Edible Plants in the Philippines
Growing guides for vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, root crops, and medicinal plants you can grow in Metro Manila and across the Philippine archipelago. Each guide includes complete care instructions, nutritional information, culinary uses, and propagation steps tailored to the Philippine tropical climate.
All Edible Plant Guides
Malunggay
Moringa oleifera
The miracle tree of the Philippines — packed with vitamins A, C, iron, and calcium. Grows fast in any backyard.
Kangkong
Ipomoea aquatica
A staple Filipino vegetable that grows in water or soil. Essential for adobong kangkong and sinigang.
Calamansi
Citrofortunella microcarpa
The essential Filipino citrus — used fresh in sawsawan, juiced as a drink, and squeezed over pancit and grilled dishes.
Pechay
Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis
The fastest leafy green in the Filipino garden — from seed to harvest in under 30 days, ideal for containers and small spaces.
Sili
Capsicum annuum & C. frutescens
The heat of Filipino cooking — from fiery siling labuyo in vinegar to mild siling haba in Bicol Express.
Talong
Solanum melongena
The beloved Filipino eggplant — grilled for tortang talong, stewed in pinakbet, or roasted for ensaladang talong.
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
The king of herbs — intensely aromatic, easy to grow in pots, and essential for pesto, Thai curries, and Filipino herbal remedies.
Ampalaya
Momordica charantia
The bitter gourd prized in Filipino cuisine and DOH-endorsed herbal medicine — a vigorous vine for trellises and green curtains.
Kamote
Ipomoea batatas
The versatile sweet potato — tubers for camote cue and tops (talbos) for sinigang. A staple crop that thrives in Philippine soil.
Sitaw
Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis
The long bean of Filipino gardens — nitrogen-fixing, prolific, and essential for pinakbet, adobo, and ginisang sitaw.
Tanglad
Cymbopogon citratus
The aromatic citrus grass — brewed into soothing tea, stuffed in grilled fish, and prized as a natural mosquito repellent.
Oregano
Coleus amboinicus
The DOH-approved herbal medicine plant — thick, aromatic leaves used for cough relief, cooking, and everyday wellness.
Mint & Yerba Buena
Clinopodium douglasii & Mentha spp.
The cooling herb of Filipino wellness — DOH-approved yerba buena for pain relief plus common mint for drinks and desserts.
Alugbati
Basella alba
The tropical spinach — a vigorous climbing vine with thick, nutritious leaves that thrives in heat where true spinach cannot grow.
Pandan
Pandanus amaryllifolius
The vanilla of Southeast Asia — fragrant leaves that flavor buko pandan, kakanin, and Filipino desserts while freshening air and deterring insects.
Papaya
Carica papaya
The fastest fruit tree — seed to harvest in under a year, with sweet ripe fruit for eating and green fruit for tinola and atsara.
Saging
Musa spp.
The cornerstone of Filipino agriculture — lakatan for fresh eating, saba for turon and banana cue, and countless varieties in between.
Bayabas
Psidium guajava
The vitamin C powerhouse — a hardy fruit tree with DOH-approved medicinal leaves and fruit containing four times more vitamin C than oranges.
Atis
Annona squamosa
The sugar apple of Filipino backyards — custard-sweet flesh, hand-pollination for bigger harvests, and a semi-deciduous tree suited to Philippine dry seasons.
Guyabano
Annona muricata
The soursop of the tropics — tangy-sweet fruit for juices and ice cream, with a fast-growing tree that thrives in Philippine lowlands.
Kamias
Averrhoa bilimbi
The souring fruit of Filipino kitchens — trunk-borne, intensely tart, and irreplaceable in sinigang sa kamias and Bicolano dishes.
Sampalok
Tamarindus indica
The grand souring tree — source of sinigang's signature tartness, beloved candy pasalubong, and centuries-old shade for Philippine barrios.
Dalandan
Citrus × aurantium
The beloved Philippine orange — green-skinned, mildly tart-sweet, and freshly squeezed by street vendors across the archipelago.
Suha (Pomelo)
Citrus maxima
The king of citrus — the largest citrus fruit in the world, with Davao's famed sweet pomelo among the Philippines' most prized exports.
Singkamas
Pachyrhizus erosus
The crunchy Filipino street snack — peeled, sliced, and dipped in bagoong, this crisp root crop is the Philippines' answer to hot-weather refreshment.
