Flora de Filipinas is a foundational work in the history of Philippine science and natural history. The original work, first published in 1837 and 1845 by the Augustinian friar Padre Manuel Blanco, O.S.A., serves as a comprehensive 19th-century compilation of the archipelago's flora during the Spanish colonial period. Written without the benefit of extensive libraries or botanical education, Blanco's text was an important effort to document the "vast wealth of this gracious country". The work is particularly noted for its inclusion of local Filipino dialect names for plants and its detailed accounts of their medicinal and industrial uses , making it a crucial resource for ethnobotanical studies. This specific volume (Volume Three) is a 1993 reissue of the subsequent grand edition of 1877-83, featuring modern textual contributions and reissues of the original illustrations to help contemporary taxonomists identify the species. The enduring value of the Flora de Filipinas lies in its status as a primary historical document linking early scientific observation with indigenous knowledge in the Philippines.
Flora de Filipinas