The Norfolk Pine and The Oasis

Quezon City is truly a nature lover’s paradise! There are a lot of places where plants are strategically located and plant stores to satisfy even the most epicurean of collectors.

One of these strategic places to see plants in a forest-style planting scheme complete with ponds and fountains is Gateway’s Oases. I don’t know who the architect or engineer is but the way they did it is just superb. The mall seems to be just a protection for this work of art in its very centre.

The Oasis is planted with mostly shade loving plants of the Araceae family-Philodendrons, Calatheas, Anthuriums; Guzmanias, Vrieseas, and Neoregelias of the Bromeliaceae family; Heliconias of the Zingiberaceae family, the tall majestic Cuban Royal Palms (Roystonia Regia) from southern Florida, Mexico, Central America, and the northern Caribbean. It is almost as tall as the fourth floor level of Gateway Mall and the best thing is that you know the Oasis has clean air because the bodies of these palm trees have lichens growing on them! Lichens are some of the best biological pollution indicators there is-they just won’t grow in places beset even by the lightest of pollution.

Then there are our very own tree ferns or Cyatheas (perhaps the others are of the genus Dicksonia) growing so robustly in that corner of the earth. There are also some golden palms-a sport from the ordinary Manila Palm tree growing in the garden of a known plant lover some two to three decades ago. These sports became instant hit: originally sold for less than a quarter of today’s US cents exchange rate in Philippine peso, to thousands of pesos even dollars when they were first brought to our neighbouring Southeast Asian countries specially Singapore and Thailand. Even today, these golden palms are head turners due to their colouration.

Some of the anthuriums got large flowers probably due to the cool air brought about by the gurgling fountains and flowing pond waters. These are of the cut flower quality that are only produced in the cooler regions of the Philippines-Tagaytay and Baguio among others.

There was even one small Dischidia oianthes hanging in a corner just above the koi pond. Dischidia oianthes is the Philippine version of Tillandsia usneoides in their prolific growth and twining habits albeit they are not related save that they are both succulents. Haardly do these Dischidia flower here in Manila but I’ve seen them in the forests and hinterland regions bearing a lot of their inconspicuous flowers and some do even have leaves that blush red.

Sadly, the old Oases plants have gone. There were Medinillas, Aglaonemas, and more endemic and indigenous plants before. Is it just plain cultivation innocence or negligence that resulted in their disappearance? I hope the maintenance employees could be given proper education on how to care and conserve the plants-specially the native ones-as this is Gateway’s way of contributing to the Philippines preservation of its native treasures.

I then went to the garden store strip near the old Seafood Market. The plants being sold are more of the commercial kinds-those bred for their flowers. As this was the Christmas season, hundreds of Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are being sold. Together with the traditional red ones, there are now white, pink, splotched, and in-between colour tones which will delight plant buyers. Hybrid Vandas are also in full bloom as well as flowering Bromeliads primarily of the Guzmania and Vriesea genera.

The cacti and succulents being sold so cheaply just a couple of months ago are now being sold with a 7% mark up and that is not good news to me. Maybe they’ll go down to their original prices again once the yuletide season has ended.

What took my attention by surprise-and possibly Poinsettias already main rival-is the Norfolk Pine (Araucaria heterophylla). A native of the tiny Norfolk Island which is found between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia in the southern Pacific Ocean.  The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance. Together with two neighbouring islands, it forms one of Australia's external territories. It suddenly became an instant hit in landscaping being of its magnificence and architectural grandeur.

There was even a lady, Ms. Janet Longakit who was friendly enough to entertain me and tell me about the only single species of plant which she sells-the Norfolk Pine. She even took a photo of me with her decorated specimen of the said plant. For orders her landline is 911-3101 or 911-7305. These are the prices of her Norfolk Pine: 3ft.-Php 250, 4ft-Php 500, 5ft-700 and so on. A 9-10ft. plant is only Php 1,500. Her store is just at the entrance going to the Cubao garden stores strip.

The Norfolk Pine is making its way as the official live Christmas tree of the Philippines as Douglas fir or other species of Pine are to the temperate countries. This is because of the natural physiology of the plant and that makes them very suitable to be decorated with Christmas ornamentation. You can even place Christmas lights around the plant.

So, Poinsettia, beware! Hohoho!!

A warm Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year to Everyone from your humble blogger,

Rajah Rahakut