Upo
Lagenaria siceraria
The mild-mannered gourd of Filipino kitchens — fast-growing, prolific on trellises, and the base vegetable for ginisang upo and misua soup.
Patola
Luffa acutangula
The ridged gourd with a dual identity — a tender vegetable for misua soup when young, and the natural luffa sponge of Filipino bathrooms when mature.
Kalabasa
Cucurbita maxima
The complete food plant — fruit, leaves (talbos), flowers, and seeds (pepitas) are all edible, making kalabasa one of the most versatile crops in Filipino gardens.
Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus
The heat-loving pod vegetable of Filipino gardens — fast-growing, prolific, and essential for pinakbet, grilled sawsawan, and ginisang okra across the Philippines.
Munggo
Vigna radiata
The humble, protein-rich legume of Filipino kitchens — a staple of Friday dinners, infant nutrition, and farm crop rotation across the Philippines for centuries.
Luya
Zingiber officinale
The aromatic rhizome at the heart of Filipino kitchens and traditional medicine — from salabat tea and tinola soup to DOH-endorsed herbal remedy for sore throat and nausea.
Bawang
Allium sativum
The small but mighty bulb of Filipino cooking — from the crispy bawang of sinangag to the aromatic base of every adobo, sinigang, and sawsawan across the archipelago.
Sibuyas
Allium cepa
The tear-inducing bulb at the foundation of every Filipino ginisa — from the tiny, pungent sibuyas Tagalog to the versatile spring onion, no savory dish begins without it.
Kintsay
Apium graveolens
The aromatic leaf herb that crowns every bowl of pancit, arroz caldo, and sopas — small, shade-loving, and endlessly useful in Filipino-Chinese cooking.
Wansoy
Coriandrum sativum
The love-it-or-hate-it herb of kinilaw and modern Filipino cooking — genetics decide whether it tastes fresh and citrusy or soapy, and both seeds and leaves are culinary staples.
Kamatis
Solanum lycopersicum
The galleon-trade fruit that became inseparable from Filipino cuisine — from sawsawan na kamatis to sinigang sa kamatis, it thrives in containers and excels in hydroponics.
Mustasa
Brassica juncea
The peppery, fast-growing leafy green of sinigang and dinengdeng — ready for baby greens in just 25 days, packed with vitamins K and A, and a close relative of pechay.
Labanos
Raphanus sativus
The fastest root vegetable in the garden — crisp, peppery, and ready in as little as 25 days for sinigang na labanos, atsara, pickled sides, and fresh salads.
Sayote
Sechium edule
The prolific highland vine that produces hundreds of mild, crisp fruits per season — from tinolang manok to ginisang sayote, plus edible shoots, roots, and seeds from a single plant.
Gabi
Colocasia esculenta
One of humanity's oldest crops — the starchy corm and dramatic elephant-ear leaves behind laing, sinigang sa gabi, and ginataang gabi, thriving in wet conditions where other vegetables fail.
Ube
Dioscorea alata
The iconic purple yam of Filipino cuisine — from ube halaya to halo-halo to global food trend, its vivid natural anthocyanin color and nutty-sweet flavor are unmistakably Filipino.
Mango
Mangifera indica
The Philippine national fruit — world-famous carabao mango, green mango with bagoong, and Cebu dried mango.
Coconut
Cocos nucifera
The tree of life — every part used from VCO to coco sugar, tuba, and nata de coco.
Pineapple
Ananas comosus
Sweet Queen pineapple and piña fiber cloth — from Bukidnon plantations to barong tagalog.
Jackfruit
Artocarpus heterophyllus
World's largest tree fruit — ginataang langka, halo-halo, and plant-based meat alternative.
Rambutan
Nephelium lappaceum
The hairy tropical fruit with sweet translucent flesh — seasonal Davao delight.
Durian
Durio zibethinus
The King of Fruits — Davao's pride with infamous aroma and heavenly custard taste.
Lanzones
Lansium parasiticum
Sweet clustered fruit of Camiguin — peel to reveal translucent segments.
Santol
Sandoricum koetjape
The sweet-sour cottony fruit for sinigang sa santol and santol sa gata.
Sapodilla
Manilkara zapota
Brown sugar-sweet fruit and original source of chewing gum chicle.
Star Apple
Chrysophyllum cainito
Creamy milky-sweet purple fruit with star pattern cross-section.
