‘Gumamela’ blooms as economic driver

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—How about a “gumamela”-flavored juice?

Science researchers and local government officials expect a bustling local economy to blossom from the many colors, sizes and shapes of the gumamela (hibiscus).

“Hibiscus breeding in the Philippines faces a very bright future,” said Dr. Pablito Magdalita, an associate professor from the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).

Hibiscus, one of the most popular ornamental plants often grown in front of houses, is also referred to as the “queen of the Filipino garden.”

But aside from being a prolific ornamental plant or a child’s concoction for making bubbles from a mixture of water and crushed petals and leaves, researchers are exploring other uses of the hibiscus, particularly for health and wellness.

In a floriculture congress held in Quezon City in February, collectors and gardeners exhibited different varieties of the hibiscus commonly used for landscaping.

Ornamental plant breeding in the Philippines was traced back to 1922 but it showed little progress because of low funding as the government had focused more on food security programs, Magdalita said.

“The need for propagating the hibiscus has become popular. With the climate change around us, hibiscus has the potential (uses) for ‘green roofs’ for high-rise buildings or as ornamentals on bare walls,” he added.

Most varieties are also edible, he said. For instance, the roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is often used as food garnishing and could be manufactured into jam, jelly or juice as a good source of antioxidants.

Magdalita said his group planned to breed a “miniature” variety that could be placed in small bottles as souvenir items. Another project, he said, is to breed the plant as a cut flower that could last without withering for two to three days.

But former Las Piñas City Rep. Cynthia Villar posed a question: “What use do science researches and technologies have if we cannot apply them to our daily lives?”

In 2011, the Villar Foundation donated P1.2 million to the IPB for the propagation of 2,000 mother plants of the hibiscus Rosa-sinensis Cynthia A. Villar.

This was after the UPLB last year named the hibiscus hybrid after Villar, who was recognized in the Women in Public Service Series for her contributions to the government and the environment. The variety has bright orange petals, a red eye and pinkish halo.

“I thought I should propagate it in Las Piñas on a large scale for beautification (of the city) to help in tourism,” Villar said.

On March 6, Villar attended the opening of the 10-meter wide hibiscus propagation mist house in UPLB. The P340,000 facility funded by the Villar Foundation would speed up the propagation of the hibiscus varieties than when using traditional sprinklers to water the plants, said IPB researcher Agripina Rasco.

The foundation plans to grow and propagate the plant in the city and develop byproducts that could generate jobs.

“It could be Las Piñas’ city flower,” Villar said.

The IPB was expected to complete the breeding of the 2,000 mother plants for turnover to the Villar Foundation by the end of the year.