Philippine's Own Flowers

There are many kinds of flowers in the Philippines today. Majority of those found in the market were only introduced from other countries such as roses, tulips, orchids, chrysanthemums, gerberas, zinnias, or anthuriums. Popular wild flowers such as the santan flower, Dama De Noche (or Lady in the Night), and the Kalachuchi flower. But there are some species of flowers philippines which are known to be native in the Philippine soil. Although some of these are native to other countries, these flowers are nevertheless considered as Philippine's unique flowers.

Jasmine From Arabia
One of the most popular flower that the Filipino could call their own is the Sampaguita flower. Sampaguita, also known around the world as the Arabian Jasmine, is the Philippine's national flower. Filipinos chose this flower as their national flower mainly of its feature, simple yet captivating. Its white color usually symbolize hope and purity. Another feature that made this flower unique is its sweet scent. Sampaguita is usually sold in the streets of Manila in which the flowers are made into garlands.

A Rare Scent
The Ylang-Ylang is one of the many native flowers philippines. The flower is known for its features, which usually looks like a green starfish. But the main trait of these flowers are its scent. In fact its essential oils are quite useful in aromatherapy, and are believed to relieve high blood pressure and normalize sebum secretion for skin problems. The ylang-ylang tree is a native of the Philippines and prefers to grow in slightly acidic rainforest soil.

A Colorful Ornament
Gumamela is one of the most familiar flowers philippines, as it is a favorite ornamental plant in many Filipino gardens. A native of the Old World, it is now pantropic in distribution and is widely cultivated in the country. The gumamela flower has been used as a poultice to boils, cancerous swellings and mumps. A decoction of the roots is used as internal medicine for venereal diseases and fevers, while the leaves are used as a lotion for fevers and headache.

The Rarest
Other than these flowers, the Waling-Waling is considered as the rarest kind of flower that the Philippine holds. The waling-waling is a rare epiphytic orchid endemic to the island of Mindanao, particularly in the foothills of Mount Apo in Davao, Cotabato, and Surigao. Hailed as the "Queen of Philippine Orchids," the waling-waling is considered by many as the country's best orchid variety due to its many stunning colorful hybrids. This captivating trait led to hunters and orchid collectors from all over the world harvesting the species almost to extinction. The decline was stemmed, however, when tissue culture was performed in order to repropagate the orchid.