Branching, slightly spiny shrub to 5m tall. Leaves are bipinnate, with sessile leaflets to 2cm long. Irregular flowers are borne in racemose branches with long and slender stalk; corolla is red and yellow, with 1 small and inner standard petal and 4 large accessory petals. Stamens with curved filaments. Pistil simple, ovary green, with one locule and a row of marginally attached ovules. Fruits dry dehiscent pods. Native to tropical America. Introduced in the Philippines during the Spanish period.
Caladium bicolor
A tuberous stocky plant, to 1 m tall. Its leaves are sagittate and ovate, and it has a blade that is mostly green, with scattered white spots and reddish veins. The spathe is green with white to yellow upper portion. Native to Trinidad, Guiana and Brazil. Propagation is by division or seeds.
Calatropis gigantea
A shrub that grows to 4m tall, with stems covered in fine white waxy powder and exuding a milky sap. Leaves are obovate, margin entire, tip obtuse, blade gray green above with whitish powder below. Veins lighter color than the blade. Flowers are axillary, in clusters, star shaped, white, lavender to purple with a crown of 5, narrow and fleshy lobes, the lobes becoming reflexed. Native to Iran, Tibet and India. Introduced in the country during the American period. Now popularly cultivated for ornamental purpose.
Calliandra emarginata
Shrubs or trees usually unarmed. Leaves bipinnate with numerous leaflets. Flowers are purplish-red or white, usually in globose heads or clusters; calyx toothed or deeply cleft; corolla small, obscured by the numerous long silky purple or white stamens; ovary with many ovules: pods are straight or nearly so, usually compressed, with thickened margin.
Callisia fragrans
Crawling, trailing stem, fleshy leaves, in thick foliage, longer than wide, up to 12 inches long, lanceolate, shiny at the surface with a tint of purple or violet at the margins, whorled, flowers; small, in numbers, with, scented. Easy to propagate, thrive on shaded areas. Native to Mexico and southern America.
Canna x generalis
A perennial succulent herb with unbranched stems, the leaves of this plant are oblong, acute or acuminate, bright green or tinged with maroon or red, with entire margins. Inflorescence is terminal, with flowers that are irregular, showy, yellow, red or pink, plain with tiny blotches on petals. Its fruit is a 3-valved capsule. It is a hybridization of species from C. indica, C. flaccida, C. glauca and C. coccinea.
Canna hybrids
Locally known as Ticas-ticas. Erect, upward, coarsel, unbranched, with leafy stems from fleshy rootstocks, leaves; large, oblong ob-lanceolate, parallel veins originating from the midrib, powdery, petioles; succulent, sheating the stem. flowers are irregular, overlapping, in striking color, ranging from fellow to red. fruit; globose to ovoid, capsular, seed; globose, hard and black. Cultivated for aesthetic purposes, distributed throughout the Philippines. Introduced from the Americas.
Canna indica
Green, glaborous plant up to 1.5 meters high, leaves; 10 to 30 cm long, broader than wide, waxy, oblong lanceolate, heavily veined, succulent stems, small petiole, flowers; bright red, solitary sometimes in pairs, staminodes; tinged intense red, the outer one about 4 cm long. the others smaller. capsules; green, globular, hairs in soft echine. Cultivated in gardens sometimes in waste open fields throughout the Philippines, introduced from the tropical America.
Capsicum frutescens
An erect, branched suffretescent shrub-like herb, with leaves that are alternate, petioled, simple, oblong ovate to oblong lanceolate with entire margin and acuminate tip. Flowers are solitary or several in each axil, pedicellate, pale or yellowish green. Its fruit is a small red oblong lanceolate berry, with numerous flat seeds and a very sharp taste. Originated in Tropical America, and was introduced to the Philippines during the Spanish period. It is widely distributed, and cultivated as ornamental spice plants.
Carmona retusa
A small elongated herb with very tender brown stems sometimes armed with spikes, leaves; serrated, oppositely whorled, petiolated, shiny, up to 1 inch long, light to dark green, oblanceolate, roots; deeply anchored, massive root system, flowers; white, solitary, sessile. Cultivated for topiary, in gardens throughout the Philippines.
Carphalea kirondon (Rubia)
Small tree, shrubby, pricky, leaves; ob-lanceolate, oppositely whorled, flowers; small, numerous in clusters, terminal sometimes axillary, intense red, floral bracts; modified. Native of Madagascar, probably introduced.
Catharanthus roseus
Erect, smooth, somewhat hairy herb or small shrub, to 50 cm tall, with somewhat woody stems. Leaves are oblong, to 7 cm long, dark green and with entire margins. Flowers are white, pink or red, sometimes variegated white and red, and borne in the axils of leaves. Calyx lobes are green, very slender and about 4 cm long; corolla-tube is slender, to 3 cm long, pale green with spreading limb. Fruit is a follicle, cylindric, hairy, and to 3 cm long. Native to tropical America, now widely distributed in the Philippines.
