Text by Jennifer Manongdo
Photo by Sarah Hazel Moces Pulumbarit
Pansit-Pansitan, Kalabasa, and Gumamela are among the edible blooms highlighted in a charming exhibit unveiled by the Museum of the History of Ideas on May 19, 2025, as part of its Flores de Mayo celebration.
The exhibit, which runs until May 30, 2025, showcases 32 paintings of edible flora by members of the Philippine Botanical Art Society (PhilBAS). The captivating art pieces were created using various mediums, such as watercolor, oil on canvas, acrylic, and colored pencil. Under the guidance of its founder Bing Famoso, the artists aimed to bring back the glory days of botanical art style and promote conservation of the nation’s endemic plants.
“Edible flowers are now increasingly popular among researchers, nutritionists, and chefs. They enhance the appearance and taste of dishes and are valuable sources of nutrients and antioxidants,” said Dr. Honey Libertine Achanzar-Labor, curator and special assistant to the Chancellor for the Museum of a History of Ideas.
“Bioactive compounds in these edible flowers also have remarkable health benefits, providing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-obesity, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, gastroprotective, antidiarrheal, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, analgesic, and astringent properties,” she added. The exhibit included paintings of indigenous plants such as the Musa acuminata painted in watercolor by Lorraine Panel and the Musa balbisiana painted in acrylic by Hazel Yzabel Aldea. Some plants that were introduced to the country by Chinese and Southeast Asian traders were also featured in the display such as the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, painted by Patricia Ann Yan, and Colocasia esculenta or wild taro painted by Theresa Diamse. The other artworks include Kalabasa or Cucurbita maxima by Coleen Rillaiza, Gumamela or Hibiscus rosa-sinensis by Patricia Ann Yan, Pansit-pansitan by Vincent Tan, and Bayabas or Psidium guajava by Hemy Fabay.#
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