Identifying the Seed.......Kalumbibit!

It was one of those trade exhibits held during an annual convention in Palawan of 2004 when my friend and I decided to check out what products were being sold. There were all sorts of novelty items such as clothing, handicrafts, furniture, delicacies and the like that were being showcased from this province. But what really caught my interest were these dangling wooden like seeds that were hung by a nylon thread to make a curtain.

I asked the seller what kind of a tree it was and he said that it was a huge tree from the forest. I don't remember the exact name of the tree, which the vendor himself was unassure of, but it sounded like "dalogdog" or "dagogdog" or "dalugdog" or something to that effect. I asked him if he could get me fresh seeds and so on the following day, I was able to purchase what I had just ordered.

The seeds was just something that caught my attention because it was smooth, circular, semi-glossy, had curved lines that looked similar to grains or rings from the wood. It looked hard and solid so I assumed that it came from a hardwood tree. I was making observations and assumptions at the same time, but one thing that is certain is that I was determined to figure what it was.

Arriving back to Manila, I began my search through the power of the net. All I could find was that the word "dalugdog" means thunder in the visayan dialect.....It seemed like a dead end to my search until a few months later when I was passing the street of Evangelista going to Quiapo church that I noticed the same seeds being sold by vendors who were peddling medicinal herbs and wild crafted items of sorts supposed to cure ailments to warding of bad spirits from medallions and trinkets.

Alas, my search was again fueled with the name that I obtained from the vendor, which was "Kalumbibit". For the first time, Kalumbibit or Dalugdug (Caesalpinia crista) registered to the site of Philippine Medicinal Plants which contained images, description and enumerated uses. It was as sigh of relief as identifying the kind of seed it was made things clearer. The next challenge was getting to know the specific requirements and habit of the Kalumbibit.

I would consider Kalumbibit as a woody liana or shrub that tends to gregariously climb up trees in order to reach more of the sunlight. Branches are barbed with spines good for warding of passers-by. The leaves are bipinnate and compound, evident that this is a leguminous type and the rachis (leaf stem or a main shaft) are also covered with recurved spines. Once you've hooked your shirt or skin onto one of these thorns, escaping would be hard because pulling yourself out of the situation will only ensnare you more so better keep still and pull them off one by one is the proper technique to free yourself. Seeds are found inside spiny bristled pods, which are packed in one or two's. It has a hard outer coating so scarification would be the easiest method that I learned in germinating it......And yes, I have tried this plant as a live fence. My only advice is that constant pruning or maintenance should be done in order to contain it in place, because once it has been neglected, you'll find a hard time putting things in order so to speak!

What am I doing wrong with my Almaciga?

A successful friend in the ornamental plant business once told me that in order to be successful in growing plants, one must be able to duplicate its natural habitat. In order to do this, considerations must be made with regards to soil type, climate, temperature, average rainfall, sunlight requirement, micro-organisms present in the soil or other living organisms that may aid it in a particular stage of its life cycle as to a symbiotic relationship and other factors that I may not be aware of. Basically, replicate the natural habitat of plants or trees that mother nature intended it to have and sure enough, you'll have healthy flourishing plants and trees.

Well I haven't seen natural stands of Almaciga trees in any forest that i've been to. The only lone mature tree that I have seen before stands inside the UPLB campus in Laguna, which I understand was planted decades ago. I have also seen young trees about 3 meters high and they look like living christmas trees, mainly because of the spear shape growth which is evident among competing trees for sunlight. However, the canopy seems to baloon into a mushroom shape upon maturity stage.

Almaciga or Agathis philippinensis, which comes from the family Araucariaceae is a beautiful evergreen tree. The resin from this particular tree is popularly known as "manila copal" and is also used to make varnishes and lacquer, caulking for boat, waterproofing materials, lighting fire and torches, soap and etc.

The picture shown top right is from the batch of seedlings that I have acquired on November 2004. Picture on the middle right side is the only seedling that survived among several that I have planted on site. This one was taken last November 2009. A duration of 5yrs has passed and look at the growth rate. Not much I would say...... One factor that I can think of is that my Almaciga is planted at a site with an elevation of just about 100m above sea level, as suppose to what Rojo mentioned in his book, Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees that Almaciga trees are found "In upland rainforests, mostly 1200-2200m, occasionally as low as 250m altitude in Luzon." Or maybe because Almaciga is just a slow growing species that it's just taking so long for me to appreciate. Left photo shows a young Almaciga tree that will emerge as one of the tallest trees in the country.

