Is a series of essays discussing and exploring issues related to travel and tourism. -------- Lately, I'm finding myself more and more interested in trees. And no, that wasn't a metaphor. I literally am interested in trees – in love, even. When I'm walking 'round town or whenever I ride my bicycle, I'd stop just so I could inspect trees, especially if they're flowering.
Musa textillis is commonly called the abaca plant or Manila hemp plant. This plant is related to the banana plant and has a similar appearance with giant banana plant shaped leaves. The fruit this ornamental tree produces is inedible. Fragrant Ornamental Plants in the Philippines. Teresita Lantin-Rosario.,. Department of Hortieillture. UP Los Bafios. TheX}niversity ofthe Philippines Press.
I have this desire to accurately recognize trees on sight, so much so that I've decided I'd take up Forestry as soon as I have money to spare. But for now, I'd have to make do with what I read on the Internet and in The Shrub Identification Book I'd scored from a book sale.
(If you have any tree-related book you're no longer using, can I have it?). At any rate, while many in the travel community rejoiced at the news of a soon-to-be cherry blossoms park in Benguet, my reaction was, 'Whaaaat the heck?' And a face-palm. Now I'm no expert and I'm not claiming that I am (just in case the first phrase wasn't clear enough), but from what I know about trees and biodiversity, introducing exotic flora is almost always (not always, but almost) bad for the environment. See, planting trees isn't enough. The 'endemicity' of the tree species must also be considered.
This means that whatever is planted should be native to the area, it should already be growing there. You ask, w hy is this important? Everything is connected. Every action, even the tiniest ones, reverberates across and affects everything. Flora depend on fauna and vice versa. So, if you plant an exotic tree, it would have no ecological significance and would only compete with the native flora for nutrients – the former completely overpowering the latter in most cases. Haplessly introducing a species to an area could make it a dead zone.
As my Biology-major friend noted, ' The intention [behind the cherry blossoms park] is good, but in an ecological perspective, just no.' CELINE'S NOTE: Golden Shower ( Cassia fistula) is an introduced species and is not native to the country. Acacia ( Samanea saman) was introduced in about 1860 from tropical America. The Palawan Cherry or Balayong ( Cassia nodosa) is also prehistorically introduced. Fire Trees ( Delonix regia) are from Madagascar. Caballeros ( Caesalpinia pulcherrima) are also an introduced species.
In other words, all these trees are not native to the Philippines, hence the exclusion. 9 Philippine Native Trees Better Than Cherry Blossoms. The fruit of Katmon, whose acid is mixed with sugar to make a traditional cure for cough, is known as elephant apple. The fruit is edible with a flavor similar to a sour green apple and is used to make sauces, jams,. Katmon's flowers are large, white, and are about 15 centimeters in diameter with reddish pistils and stamens.