Jade Vine

One of the most prized treasures of the Philippine rain forest is the jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys). A popular attraction in many conservatories and greenhouses in temperate countries, the plant was first seen in 1854 by botanists who were members of the U.S. Wilkes Exploring Expedition in the dipterocarp forest of Mount Makiling on Luzon. The common name, jade vine, refers to the rare jade or bluish-green color of its flowers. Each flower is five to seven centimeters long, boat-shaped, and gently curved like an upturned beak of a bird. The flowers are clustered in abouquet, 60 to 90 centimeters long, which hangs gracefully from the stem. At their peak, the flower clusters are so spectacular, but when not in flower the vine virtually disappears among its neighbors in the forest. After flowering, the vine produces large oblong fruits with short-lived seeds that remain viable for only a week or two.
     Woody climbers such as the jade vine are called lianas; their abundance in tropical rain forests—they make up an estimated ten percent of the total species—paints the popular image of impenetrable jungle. Once rooted in the ground, the plant grows toward light in the canopy, twisting like a rope around the trunks and branches of tall trees. With age, the stems become tough, woody, and thick, helping to support the giant dipterocarps, which are often rooted in very thin soil. Removal of trees results in the loss of lianas, which depend reciprocally on the trees for support. While lianas seem to grow abundantly after aforest is logged, a careful inventory will show that the number of species has drastically decreased. Aggressive and weedy species from outside the forest often move in and occupy the open space, and so lianas like the jade vine have become one of the most threatened groups of plants in the Philippines.

Original URL: http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/vanishing_treasures/V_JadeV.htm