Heritage Tree Register Singapore
Landers Piechotka
Heritage trees in Singapore are individual mature trees specially selected for protection by law under the Heritage Trees Scheme adopted on 17 August 2001. Implemented at the same time as the Heritage Roads scheme, it is part of a nationwide drive in tree conservation efforts not just within nature reserves, parks, and newly established tree conservation areas, but also anywhere else in the urban and rural environment of Singapore.
In support of the Scheme, a Heritage Trees Fund was established by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) to launch a conservation program that promotes protection and appreciation of Singapore's natural heritage.[1] The program includes initiatives such as the installation of interpretive signage and a nomination scheme for the community. There are 259 Heritage Trees in the Heritage Tree Register.[2]
Majestic mature trees are the natural heritage of Singapore and serve as important green landmarks of our Tropical Garden City. They help to create a sense of permanence and identity to the place we live. It takes decades and in some cases, more than hundreds of years for these trees to mature gracefully in our landscape.
As Singapore progresses, there is a danger of losing these mature trees. In view of this concern, the Heritage Trees Scheme was announced on 17 Aug 2001 with the objectives to conserve and to educate the community on the importance of protecting our mature trees.
In support of this initiative, a Heritage Trees Fund was established by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), with an initial donation of $125,000. The Fund is used to implement a conservation programme to safeguard our Heritage Trees and to promote appreciation of our natural heritage. Some of these programme initiatives include installation of lightning conductors, interpretive signages, and putting in place a nomination scheme for the community.
Family: Fabaceae
Common name: Tekik
Origin: India, Indochina, Sumatra, Papua New Guinea
The Tekik Heritage Tree arrived as a seed, no bigger than a 10-cent coin, from Darjeeling, India in May 1925. It has since attained a height of 46 metres, growing an average of half a metre each year and dwarfing all its neighbours on the lawn. The bark yields a red dye called soga tekik, used for colouring batik fabrics in Java.
Family: Apocynaceae
Origin: Thailand to West Malesia
The Common Pulai is a fast-growing pioneer species of very humid tropical rainforest vegetation and is commonly encountered as a wild plant throughout Southeast Asia, including Singapore. This specimen is very likely derived from a self-sown wild seedling.
Family: Apocynaceae
Common name: Pulai Basong
Origin: Malaysia, Indonesia
The Pulai Basong is one of only 17 of its kind known to be left in Singapore. A characteristic plant of freshwater swamp forests, this tree is an important remnant of a swamp forest that was known to have existed along the western boundary of the Gardens in the 19th century. Freshwater swamp forests once covered as much as 60 sq km of Singapore. Today, only 1 sq km of land surface is occupied by this type of forest, mostly found in the Nee Soon Swamp Forest in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Common name: Buni
Origin: India to Australia
The Buni tree is native to Southeast Asia. An interesting point about the Buni and some members of its family (Phyllanthaceae) is that each tree produces either male or female flowers only. This particular tree produces only female flowers. In this region, the fruits of this tree are used to produce jams, jellies and wines.
Family: Lecythidaceae
Common name: Putat Laut
Origin: Madagascar to Pacific
This tree species is found in coastal forests and mangroves. This specimen is believed to be the largest of its kind in Singapore. The exact history of the tree is unknown, but its size and location suggests that it could be a remnant of the former Economic Gardens. The fruits float on water and are dispersed long distances via ocean currents. They are sometimes used by fishermen as floats for their nets. The seeds of this tree are sometimes crushed and thrown into streams to stun fish, which then die and float to the surface, allowing them to be easily harvested. The large white flowers of this tree are fragrant and open at night, attracting bats and moths.
Family: Fabaceae
Common name: Tulang Daing or Purple Millettia
Origin: Indochina, West Malesia
The Tulang Daing Heritage Tree was planted in 1889, when the lawn adjacent to Swan Lake (then known as Main Lake) was developed for a collection of plants from the bean family (Fabaceae or Leguminosae). The fruits are fat, woody pods, curved to a point at opposite ends like the keel of a boat. They split open when ripe to release one to four brown seeds, each about 6 cm across.
