The Waling-waling and Other Orchids and Flowers of Davao City

September 8, 2011

(This article is a continuation of my article at HubPages, “Exotic Travel Destinations – Philippines: The Kadayawan Festival of Davao City”.)

A floral float at the Kadayawan Festival makes use of fresh flowers to create various figures

Orchid connoisseurs and flower/plant lovers who visit the Kadayawan Festival held in August each year in Davao City, the Philippines will not only enjoy the various tribal celebrations and cultural shows but will surely have an exciting and memorable time admiring the orchids, plants and flowers produced by the city. Among its many blessings, the Mt. Apo, the highest peak in the Philippines, has provided the city its fertile plains and a tropical climate that is highly suitable for an amazing number of orchids and flowering plants. Orchid and flower farms, some located more than a thousand feet above sea level, produce many of the best blooms in the Philippines.

A 'blue orchid" on display at the Kadayawan

The Waling-waling

"Euanthe Sanderiana"

The most popular orchid that Davao City has become well-known for is the waling-waling (Euanthe sanderiana).Considered the “Queen of Philippine Flowers” and worshiped by the Bagobo (a tribe of indigenous people in Davao) as a diwata (fairy); the waling-waling (generally classified by the Royal Horticultural Society as aVanda) is highly valued by plant lovers and is often the most expensive native plant in flower gardens in the Philippines. In fact, because of its noble status, the waling-waling has long been a subject of hybridization efforts by propagators which resulted to an undetermined number of versions in terms of color shades or spots in the flower. Not surprisingly, each propagator would claim that his or her waling-waling is the most authentic.

A City of Flowers

Potted plants on display at the Kadayawan Agro Fair

Other orchid varieties such as the cattleya and the dendrobium are also abundant and, aside from orchids; roses, chrysanthemums, anthuriums, and probably hundreds of other plant varieties are being cultivated in flower gardens all over the city, often with a good mix of imported species and technologies. The best flowers often become the main element as props and decorations during the Floral Float Parade which culminates the week-long Kadayawan celebrations but the huge Kadayawan Agro Fair, which runs through the whole of August, also has most if not all of these exotic plants on display and for sale. The Agro Fair is usually set-up in the wide, open parking lot of a big shopping mall for the convenience of visitors from out-of-town.

Just a Sample

A rare ornamental plant

Having taken photos of the floral float parade, I visited the Kadayawan Agro Fair to take sample photos of flowers on display. It was, as usual, a complex display of myriads of ornamental plants as well as fruits and other garden implements. Though I have some fondness for flowers, I am not an expert in their names so I won’t be able to label each of the photos I attached here. Nevertheless, I’m sure that the captivating beauty of these flowers can speak for themselves.

A float displays Davao flowers and fruits

Mums and orchids featured in jungle design

A combination of anthoriums and mums in a floral float

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Flowers provide the bountiful colors of the Kadayawan Festival…..

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Related articles

• Missing Out on the Kadayawan Festivities (mindbeatz.wordpress.com)
• Tropical Fruit Facts and Legends: Durian – Asia’s Notorious “King of Fruits” (travellingartist.wordpress.com)

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