By Janine Dumaguin
The rare JC’s vine which has only been recorded in four locations in the Philippines has started to bloom inside the Masungi Georeserve in Rizal.
The Masungi Georeserve shared on March 28 some snaps of the rare vine as the first batch started to flower in between the months of March and May.
According to the sanctuary, the vine is an endemic species notable for its “plagiotropic dense inflorescence with 27 to 31 flowers per cluster on a lateral branch.”
“When young, the flowers are lilac, but as they age, they progressively turn blue,” it said.
The genus scientifically known as Strongylodon juangonzalezii comes from the Greek words “strongylos,” which means “round,” and “odontos,” which means “toothlike,” alluding to the calyx’s spherical teeth.
This woody vine may grow up to 18 meters long and thrives in a disturbed secondary growth forest at 295 meters in altitude, climbing atop a huge tree.
“This eye-catching vine is one of the species being threatened by destructive activities and developments inside the georeserve,” Masungi Georeserve noted.
The vine was discovered by Annalee S. Hadsall, Michelle D.R. Alejado, Ariel R. Larona, and Ivy Amor F. Lambio in 2015. They named it after a professor in the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Dr. Juan Carlos Tecson Gonzalez.
Meanwhile, the Masungi Georeserve Foundation continues to call for the protection of the ecologically important landscape. -ag
