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🇵🇭 The flowers of the Philippines

48 pages from the Philippines: its flowers, the things made with them and the places to see them, across 11 cities and regions.

The Philippines is home to over 9,250 native vascular plant species, with about a third found nowhere else. Its tropical rainforests once teemed with unique palms, orchids, and dipterocarps. The country is especially known for its endemic palms, diverse orchids, and the rare Rafflesia flower.

  • About one-third of native plant species are endemic.
  • Two-thirds of Philippine palm species grow nowhere else.
  • Over 137 orchid genera and 998 species are recorded.
  • Several Rafflesia species, including R. philippensis, occur here.
  • Dipterocarp trees once dominated lowland rainforests.

The plant life of the Philippines

The Philippine archipelago, set within the Malesian biogeographical region, supports a remarkably rich plant life. Its tropical climate and geographic isolation have fostered high diversity and endemism among flowering plants. Rainforests, though much reduced, once covered broad lowlands and hills, dominated by large dipterocarp trees. Palms, orchids, gingers, begonias, and pandans are especially varied, with many species unique to the islands. The flora reflects both Southeast Asian connections and local evolution, making the country a center of plant diversity.

From region to region in the Philippines

Flora varies across the islands: lowland and hill rainforests, formerly widespread, featured dipterocarps and giant figs. Coastal areas support mangroves like Rhizophora and Sonneratia. Upland and mountain regions host unique palms, pitcher plants, and orchids. Geographic isolation by sea and deep trenches has helped shape distinct plant communities on different islands.

Flowers to know in the Philippines

The Philippines is famous for its endemic palms—about two-thirds of its 150 species are found only here. Orchids are another highlight, with over 137 genera and nearly a thousand species recorded. The giant Rafflesia, including Rafflesia philippensis, stands out for its size and rarity. Dipterocarps, once dominant in forests, and the Narra tree (Pterocarpus indicus), valued for timber, are also significant.

Threats and protection in the Philippines

Much of the original rainforest has been lost, threatening many native species. Conservation efforts focus on documenting and protecting the remaining unique flora. Ongoing environmental changes make the discovery of new species urgent for scientific records and future preservation.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Flora of the Philippines", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Flower experiences in the Philippines

All 2
🇵🇭 Manila · All yearDangwa flower marketManila's flower district in Sampaloc, busiest before Valentine's Day and All Saints' Day. 🇵🇭 Baguio · Feb to MarPanagbenga, the Baguio flower festivalA month-long flower festival in the Philippine highlands, with parades of floats covered in blooms.

