Page 14 - BSAM 2017 Q1

Top; A highly-prized hardwood, Tugas are utilized for posts and beams, doors and furniture
as revealed by archeological evidence and extant, centuries-old churches and houses.
Bottom; The cultural practice of slash-and-burn agriculture or “kaingin,” created burnt stumps and branches that gave rise to natural jin, shari and sabamiki.
Harder Than Stones
Cultivating Tugas Bonsai
By Aries Felipe and Orly Turingan jr., Philippines
Contributing author and editor: José Luis Rodríguez Macias, Puerto Rico
Photography courtesy At Maculangan, Aries Felipe, Orly Turingan jr., Angel “Ogi” Uyehara, José Luis Rodríguez Macias, Herden Pedrajas and Jonathan Roxas.
Historical and Cultural Background
Rich in biodiversity, the Philippine’s forests are a rich source of highly prized hardwoods with ne and unique grain. One such hardwood is the Vitex family, particularly what is locally known as Molave and Tugas. It is utilized for posts and beams, doors and furniture as revealed by archeological evidence and extant, centuries-old churches
and houses. The Molave/Tugas,
while once a common endemic
Philippine tree, is now considered a
rare species. Decades of logging and
slash-and-burn agriculture greatly
contributed to the diminishing
supply of the species. However,
the advent of bonsai art in the
Philippines now gives rise to a new
form of appreciation to the tree, that
is, as a prized bonsai material.
The Molave/Tugas Controversy
With the rising popularity of Tugas as bonsai material, there seems to be an ongoing confusion on its rightful taxonomic classi cation. Is it Tugas Vitex trifolia, parviflora or negundo? The hardy, commonly found Molave is undoubtedly classi ed as Vitex parvi ora, while the commonly used tree
12 | BCI | January/February/March 2017