Chlorophytum comosum “vittatum”
Herbaceous plant. Leaves are narrow linear, blunt at the tip, to 30 cm long and 2 cm wide. Flowers are small and white. Leaves are dark green with a white longitudinal band in the center. Native to tropical West Africa. Recently introduced to the Philippines. Cultivated by division of rhizomes.
Codiaeum variegatum
This plant is a low branching shrub with attractive, variously shaped and colored foliage. Its leaves are thick, leathery, ovate, oblong to linear, with entire, lobed or spirally twisted margins. The blade is in shades of green, yellow, red, maroon, in one color or variegated. Male flowers are without petals, female flowers with small petals. It is probably native to Mollucas, and is now cultivated in tropical countries. Codiaeum variegatum is one of the most popular ornamental plants in the country, and grows well in rich soil in sunny areas.
Coleus amboinicus
A small, fast growing, bushy perennial, up to 60 cm high sometimes hairy, leaves; intense green, alternately paired, heavily serrated, lanceolate, dull, petiolated, stems; succulent, 4 angled. Easily propagated through cuttings or seeds. Native to Southeast Asia.
Coleus blumei
Perennial herb to 90 cm tall. Simple leaves oppositely (decussate) arranged on soft quadrangular stem, variously colored, uniform or variegated; ovate, apex acute, margin crenate. Flowers bilabiate, purple or lilac. Native to India, Malay peninsula and the Philippines. Various cultivars were recently introduced to the Philippines
Colocasia esculenta
Commonly known as Elephant Ear. Herbaceous plant with thick underground stem called corm. Leaves basal, broad ovate to 60 cm long, margin entire, base cordate, tip acute. The blade is expanded, velvet green with pale primary veins, petioles are long and green to reddish. Flowers in dense cylindric spadix subtended by yellow lanceolate spathe. Native to tropical Asia. Introduced in the Philippines; cultivated as food or occasionally as ornamental plant.
Cordia sebestena
A small tree or evergreen shrub up to 30 feet high, leaves; petioled, alternate, rough, shiny, with soft bristles, ovate, up to 8 inches long, entire or undulate-repund, heavily marked veins, flowers; showy, sessile, varieties of colors from deep orange to red, confined to a pedicel, terminal, clusters or in dense bundle, corolla; spreading, fruit; drupe, assuming a funnel or bell shaped. Distributed throughout the Philippines and to the tropics, cultivated as an ornament.
Cordyline fruticosa
Slender, erect and palm-like shrub with recurved, strap-shaped leaves, tinged with various shades of red, deep maroon to bright pink, as well as solid green form. Leaves crowded at the end of the stem, and the blades are oblong to oblanceolate, margin entire, and narrow lanceolate, tip acute to acuminate. Stem usually unbranched, basal part with large prominent leaf scars. Flower color varies from lavender to pink. Cordyline is indigenous to Polynesia and India. Widely used in the Philippines as an ornamental plant. Several cultivars of varied leaf sizes, shapes and colors were introduced to the country and propagated largely by stem cuttings or root layering.
Cosmos sulphureus
Annual herb growing to 6 cm tall. Leaves opposite, pinnately cut, with narrow, lanceolate lobes. Flower stalk 20 cm long. Composite flowers: ray flowers pale to golden yellow, toothed at the margin, imperfect and pistillate; disk flowers perfect, with membranous corolla tube, exerted anthers and inferior ovary. Fruit achene with persistent hair-like calyx called pappus that aid in wind dispersal. Native to Mexico. Various hybrids floral color ranging from pink, yellow to white recently introduced in the Philippines.
Crossandra infundibulum
A shrubby herb, prostrate or decumbent, leaves borne in a succulent cylindrical green stems, leaves; obovate, blunt tip, shinny dark green surface, somewhat crumpled, narrows through the base, petiolated, flowers; pink to peach up 15 cm in diameter, in dense clusters, 6 to 8 petals broadly spreading, bud; sharp and pointed. Distributed throughout the Philippines and to the tropics, cultivated for its attractive flowers.
Cuphea hyssopifolia
A low rise ornament growing 2 feet the most, stems are brown with protruding roots, tender and weak, unarmed, leaves; small about a quarter of an inch, ob-lanceolate, alternately to oppositely pinnate, almost sessile, flowers; tubular calyx borne in a slender pedicel, violet petals, alternate. Propagated through tip cuttings or sometimes by seeds. Blooms throughout the year. Distributed to the tropics, probably introduced.