and tendril-like fringe around the outer edges. The flowers
are buttery yellow in color with ornate reddish-purple markings. It
grows to nearly four feet in height with a gracefully curved flower
stalk and flat, strap-like leaves around the base.
Found in forests above 2,000 feet, the Philippine camia (Hedychium
philippinense) is an epiphytic herbaceous plant sometimes referred to as
white ginger. It has up to three stems ending with a cluster of
four-petalled white flowers with a pale yellow hue at the center. They
are strongly fragrant and are often used in perfumery. After flowering,
Philippine camia bears three-sided capsule-like seed pods which are
orange in color with dark-red seeds. They are commonly cultivated in the
Philippines and other tropical countries.
Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) is an unusual evergreen vine known
for its talon-like, pale blueish-green flowers. Although once common
throughout the Philippines, jade vine is now scarce due to habitat
destruction. Sometimes reaching 70 feet in length, the vines are woody
and up to two inches in diameter. The foliage is oblong and dull-green,
arranged in groupings of three. Long, hanging clusters of flowers emerge
in spring and summer, often with nearly 100 blooms arranged in six-foot
long garlands. The flower's shape resembles a cat's claw and is often
jade-green in color, which gave rise to its common name.