Cities and regions of the Philippines

Baguio 3Bahong 1Benguet 1Cagayan de Oro 1Cotabato 1Davao 1Luzon 1Manila 1Mount Makiling 1Palawan 1Zamboanga 1
ShowFlowersDecorationsPlaces
ColourRedPinkOrangeYellowWhiteCreamBluePurpleGreenMaroonMany-coloured
KindWildflowerGarden flowerCut flowerFlowering treeFlowering shrubBulb flowerClimberOrchidWater flowerCactus or succulentAlpine flowerTropical flowerHerb or useful flower
In flowerSpringSummerMonsoonAutumnWinter
JasmineJasminum A group of fragrant shrubs and vines with white or yellow star-shaped flowers 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 7 more · Wildflower WaterlilyNymphaea Floating aquatic flowers found in ponds and lakes worldwide 🇪🇬 Egypt and 7 more · Water flower Plumeria Fragrant tropical tree with waxy, five-petaled flowers in many colours 🇲🇽 Mexico and 6 more · Flowering tree AchioteBixa orellana Shrub with spiky red pods, source of the natural dye annatto 🇧🇷 Brazil and 9 more · Flowering shrub Ylang-ylangCananga odorata A tropical tree with highly fragrant yellow flowers used for perfume and decoration 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 8 more · Flowering tree Showy medinillaMedinilla magnifica A tropical epiphyte with large pink flower clusters from the Philippines 🇵🇭 Philippines · Wildflower Jade vineStrongylodon macrobotrys A tropical vine with long clusters of turquoise claw-shaped flowers from the Philippines 🇵🇭 Philippines · Climber Phalaenopsis schilleriana A pink-flowered orchid from the Philippines grown as a houseplant 🇵🇭 Philippines · Orchid Rafflesia The giant parasitic flower that smells of rotting flesh 🇲🇾 Malaysia and 5 more · Wildflower Rafflesia arnoldii The world’s largest single flower, famous for its strong scent of decay 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 3 more · Wildflower Phalaenopsis sanderiana A pendant-growing orchid native to the Philippines with showy flower clusters 🇵🇭 Philippines · Wildflower Fowlie's PaphiopedilumPaphiopedilum fowliei A rare slipper orchid found only in Palawan’s moist lowland forests 🇵🇭 Philippines · Wildflower Mussaenda philippicaAgboy A tropical shrub with showy, petal-like bracts grown for gardens 🇵🇭 Philippines · Garden flower NarraPterocarpus indicus Tall tropical tree with yellow flowers and prized rose-scented wood 🇵🇭 Philippines and 7 more · Flowering tree Unscented dendrobiumDendrobium anosmum A Southeast Asian orchid with large purple, raspberry-scented flowers 🇵🇭 Philippines and 3 more · Wildflower Rhynchostylis giganteaকপৌফুল A fragrant orchid with dense, foxtail-like flower spikes from Southeast Asia 🇵🇭 Philippines and 7 more · Wildflower Desert roseAdenium A succulent with thick stems and bright flowers, grown as a bonsai and houseplant 🇳🇦 Namibia and 7 more · Wildflower Mesua Evergreen shrubs and small trees from tropical southern and southeast Asia 🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Flowering tree Tricyrtis A shade-loving Asian perennial with spotted, trumpet-shaped flowers 🇨🇳 China and 3 more · Wildflower Bayur treePterospermum acerifolium A tall Southeast Asian tree with large fragrant white flowers and dinner-plate leaves 🇲🇲 Myanmar and 2 more · Flowering tree Orange jasmineMurraya paniculata A fragrant shrub or small tree with white flowers and orange-red berries 🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Wildflower Ceylon ironwoodMesua ferrea A slow-growing tree with drooping red leaves and large white scented blooms 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka and 6 more · Flowering tree Hairy Water LilyNymphaea pubescens A night-blooming water lily with softly hairy leaves and large pink or white flowers 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 7 more · Water flower BlueminkAgeratum houstonianum A fluffy blue annual often grown in garden borders and balcony boxes 🇬🇹 Guatemala and 7 more · Wildflower Deutzia Shrubs with white or pink spring flowers, grown in gardens and parks 🇯🇵 Japan and 4 more · Flowering shrub Pride of IndiaLagerstroemia speciosa A tree with showy pink to purple flowers, grown across South and Southeast Asia 🇮🇳 India and 6 more · Flowering tree Crape myrtleLagerstroemia indica A summer-flowering tree with crinkled blooms in white, pink, purple or red 🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Flowering tree Yellow Flame TreePeltophorum pterocarpum A tall tree with masses of golden yellow summer flowers 🇦🇺 Australia and 7 more · Flowering tree Vandaवन्दाका A tropical orchid genus prized for its vivid, long-lasting flowers 🇮🇳 India and 5 more · Wildflower Fragrant screw-pinePandanus odorifer A small tropical tree with sweet-scented flowers used for perfume and rituals 🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Flowering tree ThumbaiLeucas aspera A small white-flowered weed of Indian fields, used in food and medicine 🇮🇳 India and 2 more · Herb or useful flower Dendrobium A vast genus of orchids found from the Himalayas to Australia and the Pacific 🇦🇺 Australia and 7 more · Wildflower Butterfly peaClitoria ternatea A climbing herb with vivid blue flowers used for dye, tea and soil improvement 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 8 more · Climber Arabian jasmineJasminum sambac A small white jasmine with a strong, sweet scent, treasured in Asia for garlands and ceremonies 🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Flowering shrub Pigeon orchidDendrobium crumenatum A white, fragrant orchid that blooms all at once after rain 🇮🇳 India and 5 more · Wildflower Grammatophyllum A group of rainforest orchids with striking green and purple-marked blooms 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 more · Wildflower Waling-walingVanda sanderiana A rare orchid known as the 'Queen of Philippine flowers' 🇵🇭 Philippines · Orchid

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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