TUGUEGARAO: The rare jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) known for its striking turquoise flowers, has been sighted in the highlands of Baggao, Cagayan, prompting renewed calls for its conservation.
According to Frederic Tomas, information officer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-CENRO) in Alcala, some residents have attempted to propagate the plant in lowland areas through seeds and marcotting.
However, there is no documentation yet confirming whether these efforts have been successful.
“Some people have been planting the jade vine in the lowlands using seeds, while others are trying to marcot it,” Tomas said in an online interview on Saturday (April 25).
He stressed, however, that the jade vine is not an ornamental plant and is best left in its natural forest habitat.
“It is proper that it stays in the forest as part of the wildlife,” Tomas said.
He noted that the jade vine’s flowers bloom for only two to three weeks before withering, making their brief appearance all the more remarkable.
“The beauty it shows during that period is amazing,” Tomas said, adding that because the species is endemic and threatened, conservation should take priority over ornamental use.
The plant thrives under mature trees in shaded, undisturbed forests.
Recent biodiversity monitoring recorded sightings in Sitio Hotspring in Asinga Via and Sitio Camunayan in Barangay Santa Margarita, both in Baggao.
The jade vine typically blooms between April and May. It is pollinated by bats, which play a crucial role in seed dispersal and maintaining ecosystem balance.
However, its specialized pollination system also makes it vulnerable to habitat loss.
So far, Tomas said there have been no reports of people harvesting the plant, partly due to limited public awareness about the species. Monitoring data show that the vines are mostly found in intact forest areas.
Environmental workers are now calling for sustained conservation efforts and urging communities to help protect forest habitats that support rare species like the jade vine.
While native to Philippine rainforests, the jade vine has become increasingly rare due to habitat loss and declining populations of pollinators caused by human activity and development. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
