PANDAN LEAF:

O-> Scientific Name: Pandanus odoratissimus L.

O-> Common Name: Pandan

O->

Pandan Leaf is widely used in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. The Screwpine tree is a perennial and needs to grow in warm, damp areas in partial sunlight. The soil must be kept moist. The tree grows to be twenty-six feet high. The leaves are used there like we use vanilla flavoring. This leaf also has medicinal properties. In ancient times, the leaves were used for making house thatching and women’s grass skirts. The fruit heads are approximately eight inches in diameter and looks like a green pineapple.

The Pandan Leaf comes from the Screwpine tree, which can be found in Madagascar, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the tropical areas of Australia.

The medicinal uses for this tree are as follows: The entire plant is used as a diuretic, the roots have anti-diabetic

properties, and the leaves are used for treating diseases of the skin.

In cooking, the leaf is used in making grass green Pandan cake which is similar to the American sponge cake. The Pandan leaf has also been used in rice and making different type of curries.

Strips of the leaves are used in making woven baskets, which are used to serve rice or other food items.

Mid-eastern Indians use the flower of this plant in making perfume as well as desserts and sweets.

For festive holidays and ceremonies, Pandan is used with the essences of rose to flavor spicy rice dishes such as biryani.

Kamagong

Scientific name: "Diospyros blancoi"

Common Name: Kamagong or Mabolo

Uses:

The wood of the kamagong is especially hard and heavy, which earned it the moniker “iron wood.” Because of its hardiness it is a favorite material for furniture making. Its dark, shiny skin also makes it appealing for furniture makes who want to have a rustic look with their creations.Often, kamagong is associated with certain types of weapons, particularly arnis sticks. The weight of the kamagong makes it ideal for swinging as a weapon and it does not break easily. It is also preferred for making the bokken, a training stick for the martial arts of aikido and aikijutsu.The kamagong’s fruit, the mabolo, is also particularly distinctive. It is covered in short bristles of semi-transparent hair and has a strong, odious smell. It is recommended to peel off the skin and let the fruit stand inside the refrigerator for a few hours before being eaten. According to the blog, eating mabolo is an acquired taste. The fruit is also a good source for iron, calcium and vitamin B.It’s many uses for furniture and food makes it an important plant. If you happen to have one in your backyard, be happy; you have a rare gem planted right at your home.

Scientific name: Chrysophyllum cainito

Common name: cainito, caimito, star apple, golden leaf tree, abiaba, pomme du lait, estrella, milk fruit and aguay.

Uses: The fruits are delicious as a fresh dessert fruit; it is sweet and best served chilled. Infusions of the leaves have been used against diabetes and articular rheumatism. The bark is considered a tonic and stimulant, and a bark decoction is used as an antitussive. The fruit also exist in two colors, dark purple and greenish brown. The purple fruit has a denser skin and texture while the greenish brown fruit has a thin skin and a more liquid pulp.

Narra Tree

Scientific Name: Pterocarpus indicusCommon Name: Narra tree

Uses: The hardwood, which is purplish, is termite resistant and rose-scented. The wood known in Indonesia as amboyna is the burl of the tree, named after Ambon, where much of this material was originally found. Often amboyna is finely sliced to produce an extremely decorative veneer, used for decoration and in making of furniture and keys on a marimba. The flower is used as a honey source while leaf infusions are used as shampoos. Both flowers and leaves were said to be eaten.The leaves are supposedly good for waxing and polishing brass and copper. The tree is recommended as an ornamental tree for avenues and is sometimes planted in Puerto Rico as a shade and ornament. It is also a source of kino or resin. In folk medicine, it is used to combat tumors. This property might be due to an acidic polypeptide found in its leaves that inhibited growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells by disruption of cell and nuclear membranes. It is also known as a diuretic in Europe during the 16th and 18th centuries. Its reputation may be due to its wood infusions, which are fluorescent. It is widely planted as a roadside, park, and car-park tree. The tall, dome-shaped crown, with long, drooping branches is very attractive and the flowers are spectacular in areas with a dry season. It is very easily propagated from seed or large stem cuttings, but suffers from disease problems.