Himbabao/Alokon

Himbabao or Alokon (Broussonetia luzonica) is an edible and endemic plant in the Philippines. It is one of the oldest documented native plants found occurring in the country by Augustinian priest and botanist, Father Manuel Blanco (Merrill, 1905).

One good story shared by retired Prof. Siegfredo Calabig, and current Institutional Planning Office Director, Prof. Tomas Testor, is that Alokon flowers were picked and cooked by the university’s caretakers, and janitors. It can also be added in meat and vegetable dishes like pinakbet and bulanglang. When cooked, the flower becomes gooey and slimy like okra.

Conservation status for Himbabao has not yet been evaluated (Bureau in GBIF Secretariat, 2019). Its fibrous bark yields inferior rope while flower spikes is used as food, usually in meat and vegetable recipes such as pinakbet, bulanglang, and stir-fries. The wood is used for paneling, furniture and cabinet work, gunstocks, musical instruments, pulpwood, firewood, butcher’s block, and boat planking. Studies about its leaves shows it can help in preventing cancer, diabetes, and tumors.