THE HERBARIUM

A herbarium is a vital resource for research on biodiversity, ecology, and evolution. It is a primary data source consisting of dried and labeled plant specimens that have been organized to facilitate retrieval and archival storage. A herbarium is similar to a library, but it stores information in biological form as pressed, dried, and annotated plant specimens.Herbarium and museum collections serve as the foundation for learning about the world's biodiversity. Additionally, herbarium specimens provide materials for research on DNA variation, genome structure, and gene expression. The BSED Science Virtual Museum of Natural History has curated a collection of plant specimens from the Philippines to highlight the country's biological diversity.

PLANT SPECIES ARE GOING EXTINCT — ABOUT 5,000X FASTER THAN THEY SHOULD.

Some will argue that species would go extinct even without human interference. While that’s certainly true, it’s the rate that plants are dying off that raises alarm.

Convention on Biological Diversity. 

LA THREENIDAD BENGUET

Order: Alismatales

Caladium bicolor (Aiton, 1800)

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: AlismatalesFamily: AraceaeGenus: CaladiumSpecies: Caladium bicolorCurator: Aira Marie B. Cometa, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0096
C. bicolor, known as Heart of Jesus, Caladium, or Angel Wings, is a glabrous acaulescent plant known for its bold and colorful foliage that has palmately veined patterns of red, pink, white, and green. It has heart or lance-shaped leaves that grows up to 8-12 inches. It is introduced to Philippines and is native in tropical America that thrives in moist, sandy soil and are generally grow best in acidic soil with full to partial shade (Pier, 2016). This plant is a perennial tuberous-rooted bulb with a greenish-white color. Its genus name comes from the Latinized Malay plant-name kaladi, while its specific epithet means two colors.     

Thaumatophyllum xanadu 

(Croat, Mayo & J. Boos, 2018 )

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: AlismatalesFamily: AraceaeGenus: ThaumatophyllumSpecies: Thaumatophyllum xanaduCurator: Jamie A. Alvarez, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0082
Philodendron Xanadu commonly known as Winterbourn is a tropical plant. Thus, its green leathery leaves can grow as large as 16 to 18 inches long and 7 to 14 inches and grows best in medium, indirect light. (Max, 2021) It is native to Central and South America and thrives in high-humidity environments, but they are equally comfortable in the humidity found in a typical home environment. 


Scindapsus pictus (J.  Hasskarl, 1842)

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder:  Arales Family: Araceae Genus: Scindapsus Species: Scindapsus pictus
Curator: Jhonathan G. Ampo, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0087

Scindapsus pictus has shimmery, dark green leaves have silver spots and flecking throughout and silver leaf edges. It is often seen draping gracefully from hanging baskets or spilling out of pots. Silver Pothos prefers humidity and bright, indirect sunlight. The leaf tips may brown if the air is too dry. 

Spathiphyllum wallisii (Regel, 1877)

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: AlismatalesFamily: AraceaeGenus: SpathiphyllumSpecies: Spathiphyllum wallisiiCurator: Jamie A. Alvarez, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0081
Spathiphyllum wallisii commonly known as Peace Lily is tropical plant. Thus, the plant has glossy oval leaves with points that emerge from the soil and a well-grown peace lily may bloom twice a year, resulting in several months of flowers (VanZile, 2021). Moreover, the Peace lily can be grown outdoors in warm climates, where it can tower as much as 6 feet high.

Order: Asterales

Artemisa annua (Linnaeus, 1753)

Kingdom: PlantaePhylum: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: AsteralesFamily: AsteraceaeGenus: ArtemisaSpecies: Artemisa annuaCurator: Princess Charmaine C. Belaro, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0085
A. annua commonly known as mugwort or sagewort, is a plantshrub species that is used as ornamental plant and for medicinal purposes. It is globally cultivated due to its promising bioactive compounds as a potent anti-malarial drug (Sawyer, 2012). This plant is native to Asia particularly in temperate climate regions such as China and has been naturalized to other countries as well. This plant typically reaches 2 m in height and has leaves that are deeply dissected with 2.5 to 5 cm in length. It is pollinated as well by insects and winds. 

