Magkono
is known as the Philippine Iron Wood and considered as the hardest wood under the
Family Myrtaceae (ex. Guava and eucalyptus). It is listed as rare and currently
endangered based on the record of IUCN.
Magkono or Xanthostemon verdugonianus
is a Philippine endemic tree found in the “Magkono Triangle” that includes
Palawan, Samar, Dinagat Island and now seen in Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur.
To
cut the tree, it requires at least four days using a diamond-point saws because
of its hardness and high density. It is a durable material used by our
ancestors in making the casket of the departed members of the community. The display
in the National Museum in Butuan City proves that this wood can outlast everyone
and even a civilization for about thousands of years and yet has shown no decay.
Our ancestors also utilized it as primary foundation for building houses and poles
for the balangay and even used as materials for some novelty items as decoration inside the house.
In my stay in Mindanao for years I have not seen a single matured tree in the wild
until my visit in Agusan del Sur. It was a grandeur experience to see a lone 25-foot white barked tree along the trail leading to Bega Waterfalls. To see it in the wild
fulfills one of my dreams and faith is so good to show it in an even better way .
More to that, the encounter made even special as I never expected to see what is known as the GIANT ORCHID (suspected as Grammatophylum speciosum) silently in
commensal with the hardest wood tree. This particular association is rare
to be witnessed even by known field naturalists or biologists in the Philippines. With this scene, I now believe
that the BEST deserves only the BEST.
That day was so overwhelming and gave me more drive and inspiration to discover more of the hidden treasures known only
in Mindanao. I just hope that we can conserve and preserve the remaining unique
resources we have in the country.
Related Post:
wow...it's nice to know that you had visited Bega Falls. Proud Agusanon...hahahah
ReplyDeletetruly, our country is blessed. i hope people would start to realize it NOW!!!
ReplyDeleteSir,Continue sharing your unforgettable
ReplyDeleteexperiences & adventure, go ,go...
Maulawin ang tawag sa Marinduque sa punot na to Dennis:)
ReplyDeletenot a common tree to me... i hope people will plant more of this kind... Yahweh bless.
ReplyDeleteThis not only an additional knowledge to all but also seeing such old big trees give inspiration to all to take care of our nature and plant more trees.. Nice blog...:D
ReplyDeletewow, that giant orchid is so lovely. I wonder how much is the price of that in the market. Yeah, we should learn to preserve the trees and the plants ,
ReplyDeleteWe can't see rare trees like this MAGKONO in urban places and because it's endangered already, they should be well taken cared of and preserved for future generation.
ReplyDeletethat orchid is one of the best and rarest ... seldom that we will see that in the market ... usually being poached and sold to hardcore collectors...this is really a valuable species ...
ReplyDeleteThe nature becomes more magical because of these rare creatures around her. May it serve a call to all of us to preserve, and conserve them so our mother nature can live its real beauty.
ReplyDeletethis tree should be taken good care of.. kumbaga sa diamond, ito yung tinatawag na black diamond.. as balck diamond is very rare, thus it should be valued more.
ReplyDeleteWow that giant orchid seems so rare and that your region has a lot to present and offer :) Continue to share things you have just discovered.
ReplyDeleteWith more people like you doing something for the environment, there is still the chance to save our natural treasures.
ReplyDeleteWow. Nice read. Love to see giant orchid and a kind of a tree like Magkono.
ReplyDeletebeautiful discovery you have here. that is one giant orchid indeed. how fascinating! http://www.heartscontentofamama.com/
ReplyDeleteProud to be Agusanon...hehehehe... Because of you posts I include you on http://www.magwrite.info/2012/09/the-top-10-emerging-influential-blog.html
ReplyDeleteIn addition, It is called Iron wood because the color of its lumber is black.
ReplyDeleteAren't we a lucky nation to have some of the most unique specimens of creation there are :)
ReplyDeleteTruly we are a rich nation especially with our natural resources. Hoping our people will care a lot for the environment. But honestly I don't think I haven't seen this kind of tree, not sure if they have this one at Mt. Makiling, the only rainforest nearer to me.
ReplyDeleteI remember, Mindanao is also home to the world's most colorful tree, The Rainbow Eucalyptus or Mindanao Gum. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! Wonderful God creation. I just hope it will be taken care of.
ReplyDeletebeautiful trees, beautiful photos. however, i don't think the orchid there is a grammatophylum. the leaves are more like those of a dendrobium or trichoglottis or renanthera which are likewise endemic or indigenous to the philippines.
ReplyDeletethanks mel for the comment. that made me recheck the specimen. The orchid is indeed a Gramma.. it is very far different from dendro, tricho and renanthera on which dont grow more than 2 meters in length. I have also refered this to an orchid forum and it was confirmed as Gramma prior to my posting . thanks for reading the article , check also my other articles on my archive :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's just me or if everybody else
ReplyDeleteencountering issues with your site. It appears like some of the written text on your content are running off the screen. Can someone else please provide feedback and let
me know if this is happening to them too? This might
be a issue with my internet browser because I've had this happen before.
Many thanks
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