Towering in the garden in less than five years is a Píli tree (Canarium ovatum), one of the very first seedlings we planted when we started here in San Celestino. I first appreciated this tree on a trip to Bicol, then to Negros Occidental. Apart from its delicious nuts, it is a handsome specimen tree and a sturdy hardwood.
Little did I know then that it is endemic to the Philippines, and comes in several varieties, all naturally occurring only in our country.
