Beautiful flowers

Sampaguita Jasmine

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.

Waling-Waling

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.

Philippine Camia

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

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.