Family: Malvaceae
Common name: Kapok tree or Silk-Cotton Tree
Origin: Tropical America, Tropical West Africa
The seed of this tree was part of an exchange between Singapore and the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1932 and planted in 1934 by former Director, Eric Holttum. As the common name suggests, this tree is a source of the cotton used for stuffing pillows. The cotton-like fibre surrounds its seeds. Besides this, the tree has an interesting habit where major branches change their leaves at different times, giving the tree a somewhat sparse appearance during some weeks of the year. The roots of this particular tree have been measured to extend up to 50 metres away from the trunk. This specimen beside Holttum Hall is one of the most massive biological entities in the Gardens.
Family: Malvaceae
Common name: Giant Cola Nut
Girth: 3.4 m
Cola gigantea is a large tree commonly known as the Giant Cola found in the dry semi-deciduous forests in West Africa and the West Indies. It can grow to about 50m high and 5m in girth. The tree prefers full sun and grows on a wide range of soil types and can tolerate partial shade. It can be propagated by seeds and performs well in plantations. The nuts, which have high caffeine content and bitter flavour, are related to the Cola nut (Cola nitida) and often used to treat whooping cough, asthma, malaria, and fever. Other traditional uses include increasing the capacity for physical exertion and for enduring fatigue without food, stimulating a weak heart, and treating nervous debility, weakness, lack of emotion, diarrhoea, depression, despondency, brooding, anxiety, and sea sickness. This tree was dedicated to the late Nelson Mandela to commemorate his visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 1997.
Family: Podocarpaceae
Common name: Chucher Atap or Malayan Yellow-Wood
Origin: Indochina, Malesia
This Malayan Yellow-Wood is a remnant of the old conifer collection that once dominated parts of the current Tanglin Core of the Gardens. This is an interesting tropical conifer that is found in lowland and lower montane forests. These vegetation types are disappearing in the region. The wood is used in construction and for furniture, and a resin is harvested for use as fuel.
Family: Dipterocarpaceae
Common name: Kapur Origin: Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo
This tree was planted on 1 January 1942 from seeds collected by former Assistant Director E J H Corner from forests on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Most of these forests, which were dominated by this species, are long gone. Harvested for its timber, this tree has also been traded for almost two millennia as a source of camphor, an oleo-resin. Marco Polo even mentioned it in his book when he described his visit to Sumatra in 1290. This means that traders were aware of the Kapur more than five centuries before it became known to science. When crushed, its pointed leaves give off the familiar fragrance of the oleo-resin the tree is famous for. Kapur resin in crystalline form is found in crevices that run lengthwise in the heart wood. To obtain it the tree must be cut down and split open. Only a small percentage of Kapur trees actually contain any resin. Its harvest has been surrounded by many native superstitions, of which the most important is the use of a peculiar camphor language. Apparently, speaking Malay when searching for camphor was forbidden because it was believed to bring bad luck.
Family: Dipterocarpaceae
Common name: Kapur
Origin: Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo
This tree was planted on 1 January 1942 from seeds collected by former Assistant Director E J H Corner from forests on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Most of these forests, which were dominated by this species, are long gone. Harvested for its timber, this tree has also been traded for almost two millennia as a source of camphor, an oleo-resin. Marco Polo even mentioned it in his book when he described his visit to Sumatra in 1290. This means that traders were aware of the Kapur more than five centuries before it became known to science. When crushed, its pointed leaves give off the familiar fragrance of the oleo-resin the tree is famous for. Kapur resin in crystalline form is found in crevices that run lengthwise in the heart wood. To obtain it the tree must be cut down and split open. Only a small percentage of Kapur trees actually contain any resin. Its harvest has been surrounded by many native superstitions, of which the most important is the use of a peculiar camphor language. Apparently speaking Malay when searching for camphor was forbidden because it was believed to bring bad luck.
Family: Dipterocarpaceae
Common name: Kapur
Origin: Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo
This timber tree has also been traded for almost two millennia as a source of camphor, an oleo-resin. It was even mentioned by Marco Polo when he visited Sumatra in 1290. This meant that traders were aware of the Kapur about five and a half centuries before it was known to science. You can crush its pointed leaves and immediately smell the familiar fragrance of the oleo-resin this tree is famous for. Kapur resin is found in longitudinal crevices in the heart wood in a crystalline form. To obtain it the tree must be cut down and split up. Only a small percentage of Kapur trees actually contain any resin. Its harvest has been surrounded by many native superstitions, of which the most important is the use of a peculiar camphor language. Apparently speaking Malay when searching for camphor was forbidden because it was believed to bring bad luck.