Balete from Forest of the Philippines plate8 part2

The balete tree (also known as balite or baliti) are several species of trees in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

from the genus ''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...

'', which are generally referred to as ''balete'' in Filipino. A number of these are '' strangler figs'', as they germinate upon other trees, before entrapping their host tree entirely and eventually killing it. Consequently the young plants are hemiepiphytes, i.e.

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

s or air plants that grow several hanging roots which eventually touch the ground and take root. Some baletes produce natural rubber of an inferior quality. The Indian rubber tree, '' F. elastica'', was formerly cultivated to some extent for rubber. Some of the species like ''tangisang-bayawak'' or '' Ficus variegata'' are large and could probably be utilized for

match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

wood. The wood of ''Ficus'' species are soft, light, and of inferior quality, and the trees usually have ill-formed, short boles.Whitford, H.N., Bureau of Forestry
"The Forests of the Philippines, Part 2"
p.30. Manila Bureau of Printing, 1911.

List of species which shares the common name of Balete

* '' Ficus microcarpa'' * '' F. arayatensis Warb.''Merritt, Melvin L., Bureau of Forestry
"The Forests of Mindoro"
p.42. Manila Bureau of Printing, 1908. * '' F. balete Merr.'' * '' F. benjamina Linn.''Bureau of Insular Affairs
"Compilation of laws and regulations relating to public lands in the Philippine Islands"
p.181. Washington Government Printing Office, 1908."Ficus benjamina Linn."
. Philippine Bureau of Plant Industry. Retrieved on April 27, 2011. * '' F. benjamina Linn. var. nuda Miq.'' * '' F. clusioides Miq.'' * '' F. concinna Miq.'' * '' F. elastica Roxb.''Stuart, Godofredo
"Balete"
Philippine Medicinal Plants. Retrieved on April 25, 2011. * '' F. forstenii Miq.'' * '' F. indica Linn.'' * '' F. parvifolia Miq.'' * '' F. payapa Blanco'' * '' F. philipinenses Miq.'' * '' F. retusa Linn.'' * '' F. stipulosa Miq. Linn.''"Balete – Scientific name: Ficus stipulosa Miq. Linn."
. Filipino Herbs Healing Wonders. Retrieved on April 25, 2011. * '' F. variegata Blume''

Ornamental use

Baletes are planted as graceful trees along avenues in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and other large cities in the Philippines, and they are also excellent as shade trees. Several species of the tree are also use for

bonsai Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...

making in the country. Baletes are used as houseplants; however, it is a source of indoor household allergens which may cause respiratory allergy.

Philippine folklore

7975Balete Drive Quezon City Landmarks 05

In some areas of the country, some people believe that balete trees are dwelling places for supernatural beings ('' engkanto'') like ''

diwata ''Anito'', also spelled ''anitu'', refers to ancestor spirits, nature spirits, and deities in the Indigenous Philippine folk religions from the precolonial age to the present, although the term itself may have other meanings and associ ...

'', ''

kapre In Philippine mythology, the kapre is a creature that may be described as a tree giant or ape like, being a tall (), dark-coloured, hairy, and muscular creature. Kapres are also said to have a very strong body odour and to sit in tree branc ...

'' or ''

tikbalang The Tikbalang (/ˈtikbaˌlaŋ/) (also Tigbalang, Tigbalan, Tikbalan, Tigbolan, or Werehorse) is a creature of Philippine folklore said to lurk in the mountains and rainforests of the Philippines. It is a tall, bony humanoid (half-human and h ...

''. In some places, sorcery rituals are known performed inside the chambers formed by the tree. Also among others, some superstitious folks suggest not bringing in balete as decorative plants inside a house as they allegedly invite ghosts. Balete Drive in New Manila,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

, named after a enormous balete tree that used to stand in the middle of the street, is allegedly one of the most haunted places in the city. The tale of a white lady appears at night hailing cars that drive by has been circulated since the 1950s.

Extreme examples

* The balete tree inside the OISCA Farm in Lumapao, Canlaon, Negros Oriental, is estimated by

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

s from Silliman University to be around 1,328 years old. It would take at least 42 men to encircle its trunk. At the heart of this wide tree trunk is a cavity where lizards, bats and many insects have made it their home. With

fireflies The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

lighting it at night like a year-round

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

, it is one of the city's main tourist attractions. * A balete tree called "Millennium Tree" in

Barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

Quirino, Maria Aurora,

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

province is claimed to be the largest of its kind in Asia. It is estimated to be about more than 600 years old and tall with its roots about to in diameter. It is possible for adult people to squeeze into the center of its root network. * A 400-year-old balete tree in Barangay Campalanas in the Lazi,

Siquijor Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor (; ), is a Philippines, Philippine Provinces of the Philippines, island province (List of islands of the Philippines, the third smallest in the country, in terms of population and land area) ...

is believed to be the oldest and the biggest in the province. The tree is noted for the spring that emanates from its base and flows straight into a man-made pool.

Gallery

File:FvfCordonIsabela3349 33.JPG, A balete tree in Cordon, Isabela,

File:Millennium tree of Balete Park, Maria Aurora, Philippinesjf.jpg, The “''Millennium Tree''” at Balete Park in Brgy. Quirino in Maria Aurora,

province,

."Sightseeing - Nature Areas and Beaches"
Discover Aurora. Retrieved on 2011-12-29. File:FvfBustosBulacan0380 25.JPG, A balete in Bustos,

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

. File:Enchanted Balete Tree in Lazi.JPG, The 400-year-old balete tree of Barangay Campalanas, Lazi, Siquijor province,

References

External links

{{Commons category, Balete tree
"The Forests of the Philippines"
by the Philippine Bureau of Forestry from Google Books. Flora of the Philippines Trees of the Philippines Plant common names Austronesian spirituality Philippine folk culture