Cont'n of the Plant that Gave me a Head Swirl

The head swirling almost stopped, but a scientist somehow is always a scientist, at least in curiosity! Just like a gardener who always find ways to plant something, the curiosity of a scientist stays with them far beyond their work in the laboratory. My work as a scientist stopped long ago, but the curiosity remains, and maybe permanently embossed in me till the next lifetimes!

I have told you in the previous post that my 'mystery plant' will now be getting extra attention. Not only you, my blogger friends, were involved in its identity crisis. But non-blogging friends were also in the sidelines. In fact, Rico, who has stopped blogging helped me look for the book that i have been looking for years. All editions were sold out but i still am hoping to find one. He asked all bookstores he went to and fortunately was told by a bookstore in the Mall of Asia that a bookstore in the Global City still has one last copy. I immediately called a friend living in Serendra One, near that bookstore to please buy it for me. She got it, exactly the book i am looking for: The Pictorial Cyclopedia of Philippine Ornamental Plants. I feel so lucky to have friends who can make things happen!

So it is Floridagirl, who gave me the link to Proiphys amboinensis or P cunninghamii. Reading lots of articles further led me to John & Jacq~s Gardenwho previously also believed it was a hosta. She took care of her plant for 7 years before it flowered in 2009, and next flowering was after another 2 years. She also explored the seed production and germination, which took 6 months to finally see the seedling. She also had wonderful experiences in searching for its identity, even approaching a European hosta taxonomist! I now believe it really is a very special plant.

She has several wonderful posts about P. amboinensis, and honestly, I admit, she has better photos than mine. In fairness to me, I was able to see my plant for just one weekend, while in her case her plants are in her home. But, I really salute her lovely photos.These are her posts.
http://www.jaycjayc.com/proiphys-amboinensis-cardwell-lily/
http://www.jaycjayc.com/plant-id-hosta-lookalike/
http://www.jaycjayc.com/tropicalgarden-april09-hosta-flowers/
http://www.jaycjayc.com/april11-ourgarden-easterjoy/
http://www.jaycjayc.com/proiphys-amboinensis-seeds-propagation/

I admit i still have questions. I wonder why i still cannot just keep my mind contented. Jacqui's photos and descriptions in the Australian Botanic Gardens show greener leaves for the P. amboinensis. My plant has lighter green leaves. I wonder if it is the effect of too much shading or really its characteristics. Only 4 species comprise this genus, one of them is P. alba. This is described to have shiny, light-green leaves, however no images are available on the net. but the description looks like mine. However, it was not reported to be included in the species originating both from Australia and Southeast Asia. It looks like i still have problems.

Then, Rico's comment said it is Eurycles amboinenensis, getting it from the Pictorial Cyclopedia of Philippine Ornamental Plants. The book says it is endemic to the Philippines, and the author Madulid is a botanist-taxonomist. I found Eurycles amboinensis is an older name for Proiphys amboinensis, a term after the island of Ambiona, now Ambon, in Indonesia. Common names include Cardwell Lily and Northern Christmas Lily, because it flowers around this time in temperate countries. Of course its endemicity is Australia, and Southeast Asia including Indonesia and the Philippines. According to Mona Lisa Steiner in Philippine Ornamental Plants, it is found in Luzon, Mindoro, Palawan, Malaysia and North Australia. I learned from my mother that it is called "katunggal" in Tagalog. She was the one who got the bulbs from her ancestral house because of its medicinal values.

I rest my case!!!

Linked to http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/

Plant giving me a head swirl

Just like the orange Hippeastrum, this plant has been in our property through ages. That means it is already in our backyard even before I set my eyes on plants. It never receive fertilizer, water or nice attention. I even do not care even if it's eaten by stray animals, or strangled by noxious vines during the rainy season, when the yard clearly typifies what Charles Darwin described as "survival of the fittest". However, at the deep convolutions of my consciousness, I know it is present in the garden somewhere. My previous years had been involved with orchids, not much minding any other plant to be in my garden. I've been so enthralled with them, had an episode of collecting whatever comes at sight, as long as i can afford it. I always have an orchid at hand whenever i return from out of town trips. Then my enthusiasm faded, gave up all of them, and just helped some friends who build their own collections. 


Here comes the blogging craze, and i am introduced to so many plants from around the world which are alien to me. Subtropical and temperate climate plants and flowers amaze me. Will you believe that i have an encyclopedia of temperate flowers, but can't have a hold of its tropical counterpart! And that is how my head swirl with this plant i am telling you. 


I saw it flowering after the first heavy rains. Because i have been seeing hostas in blogposts, I just believe i have a hosta. It has the same leaf shape and flower stem as hostas. However, I cannot just call it a hosta because further readings even seem to get me out of my belief. Then I serendipitously come in contact with Lily of The Suburban Gardener. She is a lily enthusiast with lots of hosta collection. I sent her my photos for ID, which she graciously thought of either a Hosta  plantaginea or a Eucharis grandiflora. I searched more and with some trepidation decided it is not a hosta, basically because it has a bulb and not stolons. Then comes Eucharis, which turned out to have lots of genus and species. I am at the dead end. Search, read, search and read again. I came across a very nice scientific literature describing Eucharis versus Caliphruria (www.jstor.org/pss/2399347). This 2nd term is really a very new term even for my subconscious.  I opened my photos and completely compare it with the net photos.  


It is very difficult to choose the characteristics that differ between the two. It is good i can somehow recall some technical terms from Botany class ages ago! Eucharis has curved perianth, while Caliphruria has straight perianth. This unusual term for laymen is the fused structure comprising the base of the flower, just like a petiole. Clearly, my specimen has straight perianth. Eureka...it is a Caliphruria!!! And what species it might be? Caliphruria has only 4 species, but it did not give the images for them. They are even endangered and one species is thought to be extinct. Suffice it to say i am happy calling my heirloom plant as Caliphruria sp. This is already safe! Great, i can have a steady head now. And i learned it is not endemic but from South America, how it came over? Blame it to our colonizers, the Spaniards and Portuguese, who brought a lot here including this Caliphruria. 


But it doesn't mean I will stop there. Please help me give its proper identity. Thank you. I can rest in peace now! I wish Phil Gates of the digitalbotanicgarden will help me for the ID.