Order: Brassirales

Brassica juncea (L.) (Czerniak, 1891 )

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: BrassicalesFamily: Brassicaceae Genus: BrassicaSpecies: Brassica juncea (L.)Curator: Justin Lou C. Turdil, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0101
B. juncea is an annual herb with rarely glabrous and pubescent fleshy taproots (Flora of China, 2015). It has basal and petiolated cauline leaves that are ovate or lanceolate in shape. The B. juncea plant is distributed worldwide and is originated between Eastern Europe and China. It has been cultivated in many parts of Eurasia as well as in Asian countries such as Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, and the Philippines. It is native to eastern and southern Asia but is cultivated in the Philippines. This plant is naturalized and can be mostly found in roadsides and fields as it is considered as crops in Asian countries.

Order: Caryophyllales

Alternanthera dentata (Moench, 1786)

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: CaryophyllalesFamily: Amarantheceae Genus: AlternantheraSpecies: Alternanthera dentataCurator: Aira Marie B. Cometa, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0098
A. dentata, commonly known as Upright Calico, Purple Knight, or Joseph’s Coat, is a tropical perennial plant that has annual colorful foliage of purple to burgundy leaves in linear-lanceolate to ovate shape (Smith et al., 2017).  The genus name came from the Latin words alternans which means alternating and anthera that means anther. Its species epithet dentata means toothed for its deciduous toothed leaves. It typically grows in moist and well-drained soil during spring to frost. It is native to Mexico and tropical America. 

Basella alba (Linnaeus, 1753)

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: CaryophyllalesFamily: Basellaceae Genus: BasellaSpecies: Basella albaCurator: Sherwin R. Sinajonon, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0092
B. alba, commonly known as Malabar spinach, Ceylon spinach, or alugbati in the Philippines, is an edible evergreen perennial herb characterized with red vines that is widely distributed and cultivated throughout Africa and Asia (Velez-Gavilan, 2018). It is widely used as leafy vegetable. Its semi-succulent leaves are thick and fleshy with glossy oval to heart shaped that grow 4-7 cm long. This vine can grow up to 10 feet long. and B. alba typically grows in moist place during heat of summer. It produces white or pink globular fleshy flowers which is followed by four-parted deep-purple to black berries drupes that is commonly used as dye in Asian countries.

Spinacia oleracea (Linnaeus, 1753)

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: CaryophyllalesFamily: AmaranthaceaeGenus: SpinaciaSpecies: Spinacia oleraceaCurator: Justin Lou C. Turdil, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0100
S. oleracea commonly known as spinach, is an annual plant cultivated and spread throughout the world. It is considered as horticultural species due to its nutritious leaves that is a rich source of minerals and high iron content (Culafic, 1988) . Its leaves are smooth and crinkled. 

Order: Cucurbitales

Cucurbita maxima 

(Ngwerume & Grubben, 2004)


Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: CucurbitalesFamily: Cucurbitaceae Genus: CucurbitaSpecies: Cucurbita maximaCurator: Jhonathan G. Ampo, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0088
Cucurbita maxima, commonly referred to as winter squash, is a warm-season annual vegetable vine that trails along the ground or climbs up structures using tendrils. It has yellow fruit-bearing flowers that are produced in the fall. The fruits have a mild flavor and can be fried, baked, added to pasta, used in soups, and more. Native to Central and South America, winter squash is an aggressive grower and prefers moderately moist soil with full access to sunlight.  

Order: Fabales

Senna alata (Vélez-Gavilán, 2016)

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Spermatophyta Class: MagnoliospidaOrder:  Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Senna Species: Senna alata
Curator: Jhonathan G. Ampo, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0102

Senna alata is a shrub or small tree  that is used as an ornamental and a cultivated plant throughout its range. The species is reported as escaping from cultivation and becoming a weed in pastures, disturbed areas, orchards, plantations and shrublands. S. alata stands around 3–4 meters (9.8–13.1 ft.) tall, with leaves 50–80 centimeters (20–31 in) long.  S. alata grows best in full sun and is drought tolerant. It grows well on heavy to sandy, acid to slightly alkaline, well-drained soils; with the pH ranging from 5.6 to 7.8. It is reported to grow in areas with annual rainfall of 600-4300 mm and average annual temperatures of 15-30°C.  

