Can cherry blossoms grow in the Philippines? Kuya Kim has the answer

Can cherry blossoms grow in the Philippines?

As seen on "24 Oras," Kuya Kim reported that according to experts, it's possible that cherry blossoms can bloom in cold places in the Philippines.

However, Wally Suarez, a field botanist, said, "I don’t think mamumulaklak sila na kasing en masse iyong flowering kumpara sa Japan, Korea, o China."

"Kailangan ng sakura ng talagang malamig para mag-bloom ng marami, and I don't think mag-bloo-bloom sila ng ganun kadami kasi it doesn't get cool enough," Wally added.

Aside from Japan, another place that's cold enough for cherry blossoms to grow in is Macon, Georgia in the USA. Fun fact: Macon, Georgia is the cherry blossom capital of the world.

Macon can have approximately 300,000-350,000 Yoshino cherry trees. The US city also holds an International Cherry Blossom Festival.  

What may be similar to Japan's cherry blossoms here in the Philippines is Tabebuia rosea, an exotic tree with pink flowers, in Malungon, Sarangani.

"'Yong difference po niya—height of the trees, compared to cherry blossom ng Japan saka 'yong flowers po niya—malapad," said Joel Martinez, the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources officer-in-charge in Malungon, Sarangani.

The Tabebuia rosea is an exotic tree that's not endemic to the Philippines.

"Galing 'yan siya sa isang plantation po dito. Ibinigay po sa munisipyo ng Malungon," Joel said. "Ang usapan talaga is conservation siya. Mayroon kaming program on school tree farm establishment."

"Isa 'yon sa nakakadagdag ng isang magandang characteristic ng munisipyo. Kung gusto nilang mag-Japan, they can also go sa Malungon," said Clemente La Paz II, tourism officer of Malungon, Sarangani.

If you're a plantito or plantita, in addition to being a budget traveler, perhaps you'd also like to see a tree that exhibits rainbow colors.

A tree called Eucalyptus deglupta or rainbow eucalyptus has a tree trunk that has the colors blue, orange, and green. It's also known as Mindanao gum and can be found in the Philippines.

When the rainbow eucalyptus tree sheds its bark, the first color that can be seen is green, and with time, it's exposed to air which ages the tree and causes it to change colors.

The rainbow eucalyptus tree can also be found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

—Kimberly Tsao/MGP, GMA Integrated News