I hope that when my Almaciga grows to its full glory, I am still alive to tell the story.

SPRING IS IN!

Humidity is definitely high in Manila and other parts of the Philippines. A few scattered rainfall has touched down land. I don't particularly feel it, but the plants and trees say otherwise.

They are living organisms after all. It seems that trees can sense the slightest change in temperature.....

The following deciduous trees are out of dormancy and into an early start of spring, showing emerging new leaves.

TOP LEFT: young Kalumpit (5/7/10)
RIGHT: young Kalantas tree (4/23/10)
BOTTOM: Mala-ipil tree branch (5/7/10)

MEET MY HIMBABAO.

I remember the days when they were still babies. Look how cute they are! And just unfolding their first set of leaves.

Just about one year and a half old, young Himbabao here enjoys basking under the heat of the sun. He's really growing up fast just like his siblings and other peers. Reminds me how time really flies.

Two years and a half old Himbabao now showing signs of maturity. Though still looking lanky as suppose to other teen trees, he's a healthy young tree and full of promise.

I am proud that he's already showing some flowers of his labor. Soon, he'll be looking for the girl himbabao flower of his dreams... Or should I say that the birds and the bees are going to do that for him.

I am not worried though, because I know that he's not going anywhere. He likes where he is and he's home sweet home!

Fruit peel and vegetable trimming disposal.

Here is a simple and great tip I learned for disposing your fruit peels and vegetable trimmings. I read about this from a newspaper article months ago. Since then I have been placing any kind of fruit peel (at least cut into small size pieces or proportional to the plant) just above the head of my bird's nest ferns (asplenium nidus). Whether fresh or dried, fruit peels are naturally dehydrated and decomposed just by being exposed to the elements and becoming a natural slow release fertilizer to your epiphytic ferns and plants. Your plants will definitely grow healthier this way.

The reason why I avoid placing it on the ground or on potted plants is because food scraps or kitchen scraps like fruit peels attract rats, cockroaches and other pests. Placing these items on top of trees would make it difficult for rats and other ground insects to reach, therefore benefiting not only our ornamental epiphytic plants, but the host tree as well.

Remember, if there is no garbage to throw, the earth would be a better place to live in.

ANTIPOLO the tree and not the capital of RIZAL.

Yes, Antipolo City, the capital of Rizal got it's name from the Antipolo tree decades ago. Apparently, the city had an abundant supply of Antipolo trees from it's original forest, hence the name Antipolo City.

Fortunately, the Antipolo tree is endemic to the Philippines, however, it is indigenous to other cities within the country such as Calumpit, Bulacan being it's neighbor. Kalumpit is also a native tree, which I already discussed earlier.

Going back, the Antipolo tree belongs to the family MORACEAE and genus Artocarpus. It's scientific name is Artocarpus blancoi and is very much related to the popular jackfruit/Nangka/Langka (Artocarpus heterophyllus). Similarly, the seeds of the Antipolo can also be cooked or boiled or eaten raw by birds and land animals. I am not sure if the flesh is also edible. The wood of this tree is said to be of good quality and can be used to make furniture. The tree stands to about 30-40 meters in height and can reach a diameter of about 1-2 meters.

An added information to Antipolo is that according to wikipedia, "The name Artocarpus is derived from the Greek words artos (=bread) and karpos (=fruit)." Thus on some edible species, this breadfruit is eaten as a staple diet. On another note, wikipedia also mentioned that, "All Artocarpus species are laticiferous trees or shrubs whose leaves, twigs and the stem can produce a milky sap."

Bungang-Jolo, popularly known as Manila Palm

BUNGANG-JOLO
Family: PALMAE / ARECACEAE

Scientific name: Veitchia Merrillii (synonymous to Adonidia Merrillii)
Other common names: Manila Palm, Christmas Palm

Uses: Landscaping / Ornamental palm tree

Origin: PHILIPPINES

*solitary erect palm, good for lanscaping small areas