Java Plum
Syzygium cumini
Deep purple childhood fruit that stains tongue and fingers — street vendor nostalgia.
Wax Apple
Syzygium samarangense
Bell-shaped crunchy-watery fruit — refreshing Filipino backyard snack.
Starfruit
Averrhoa carambola
Star-shaped waxy fruit — sweet-tart and related to kamias.
Dragon Fruit
Hylocereus undatus
Exotic cactus fruit booming in Philippine farms — fast ROI crop.
Avocado
Persea americana
In the Philippines, traditionally sweet with milk and sugar — Davao giant green variety.
Passion Fruit
Passiflora edulis
Tangy-sweet aromatic pulp gaining popularity in Philippine smoothie bowls.
Cashew
Anacardium occidentale
The nut grows outside the fruit — Palawan cashew capital and Antipolo industry.
Key Lime
Citrus × aurantiifolia
Small intensely sour lime distinct from calamansi — for kinilaw and cocktails.
Winged Bean
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus
The complete food — every part edible from ruffled pods to tubers.
Jute Leaves
Corchorus olitorius
The Ilocano superfood — slimy-tender greens for dinengdeng.
Amaranth
Amaranthus spp.
Pre-colonial Filipino green — nutritious leaves and grain that grows like a weed.
Pigeon Pea
Cajanus cajan
Key ingredient in Ilonggo KBL — drought-tolerant perennial legume.
Hyacinth Bean
Lablab purpureus
Traditional Filipino climbing bean with edible pods, seeds, and flowers.
Cucumber
Cucumis sativus
The universal salad vegetable — ensaladang pipino with vinegar and onion.
Cabbage
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
La Trinidad highland crop for ginisang repolyo and lumpia filling.
Corn
Zea mays
Binatog, mais con yelo, and inihaw na mais — the Philippines' second cereal after rice.
Waterleaf
Talinum triangulare
Shade-tolerant leafy green that grows itself — the ultimate zero-maintenance vegetable.
Cassava
Manihot esculenta
Major root crop for pichi-pichi, cassava cake, and suman — must be cooked thoroughly.
Oyster Mushroom
Pleurotus ostreatus
Grow protein indoors in substrate bags — perfect Philippine humidity crop.
Carrots
Daucus carota
The classic root vegetable — Benguet highland production for chopsuey and mechado.
String Beans
Phaseolus vulgaris
Baguio beans for ginisang and chopsuey — distinct from sitaw.
Bell Pepper
Capsicum annuum
The zero-heat sweet pepper essential for Filipino chopsuey.
Sambong
Blumea balsamifera
DOH-approved herbal medicine for kidney stones and anti-edema.
Lagundi
Vitex negundo
DOH-approved #1 herbal medicine for cough, cold, and asthma.
Tsaang Gubat
Carmona retusa
DOH-approved for stomach pain — also an excellent bonsai material.
Niyog-Niyogan
Combretum indicum
DOH-approved dewormer with color-changing flowers from white to red.
Akapulko
Senna alata
DOH-approved antifungal for ringworm and skin infections.
Pansit-Pansitan
Peperomia pellucida
DOH-approved for arthritis — tiny herb that grows free on walls.
Black Pepper
Piper nigrum
The King of Spices — reviving Batangas pepper heritage.
Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
Universal garnish herb gaining popularity in Filipino home cooking.
Bay Leaf
Laurus nobilis
Essential adobo herb — no Filipino kitchen is complete without it.
Spring Onion
Allium fistulosum
The essential garnish for pancit, mami, and arroz caldo — regrows from scraps.
Rice
Oryza sativa
THE Filipino staple eaten three times daily — from IRRI to Banaue terraces.
Coffee
Coffea spp.
Philippine coffee renaissance — from Batangas Barako to Benguet Arabica.
Cacao
Theobroma cacao
Davao's chocolate treasure — tablea tradition meets bean-to-bar movement.
Peanut
Arachis hypogaea
Adobong mani, kare-kare sauce, and polvoron — the underground fruit.
Sugarcane
Saccharum officinarum
Negros Sugar Capital — muscovado, basi wine, and fresh tubo juice.
Soybean
Glycine max
Behind taho, tokwa, and toyo — the protein powerhouse legume.
Breadfruit
Artocarpus altilis
The carbohydrate tree — Visayan staple and underutilized rice substitute.
Mulberry
Morus alba
The superfruit gaining momentum — berries, tea, and silk production.