Documentation of the Phenocalendar of Allaeanthus luzonicus (Blanco) Fern.-Vill. (Family Moraceae) to Sustain Its Utilization

Abstract

This chapter introduces an innovation leveraging on the phenological calendar of the growth and development of Allaeanthus luzonicus (Blanco) Fern.-Vill. to ensure a sustainable inflorescence supply for household consumption. A. luzonicus is a favorite indigenous vegetable in Northern Philippines, but it is wild-growing and seasonal in availability; hence edible inflorescences are available only during the regular flowering season in the months of January to March each year. So, we sought to establish and explore the species’ phenocalendar to have longer supply of inflorescence. We first documented the species’ growth and development stages and compared its phenology under four climate types in three provinces in Northern Philippines where the indigenous vegetable is most utilized. We also discovered that there are off-season varieties of A. luzonicus which flower outside the regular flowering period of January to March. Thus, a production system that integrates the documented phenocalendar and off-season varieties is recommended for year-round inflorescence supply.