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Discarded concubine

kalachuchi (Plumiera acuminata)

Dramatic title for a photo, eh, but no visible concubine? The scientific name is Plumiera acuminata but the flower as well as the tree is popularly known in the Philippines as kalachuchi. Why it is associated with “the other woman”, I am not sure, but when I was a young girl, kalachuchi was the polite (though derisive) term used to refer to mistresses. One theory is that it sounds similar to “kulasisi”, a local (slang?) term for a mistress or a concubine. Then, there is superstition so that in “some regions, it is not planted in the immediate vicinity of habitation” because it is “believed to cause difficulties with personal relationships and separations.”

The flower is edible although I haven’t tried eating or cooking kalachuchi personally.

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Comments

  1. punsai says:

    hi! this is a lovely photo. may i use it on my blog? with credits, of course. thanks :-)

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