Order: Gentianales

Wrightia antidysenterica (Brown, 1810)

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: GentianalesFamily: Apocynaceae Genus: WrightiaSpecies: Wrightia antidysentericaCurator: Gabriel R. Fetalvero, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0089
Native to Sri Lanka, introduced to the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia. Primarily ornamental, this perennial, deciduous plant can grow up to 2 meters, its barks are smooth, leaves are dark green and ovate, and blooms year-round. Its flower is white, star-shaped, with a frilly corona and yellow stamen, and it can grow up to 3cm.  It is an identified herbal medicine in Ayurveda alternative-medicine culture in India that is considered to treat digestive problems such as diarrhea and dysentery (Srivastava, 2014). It is proven as a potent therapeutic emetic agent with no complications showed its clinical benefits over skin disorders like psoriasis (Bhattacharyya, 2016). Its leaf methanol extract has also shown antimicrobial activity against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (Wickramanthe et al., 2015). 

Order: Malvales

Corchorus olitorius (Linnaeus, 1753)


Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: MalvalesFamily: MalvaceaeGenus: CorchorusSpecies: Corchorus olitoriusCurator: Sherwin R. Sinajonon, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0093
C. olitorius, commonly known as Jew’s Mallow or saluyot in Filipino, is an annual and perennial tropical herb that grows upright up to 3.5 m. This species is typically pollinated by insects and is considered as a hermaphrodite (Velez-Gavilan, 2018). The C. olitorius grows best in light, well-drained soil in an unshaded area.  It is an herbaceous glabrous plant that grows about 1.5m high and has alternating light green leaves. This plant is widely distributed in Asia and Africa for cultivation.

Pachira aquatica (Aublet, 1775).

Kingdom: PlantaDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: MalvalesFamily: MalvaceaeGenus:  PachiraSpecies: Pachira aquaticaCurator: Aira Marie B. Cometa, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0094
P. aquatica, commonly known as Pachira Nut or Money Tree is an evergreen ornamental indoor plant under the name “money tree” that can rise up to 23 m in height with palmately-compound alternating leaves. This plant is introduced and cultivated in the Philippines and other tropical countries and is native to Central and South America. This plant grows in freshwater wetlands and seasonally flooded forests, mangroves and other moist grounds with an average temperature of 24 degree Celsius and can still endure up to -2 degree Celsius (Duarte and Paull, 2008). It is a very resilient and adaptable plant species that can resist and tolerate both drought and flooding (Infante-Mata et al., 2014).  Among Asian countries, Pachira aquatica is often called money tree because it is believed to bring good luck and financial prosperity (Li et al., 2009).  Based on the study of Song et al. (2007)., this plant can be used as biofilter in removing and reducing volatile organic compounds (VOC) such as benzene and ethylbenzene in an indoor space.

Order: Myrtales

Syzygium samarangense (Merr. & LM Perry, 1938)


Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: MyrtalesFamily: MyrtaceaeGenus: SyzygiumSpecies: Syzygium samarangenseCurator: Emmanuel B. Palola, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0083
Known as Makopa in the Philippines, it is introduced from the Malay Peninsula and now cultivated in the tropics. It is an evergreen that can grow up to 12 meters, with leaves that are almost sessile that is aromatic when crushed. Its fruit is pear-shaped whose color can be light-red, greenish-white, or cream(Morton, 1987).  S. samarangense has been identified to contain polyphenolic compounds, which are antioxidants, and cytotoxic chalcones that are known to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Its chalcone contents are known to be antispasmodic, immunomodulatory, and cytotoxic.

Order: Pandanales

Pandanus amaryllifolius (Roxburgh, 1832)

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: PandanalesFamily: Pandanaceae Genus: PandanusSpecies: Pandanus amaryllifoliusCurator: Princess Charmaine C. Belaro, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0086
Pandanus amaryllifolius is cultivated traditionally and it is not recorded in the wild. : A shrub that grows to 1 to 1.5 m height with spirally arranged sword-like leaves. Adult leaves are about 80 to 110 cm long and 6 to 8 cm wide with rather abruptly rounded or acute tip. Lateral pleats of leaves, well developed in other Pandanus species, are obsolete in Pandanus amaryllifolius. There is no spine in the midrib and margins of the leaves also lack any spine except at extreme apex where there may be a few minute prickles present. Scent of the Pandanus leaves develops only on withering; the fresh, intact leaves have no odor. In the Philippines, leaves are often used as a flavoring agent for food (Selvam, 2007).

