Best trees for urban areas
Hello tree huggers and Mama Earth warriors!
As I have mentioned in another post [You’ve Got TREE-mail!] I would be sharing with you some findings about the species of trees that are more location-appropriate. For example, in urban areas like Metro Manila, it is better to plant trees that will help in reducing air pollution and temperature (read: global warming).
A report published by DENR in August 2006 (Suitable Species for Urban Forestry) listed down various tree species, which are recommended for urban areas. Listed below are 20 of those species:
1. Acacia (Raintree) – scientific name, Samanea saman
2. Balitbitan – scientific name, Cynometra ramiflora
3. Baston de San Jose – scientific name, Cordyline terminalis
4. Copper Leaf – scientific name, Acalypha wilkesiana
5. Guyabano – scientific name, Anona muricata L.
6. Kamagong – scientific name, Diospyros philippinensis
7. Maluko – scientific name, Pisonia grandis Span.
8. Adelfa – scientific name, Nerium indicum
9. African tulip – scientific name, Spathodea campanulata
10. Bandera española – scientific name, Canna indica L.
11. Bougainvilla – scientific name, Bougainvillaea spectabilis
12. Bunga – scientific name, Areca cathecu L.
13. Caballero – scientific name, Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw.
14. Campanilla – scientific name, Thevetia peruviana
15. Giant ipil-ipil – scientific name, Leucaena leucocephala
16. Lumbang – scientific name, Aleurites moluccana (L.)
17. Mayana – scientific name, Coleus scutellaroides or Coleus blumei Benth.
18. Narra – scientific name, Pterocarpus indicus Willd.
19. Palawan Cherry – scientific name, Cassia nodosa L.
20. Palomaria (Bitaog) – scientific name, Calophyllum inophyllum L.
You can get the complete list and know more about these trees by downloading the report. I will be writing about the best species for rural settings in one of my future posts. [Update as of 2022: There’s a more recent book released by DENR. See the title and link below.]
Philippine Guidebook on Plant Species Suitable for Urban Greening (2022)
https://forestry.denr.gov.ph/fmb_web/philippine-guidebook-on-plant-species-suitable-for-urban-greening/
Mama Earth loves you: To maintain independence, this website is self-funded and this write-up is not a commissioned work. There is no request for donation but if you can plant a tree (or two!) on your birthdays, it will really be awesome and will make Mama Earth very happy! P.s. It’s better if you could join the You’ve Got Tree-mail! Chain.
