Flora of the Philippines

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Lush vegetation in a forest in Palawan

The flora of the Philippines comprises a diverse array of plant species, owing to the country's location within the Malesian biogeographical region. The Malesian phytogeographic zone is considered one of the major centers of plant diversity because of the large number and variation of species found there.[1] The Philippine archipelago is geographically isolated by both continental shelves and deep ocean trenches.[2]

At least one-third of the more than 9,250 vascular plant species native to the country are endemic.[3] However, no plant families are known to be endemic to the Philippines.[4] The families of gingers, begonias, gesneriads, orchids, pandans, palms, and dipterocarps have particularly high numbers of endemic species. For instance, about two-thirds of the 150 palm species found in the country occur nowhere else in the world. More than 137 genera and about 998 species of orchids have been recorded in the Philippines as of 2007.[5]

The broad lowland and hill rainforests of the Philippines, most of which have been lost,[6] were dominated by at least 45 species of dipterocarps. These large trees were common up to about 1,000 meters above sea level. Since dipterocarps originated in India and Malaysia, their presence in the Philippines indicates a historical biogeographical connection with western Malaysia.[7] Other important tree species include giant figs, which provide food for fruit bats, parrots, and monkeys, and Pterocarpus indicus, which, like dipterocarps, is valued for its timber.

Due to ongoing environmental changes, the discovery and documentation of new species have become increasingly important for maintaining an accurate record of the archipelago's flora and fauna.[8]

Several species of Rafflesia occur in the Philippines,[9] including Rafflesia philippensis.[10]

List

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Agoho (Casuarina equisetifolia) trees at the Agoo-Damortis Protected Landscape and Seascape
Gakakan (Drypetes falcata) at the University of Santo Tomas campus
Nipa palms (Nypa fruticans) along a riverside mangrove in Bohol

Native

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Introduced/Naturalized

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  • Acacia (Rain tree) – Samanea saman
  • Adelfa – Nerium oleander
  • Amorseco – Andropogon aciculatus
  • Ampalaya / Amargoso – Momordica charantia
  • Anonas – Anona reticulata
  • Aratiles – Mutingia calabura
  • Arbor vitae – Thuja occidentalis
  • Aroma – Prosopis vidaliana
  • Atis – Annona squamosa
  • Avocado – Persea americana
  • Baby's breath – Muscari armeniacum
  • Baho-baho – Lantana camara
  • Balsa – Ochroma pyramidale
  • Caballero – Caesalpinia pulcherrima
  • Cacao – Theobroma cacao
  • Caimito – Chrysophyllum cainito
  • Calabaza – Cucurbita maxima
  • Calachuchi – Plumeria obtusa
  • Camote – Ipomea batatas
  • Carabao grass – Paspalum conjugatum
  • Cassava – Manihot esculenta
  • Chico – Achras zapota
  • Comfrey – Symphytum officinalis
  • Dama de Noche – Cestrum nocturnum
  • Fire Tree – Delonix regia
  • Golden shower – Cassia fistula
  • Guava – Psidium guajava
  • Guyabano – Annona muricata
  • Hagonoy – Chromolaena odorata
  • Ipil-ipil – Leucaena leucocephala
  • Kadios – Cajanus cajan
  • Kakauate – Glericidia sepium
  • Kamatsile – Pithecellobium dulce
  • Katakataka – Kalanchoe pinnata
  • Kulitis – Amaranthus spinosus
  • Lasong-kainan – Blighia sapida
  • Mahogany – Swietenia macrophylla
  • Makahiya – Mimosa pudica
  • Malakamantigi – Impatiens walleriana
  • Malapaputok – Crossandra infundibuliformis
  • Marigold – Tagetes erecta
  • Pineapple – Ananas comosus
  • Pukingang-kahoi – Clitoria racemosa
  • Sampaguita – Jasminum sambac
  • Sibukaw – Caesalpinia sappan
  • Mollucan sau – Albizzia falcataria
  • Palawan cherry – Cassia nodosa
  • Papaya – Carica papaya
  • Sampaloc – Tamarindus indica
  • Santan – Ixora coccinea
  • Siniguelas – Spondeas purporea
  • Sugarcane – Saccharum officinarum
  • Tiesa – Pouteria campechiana
  • Tobacco – Nicotiana tabacum
  • Trompeta – Brugmansia suaveolens, Brugmansia arborea
  • Tuba-tuba – Jatropha curcas

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Stuessy, Tod F.; Sohmer, S. H. (1996). Sampling the Green World: Innovative Concepts of Collection, Preservation, and Storage of Plant Diversity. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-10136-3.
  2. ^ Jones, Andrew W.; Kennedy, Robert S. (2008-10-30). "Evolution in a tropical archipelago: comparative phylogeography of Philippine fauna and flora reveals complex patterns of colonization and diversification: PHILIPPINE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 95 (3): 620–639. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2008.01073.x. S2CID 83860043.
  3. ^ Das, Indraneil; Tuen, Andrew Alek, eds. (2016). Naturalists, Explorers and Field Scientists in South-East Asia and Australasia. Springer. p. 243. ISBN 978-3-319-26161-4.
  4. ^ "Philippines - Species | CEPF". www.cepf.net. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  5. ^ Agoo, Esperanza Maribel G. (2007). "Status of Orchid Taxonomy Research in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology. 1. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Langenberger, Gerhard; Martin, Konrad; Sauerborn, Joachim (April 2006). "Vascular Plant Species Inventory of a Philippine Lowland Rain Forest and its Conservation Value". Biodiversity and Conservation. 15 (4): 1271–1301. doi:10.1007/s10531-005-2576-4. ISSN 0960-3115. S2CID 24311228.
  7. ^ Adams, Charles C. (1925). Significance of the Flora of the Philippines. American Geographical Society, Wiley. pp. 163–165.
  8. ^ Yeo, Darren; Cumberlidge, Neil; Klaus, Sebastian, eds. (2014-01-01). "A new species of Isolapotamon Bott, 1968 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Potamidae) from Mindanao, with notes on the Philippine Isolapotamon species". Advances in Freshwater Decapod Systematics and Biology. BRILL: 135–159. doi:10.1163/9789004207615_009. ISBN 978-90-04-20761-5. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  9. ^ Wikramanayake, Eric D.; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: A Conservation Assessment. Washington: Island Press. p. 146. ISBN 1-55963-923-7.
  10. ^ Barcelona, J. F.; Pelser, P. B.; Balete, D. S.; Co, L. L. (2009). "Taxonomy, Ecology, and Conservation Status of Philippine Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae)" (PDF). Blumea. 54 (1): 77–93. doi:10.3767/000651909X474122.