August 30 was a National Heroes' Day, therefore a national holiday. On August 27, my family left our house in the city for a long-weekend at my parents' place in Antique. Borrowing my father's digital point-and-shoot, i went around taking macro shots of the common weeds, flowers, trees -- plants! -- found in our residential lot and in our farm land across the river.
My knowledge in basic biology came handy.
I wish though i knew how to take landscape photographs but the point and shoot is limiting and much as i wanted to, the stitched panorama i took were not what i wanted.
On the bus on the way home, I told Keith of the my dream shots. this part requires a separate post. So here...now...are the plants of Antique in their boldest form:
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| Unidentified ornamental plant. |
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| Unidentified but very common weed. |
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| Young corn with blazing hair. |
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| si-o si-o. Thought to be the chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi) plant but most chinese lantern plants i saw were red. this barely gets orange when ripe. or maybe it depends on the variety? |
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| unidentified grass |
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| baho baho (tagalog: lantana; kantutay) (english: coronitas) (Lantana camara L.) |
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| squash -- the fruit -- field. and beyond that, the Sibalom River. |
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| String beans. With pickers. These string beans landed on our plates that night -- and eventually inside our stomach. |
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| Unidentified grass usually found in the river banks. |
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| Withered flower of an unidentified grass. |
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| Red kulitis in its perfect adaptation form. |
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| Flower and a miniature fruit of the garangan (tagalog: balimbing) (english: star fruit) (Averrhoa carambola) |
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| Flower of the batwan/batuan tree (tagalog: binukau) (Garcinia binucao). Used to make dishes sour (like how some people use the tamarind). |
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| Buds of the mansanilya flower (Chrysanthemum indicum) |
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| Flower of the shrub tugabang (tagalog: saluyot) (english: jute) (Corchorus capsularis L.). Also a favorite vegetable. |
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| Wax begonia, the pink variety (Begonia semperflorens) |
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| My mother tells me this is also begonia but really? Kinda bears no resemblance from that pink wax begonia above. |
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| Flower and leaves of this vine are very similar to ampalaya (Momordica charantia) -- similar in taste too! -- but apparently this is not a bitter gourd judging by its orange fruit (not to mention that it looks much closer to a puffer fish than the actual bitter gourd). |
Remaining flower parts of the plant we call "marya marya".
Its round fruits are as big as the typical marbles, usually green, and turns to orange when ripe.
Collecting and eating the marya marya fruits during summer is a big part of most Antique's kids' childhood.
Its round fruits are as big as the typical marbles, usually green, and turns to orange when ripe.
Collecting and eating the marya marya fruits during summer is a big part of most Antique's kids' childhood.
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| Kasla (Jatropha curcas) |
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| Unidentified plant |
Alusiman (english: Purslane) (Portulaca olearacea L.) -- but this needs to be verified further
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| Unidentified grass |
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| Will have to recall the name of this tree |
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| Kulitis (english: Amaranth) (Amaranthus spinosus L.). One of my favorite vegetables. |
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| Called "bariri"and when you search this scientific names comes out: Panicum stagninum Retz. I have a feeling it's not it. |
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| Okra (english: lady fingers) (Hibiscus esculentis) |
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| C-o-c-o-n-u-t! (Cocos Nucifera) |
Monggo/Munggo (english: mung bean) (Vigna radiata)
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flower of the corn
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the corn, just like the string beans, landed on our plates and inside our stomach later that day.
Fin.
