Garden plants for Philippines
104 plants that appear on garden plant lists for Philippines: vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers, shrubs and trees that gardeners there commonly grow, native or introduced. Each links to a growing guide with spacing, sun, water, hardiness, toxicity and sources.
Philippines spans more than one climate. Being on this list does not mean a plant suits your own site: check its hardiness and water needs against your local conditions, and avoid plants listed as invasive in your area.
Plan a garden with these plants →
Vegetables (16)
- Arrowroot (West Indian arrowroot) Maranta arundinacea
- Bitter melon Momordica charantia · invasive in some regions
- Bottle gourd Lagenaria siceraria
- Chili pepper Capsicum annuum (hot types)
- Chinese water chestnut (mÇŽtÃ) Eleocharis dulcis
- Eggplant (aubergine) Solanum melongena
- Elephant foot yam (suran, buk) Amorphophallus paeoniifolius
- Ivy gourd (tindora) Coccinia grandis · invasive in some regions
- Katuk (sweet leaf, phak wan ban) Breynia androgyna
- Malabar spinach Basella alba
- Mung bean Vigna radiata
- Okra Abelmoschus esculentus
- Ridge gourd (turai) Luffa acutangula
- Tannia (malanga, yautÃa, cocoyam) Xanthosoma sagittifolium
- Vegetable hummingbird (agati, dok khae) Sesbania grandiflora
- Water spinach (kangkong) Ipomoea aquatica · invasive in some regions
Herbs (6)
- Betel leaf Piper betle
- Cuban oregano (Indian borage) Coleus amboinicus
- Fingerroot (krachai, temu kunci) Boesenbergia rotunda
- Ginger Zingiber officinale
- Lemongrass Cymbopogon citratus
- Patchouli Pogostemon cablin
Fruit (30)
- Ambarella (June plum) Spondias dulcis
- Banana Musa x paradisiaca
- Bignay (mao luang) Antidesma bunius
- Bilimbi (cucumber tree) Averrhoa bilimbi
- Black sapote (chocolate pudding fruit) Diospyros nigra
- Breadfruit (ʻulu) Artocarpus altilis
- Calamansi Citrus × microcarpa
- Cashew Anacardium occidentale
- Custard apple (bullock’s heart) Annona reticulata
- Dragon fruit (pitaya) Selenicereus undatus
- Giant granadilla (badea) Passiflora quadrangularis
- Indian jujube (ber, phutsa) Ziziphus mauritiana · invasive in some regions
- Jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus
- Jamaican cherry (calabura, takhop farang) Muntingia calabura · invasive in some regions
- Jocote (red mombin, ciruela) Spondias purpurea
- Langsat (duku) Lansium parasiticum
- Malay apple (jambu bol) Syzygium malaccense
- Mamey sapote Pouteria sapota
- Mango (dwarf) Mangifera indica
- Papaya Carica papaya
- Pomelo Citrus maxima
- Rose apple Syzygium jambos · invasive in some regions
- Santol Sandoricum koetjape
- Sapodilla (chico, lamut) Manilkara zapota
- Soursop (guanábana) Annona muricata
- Star apple (caimito) Chrysophyllum cainito
- Star gooseberry (Otaheite gooseberry, ma-yom) Phyllanthus acidus
- Sugar apple (sweetsop) Annona squamosa
- Wax apple (chomphu) Syzygium samarangense
- Yangmei (Chinese bayberry, yamamomo) Morella rubra
Flowers (12)
- Bougainvillea Bougainvillea glabra
- Chinese evergreen Aglaonema commutatum
- Dumb cane (dieffenbachia) Dieffenbachia seguine
- Jade vine Strongylodon macrobotrys
- Moonflower Ipomoea alba
- Pagoda flower Clerodendrum paniculatum
- Poison bulb (giant crinum lily, phlap phlueng) Crinum asiaticum
- Queen of the night (Dutchman’s pipe cactus) Epiphyllum oxypetalum
- Rangoon creeper Combretum indicum · invasive in some regions
- Sacred lotus Nelumbo nucifera
- Satin pothos (silver vine) Scindapsus pictus
- Tropical hibiscus Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Shrubs (13)
- Arabian jasmine Jasminum sambac
- Bengal clock vine (blue trumpet vine) Thunbergia grandiflora · invasive in some regions
- Desert rose Adenium obesum
- Firecracker plant (coral plant) Russelia equisetiformis
- Frangipani (plumeria) Plumeria rubra
- Golden trumpet (allamanda) Allamanda cathartica · invasive in some regions
- Jungle geranium (ixora) Ixora coccinea
- Mexican heather (false heather) Cuphea hyssopifolia
- Mussaenda (Doña Aurora) Mussaenda philippica
- Night-blooming jessamine (dama de noche) Cestrum nocturnum · invasive in some regions
- Pigeon pea Cajanus cajan
- Red powder puff Calliandra haematocephala
- Tiare (Tahitian gardenia) Gardenia taitensis
Trees (22)
- Areca nut palm (betel nut palm, mak) Areca catechu
- Beach she-oak (coast she-oak, Australian pine) Casuarina equisetifolia · invasive in some regions
- Calabash tree (jÃcaro, totumo) Crescentia cujete
- Candlenut (kukui) Aleurites moluccanus
- Ceylon cinnamon Cinnamomum verum
- Coconut palm Cocos nucifera
- Gliricidia (madre de cacao, mata ratón) Gliricidia sepium
- Indian coral tree Erythrina variegata
- Kapok (ceiba, silk-cotton tree) Ceiba pentandra
- Melinjo (gnetum, phak miang) Gnetum gnemon
- Moringa Moringa oleifera
- Narra (Burmese rosewood) Pterocarpus indicus
- Queen’s crape myrtle (banaba) Lagerstroemia speciosa
- Rosy trumpet tree (chomphu phanthip) Tabebuia rosea
- Sago palm Metroxylon sagu
- Spanish cherry (bullet wood, phikun) Mimusops elengi
- Sugar palm (aren) Arenga pinnata
- Tiew (pink mempat, phak tiu) Cratoxylum formosum
- Tropical almond (Indian almond, hu kwang) Terminalia catappa
- White champaka (champi) Magnolia × alba
- Yellow flame tree (copperpod, non si) Peltophorum pterocarpum
- Ylang-ylang Cananga odorata
Grasses (3)
- Rice (Asian rice) Oryza sativa
- Sugarcane Saccharum officinarum
- Vetiver Chrysopogon zizanioides
Groundcovers (2)
- Golden pothos (devil’s ivy) Epipremnum aureum · invasive in some regions
- Moses-in-the-cradle (oyster plant) Tradescantia spathacea · invasive in some regions
Reference values for planning, not horticultural, veterinary or medical advice. Varieties, soils and local climates differ: check with a local nursery or extension service.