Order: Oxalidales

Averrhoa bilimbi (Linnaeus, 1753)


Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: OxalidalesFamily: OxalidaceaeGenus: AverrhoaSpecies: Averrhoa bilimbiCurator: Gabriel R. Fetalvero, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0091
Averrhoa bilimbi, a fruit-bearing plant of the Oxalidaceae family. Known as Bilimbi, and as Kamias in the Philippines.  Abundant in tropical regions with a consistent amount of rainfall throughout the year. It contains oxalic acid, which is commonly used to remove stains in metals, used for bleaching and removing textile stains, and its flower extracts are also used as a mordant for silk fabrics. Its medical application involves controlling obesity due to antioxidant fruits which help in regulating fat accumulation by reducing carbohydrate and lipid absorption (Lau et al., 2019).

Order : Piperales

Peperomia pellucida (L.) (Kunth, 1851)

Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: MalvalesFamily: MalvaceaeGenus:  PachiraSpecies: Pachira aquaticaCurator: Aira Marie B. Cometa, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0095
P. pellucida, known as shiny bush, ulasimang bato or pansit-pansitan, is a perennial shrub that grows annually up to 0.4 m tall. It has broadly ovate leaves with a branched hairless stem that grow ideally in a semi-shade to full shade area (Flora and Fauna, 2020). This plant has a smooth and glossy green foliage arranged alternately with palmate venation. In the Philippines, it is generally used as traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperuricemic, and analgesic properties (Maramba et al., 2019). In fact, it is a promising agent in curing gout.

Class: Sapindales

Citrus microcarpa (Bunge, 2021)


Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: SapindalesFamily: RutaceaeGenus: CitrusSpecies: Citrus x microcarpaCurator: Gabriel R. Fetalvero, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0090
A hybrid of C.reticulata and F. japonica (Wiersema JH, 2019), it is primarily cultivated in the Philippines in which is known as Calamansi. It is apparent in  Philippine cuisine as it exists as condiments, beverages, preservatives, dishes, and marinades. It is a medium-sized shrub that can grow up to 4 meters tall with simple and elliptical leaves. As its genus suggests, it is lemon-scented. Its fruits are small and round, turning from green to light orange as it ripens. Its peel has been identified as a source of Phenolic compounds that act as antioxidants, reducing the risk of chronic diseases (Singh, 2020).

Mangifera indica L. (Linnaeus, 1753)


Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: SapindalesFamily: AnacardiaceaeGenus: MangiferaSpecies: Mangifera indica L.Curator: Emmanuel B. Palola, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0084
Mangifera indica is a large evergreen tree to 20 m tall with a dark green, umbrella-shaped crown. Leaves are alternate, simple, leathery, oblong-lanceolate. Its fruit is irregularly egg-shaped and slightly compressed fleshy drupe, attached at the broadest end on a pendulous stalk (Orwa et al., 2009). It is a common fruit believed to be originally and separately cultivated in India and Southeast Asia. Mangiferin, the bioactive compound found in M. indica (Barreto et al., 2008), contains numerous health-endorsing properties being anti-cancer, antioxidant, and antidiabetic (Dar et al., 2005)

Class: Solanales

Capsicum annuum L. (Linnaeus, 1753)


Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: TracheophytaClass: MagnoliopsidaOrder: SolanalesFamily: Solanaceae Genus: Capsicum Species: Capsicum annuum L.Curator: Justin Lou C. Turdil, (2021)Collection Code: BSEDSCPP-0099
C. annuum, known as siling haba, despite its species name "annuum" is not an annual but a perennial herb that can survive for several seasons in the absence of cold temperatures, elsewhere it is cultivated as annuals(Basu and De, 2003). Stem irregularly angular to subterete, up to 1 cm in diameter, much branched, often tomentose near branchings, green to brown-green, often with purplish spots near nodes. Leaves alternate, simple, very variable; petiole up to 10 cm long; leaf-blade ovate, acuminate at apex, margin usually entire, subglabrous, light to dark green.  Introduced to the Philippines, its leaves and bearings are commonly used for culinary purposes. Capsaicin, which can be found in C. annuum can decrease mortality risk among those who has metabolic syndrome (Sanati et al., 2018)

REFERENCES