Flora of the Philippines

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Lush vegetation in a forest in Palawan Palawan, Philippines, Forest.jpg
Lush vegetation in a forest in Palawan

The flora of the Philippines boasts a diverse array of plant species given its location in the great Malaysian flora. The Malaysian Phytogeographic zone is considered to be one of the most important centers for plant diversity because of the multitude and variance of species occupying that zone. [1] The archipelago is isolated by a continental and deep ocean. [2]

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At the very least, one-third of the more than 9,250 vascular plant species native to the country are endemic. [3] There are, however, no plant families endemic to the country.[ citation needed ] The families of gingers, begonias, gesneriads, orchids, pandans, palms, and dipterocarps are particularly high in endemic species. For example, two-thirds of the 150 species of palms present in the country are found nowhere else in the world. There are over 137 genera and about 998 species of orchids so far recorded in the Philippines as of 2007. [4]

The broad lowland and hill rain forests of the Philippines, which are mostly gone today, [5] were dominated by at least 45 species of dipterocarps. These massive trees were abundant to up to 1,000 meters above sea level. Considering the dipterocarps originated in India and Malaysia, the existence of the trees in the archipelago demonstrates a connection between the Philippines and western Malaysia. [6] Other important tree species here include giant figs, which provide food for fruit bats, parrots, and monkeys, and Pterocarpus indicus , which like the dipterocarps, is valued for its timber.

Due to environmental changes, finding new species has become more urgent so the island can have an accurate reading of flora and fauna record. [7]

A few species of Rafflesia are found in the Philippines, [8] one of them being Rafflesia philippensis. [9]

List

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Rafflesia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Rafflesiaceae. The species have enormous flowers, the buds rising from the ground or directly from the lower stems of their host plants; one species has the largest flower in the world. Plants of the World Online lists up to 41 species from this genus, all of them are found throughout Southeast Asia.

<i>Pterocarpus indicus</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus indicus is a species of Pterocarpus native to southeastern Asia, northern Australasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, in Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

<i>Nepenthes philippinensis</i> Species of pitcher plant from the Philippines

Nepenthes philippinensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known from Palawan and the neighbouring Calamian Islands and Linapacan, where it grows at 0–600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora of Indonesia</span>

The flora consists of many unique varieties of tropical plants. Blessed with a tropical climate and roughly 17,000 islands, Indonesia is the nation with the second highest biodiversity in the world. The flora of Indonesia reflects an intermingling of Asian, Australian and unique, Indonesian lineages. This is due to the geography of Indonesia, located between the aforementioned continents. The archipelago consists of a variety of regions, from the tropical rain forests of the northern lowlands and the seasonal forests of the southern lowlands through the hill and mountain vegetation, to subalpine shrub vegetation. With the second longest coastline in the world, Indonesia also has many swamps and other varieties of coastal vegetation. Combined, these all give rise to a huge floral biodiversity. There are about 28,000 species of flowering plants documented in Indonesia, including 2500 orchids, 122 species of bamboo, over 350 species of rattan and 400 species of Dipterocarpus, including ebony, sandalwood and teakwood. Indonesia is also home to some unusual species of carnivorous plants. One exceptional species is known as Rafflesia arnoldi, named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles and Dr. Thomas Arnold, who discovered the flower in the depths of Bengkulu, southwest Sumatra. This parasitic plant has the largest flower of any plant, does not produce leaves and grows only on one species of liana on the rainforest floor. Another unusual plant is Amorphophallus titanum from Sumatra. Numerous species of insect trapping pitcher plants can also be found in Borneo, Sumatra, and other islands of the Indonesian archipelago. There are a staggering 6000 traditional medicinal plants used as Jamu.,

Rafflesia baletei is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia. It is endemic to the Philippines.

Rafflesia leonardi is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia. It is endemic to the Philippines. Rafflesia banaoana is considered to be a synonym by some sources, but is recognized as a separate species by others. R. leonardi is the fourth Rafflesia species found in Luzon and the eighth from the Philippines. It is called ngaratngat by the local Agta tribesmen.

Rafflesia manillana is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia. It is endemic to the Philippines.

<i>Rafflesia schadenbergiana</i> Species of flowering plant

Rafflesia schadenbergiana is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia. Known as "bó-o" to the Bagobo tribe and "kolon busaw" to the Higaonon tribe of Bukidnon, it has the largest flower among the Rafflesia species found in the Philippines with a diameter ranging from 52 to 80 centimeters. It has also the second largest flower in the genus after R. arnoldii.

<i>Rafflesia speciosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Rafflesia speciosa is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia. It is endemic to the Philippine island of Panay. R. speciosa is the third Rafflesia species documented to exist in the Philippines, after R. manillana and R. schadenbergiana. It belongs to the medium-sized Rafflesia. The species was named by Julie Barcelona and Edwino Fernando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Hamiguitan</span>

Mount Hamiguitan is a mountain located in the province of Davao Oriental, Philippines. It has a height of 1,620 metres (5,315 ft). The mountain and its vicinity has one of the most diverse wildlife populations in the country. Among the wildlife found in the area are Philippine eagles and several species of Nepenthes. Some of the latter, such as the Nepenthes peltata and Nepenthes micramphora, are endemic to the area. The mountain has a protected forest area of approximately 2,000 hectares. This woodland is noted for its unique pygmy forest of century-old trees in ultramafic soil, with many endangered, endemic and rare species of flora and fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borneo lowland rain forests</span> Ecoregion in Borneo

The Borneo lowland rain forests is an ecoregion, within the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, of the large island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It supports approximately 15,000 plant species, 380 bird species and several mammal species. The Borneo lowland rain forests is diminishing due to logging, hunting and conversion to commercial land use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waling-waling</span> Species of orchid

Vanda sanderiana is a species of orchid. It is commonly called Waling-waling in the Philippines and is also called Sander's Vanda, after Henry Frederick Conrad Sander, a noted orchidologist. The orchid is considered to be the "Queen of Philippine flowers" and is worshiped as a diwata by the indigenous Bagobo people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary</span> Freshwater oxbow lake in Bihar, India

The Kanwar Taal or Kabar Taal Lake or Kabartal Wetland located in Begusarai district of Bihar, India, is Asia's largest freshwater oxbow lake. It is approximately six times the size of the Bharatpur Sanctuary. In November 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) declared it the first Ramsar site in Bihar. There are a total of 80 Ramsar Sites in India till 2024.
Kanwar jheel, as it is locally called, is located 22 km north-west of Begusarai Town in Manjhaul. It is a residual oxbow lake, formed due to meandering of Burhi Gandak river, a tributary of Ganga, in the geological past. It covers 2,620 hectares of the Indo-Gangetic plains in the northern Bihar State. The Site is one of 18 wetlands within an extensive floodplain complex; it floods during the monsoon season to a depth of 1.5 metres. This absorption of floodwaters is a vital service in Bihar State where 70% of the land is vulnerable to inundation. During the dry season, areas of marshland dry out and are used for agriculture. Significant biodiversity is present, with 165 plant species and 394 animal species recorded, including 221 bird species. The Wetland is an important stopover along the Central Asian Flyway, with 58 migratory waterbirds using it to rest and refuel. It is also a valuable site for fish biodiversity with over 50 species documented. Five critically endangered species inhabit the site, including three vultures – the red-headed vulture, white-rumped vulture and Indian vulture – and two waterbirds, the sociable lapwing and Baer’s pochard. Major threats to the Site include water management activities such as drainage, water abstraction, damming and canalization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora of Malaysia</span>

The Flora of Malaysia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 15,500 vascular plants. Malaysia boasts 8,019 species of seed plants: 19 species of Gymnosperms and 8,000 Angiosperms. Globally, Malaysia is ranked 14th in terms of species of vascular plants. The Flora of Malaysia consist of approximately 15,000 species of vascular plant. Peninsular Malaysia has around 8,200 species of vascular plants while places such as Sabah and Sarawak has around 12,000 species. Most Flora can be found in the dense rainforest of Malaysia.

Leonardo Legaspi Co was a Filipino botanist and plant taxonomist who was considered the "foremost authority in ethnobotany in the Philippines" during his lifetime.

<i>Hypomeces pulviger</i> Species of weevil

Hypomeces pulviger, also known as the gold-dust weevil or green weevil, is a species of beetle in the true weevil family. The adult weevil can reach a length of about 14 mm (0.6 in) and is covered with iridescent green or yellowish-green dust-like scales all over the body. This species can be found in India, tropical Southeast Asia, and the Philippines. Both the larvae and adults are crop pests. The larvae live in and pupate in the soil, feeding on living plant roots. The adult weevils are long-lived, doing damage to foliage, and sometimes defoliating young bushes and nursery trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Negros–Panay rain forests</span> Ecoregion in the Philippines

The Greater Negros–Panay rain forests ecoregion covers the central Visayan Islands in the Philippines, including the islands of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Masbate, Sibuyan, Ticao, Guimaras, Romblon, Tablas, Siquijor, and Bohol, but excludes Leyte and Samar. During the last ice age, these were all on the same island. The lack of a land bridge to Asia during the ice age kept most Asian megafauna, including elephants and tigers, from reaching the Philippines and the Visayan Islands, which hosts many unique and endemic species with some exclusive only to an island.

References

  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. Agoo, Esperanza Maribel G. (2007). "Status of Orchid Taxonomy Research in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology. 1. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  5. 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.
  6. Charles C, Adams (1925). Significance of the Flora of the Philippines. American Geographical Society, Wiley. pp. 163–165.
  7. 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, pp. 135–159, doi:10.1163/9789004207615_009, ISBN   978-90-04-20761-5 , retrieved 2021-12-06
  8. 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.
  9. 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 .