October 15, 2009 at 7:08 am
· Filed under General
An english talk entitled “Bulbophyllum Orchids” was conducted last saturday (10 Oct), 3pm at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Function Hall. This was part of the talk series organised by the ‘Community in Bloom’ (CIB) Programme, in collaboration with National Parks Board and Green Culture Singapore.
Xuan Hong sharing with his audience on how to grow Bulbophyllum Orchids successfully.
Mr Lim Xuan Hong spoke on the topic of Bulbophyllum, the largest genus in the Orchidaceae. This genus of orchids is names as such due to the characteristic bulbous looking growth form on which a leaf grows. Orchid collectors grow Bulbophyllum due to its extremely unique flowers, which have interesting looking lips. Xuan Hong showed the audience many slides on the different species of Bulbophyllum orchids, their uniqueness and how to grow them well. During the Q & A session, an experienced grower in the audience also shared his knowledge of growing them successfully with the group.
Do join us for another talk on “Growing Tomatillos” on 24 Oct (Sat), 3pm at Woodlands Regional Library, Programme Zone. Admission is free. No registration or reservation is required. See you there!
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October 8, 2009 at 7:55 am
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Remember classic high school movies where the class geek is never given a second glance until prom day when she wows everyone with her new make over? That is how the unassuming Sea Apple (Syzygium grande) tree is like, standing quietly along our streets amidst the hustle and bustle, then finally grabbing everyone’s attention at the right time with her exuberant display of white flowers that shout “Hey! Look at me, I’ve been right here all along!”
Sea Apple in bloom (centre, photograph courtesy of Habitatnews)
Belonging to the Myrtaceae family, the Sea Apple is one of the most common trees lining our streets and indeed its overall shape and look gives it an understated appearance. When compared to ‘flamboyant’ trees like the Ketapang (Terminalia catappa) with its autumn-coloured leaves or the Flame of the Forest (Delonix regia) with its fiery red flowers, it is no wonder the Sea Apple looks ‘ordinary’.
Flowers of the Sea Apple
This all changes for this coastal tree every June and October as this is when its obconic (inverted cone), dark green crown becomes peppered with compact clusters of white flowers. This phenomenon occurs in the majority of Sea Apple trees all across the island and it makes one wonder whether they planned it on purpose. The individual flowers are beautiful in their own right and when all of them are viewed together, the effect is even more stunning.
A Sea Apple tree
The Sea Apple (also known as ‘Jambu Laut’ in Malay), as its name suggests, is commonly found in lowland coastal forests of Malaya. It is fast growing and can reach heights of up to 30m.Sea Apple trees were adopted as wayside trees in Singapore very early in the 1900s as they transplant easily and provide excellent shade As they do not burn easily, Sea Apple trees were originally planted as firebreaks when roads of the island were bordered by lalang wastelands that caught fire easily.
So as you make your way around Singapore, be sure to keep your eyes out for Sea Apple trees and catch them in bloom!Joey Gan
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October 1, 2009 at 8:48 am
· Filed under General
My work with Heritage Trees often takes me to many beautiful out-of-the-way places in Singapore such as Saint John’s Island and the old Seletar Airbase, just to name a few. These places are home to many majestic trees that are sure to make you go “wow”. However, sometimes one does not have to travel very far to see beautiful trees.
Meet the Rainbow Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus deglupta)!
Katong Park is just a few bus-stops from where I live and in the far corner of the park lives a beautiful tree with rainbow coloured bark.
A personal favourite of mine, this unique tree is what we normally call a gum tree or eucalypt and it belongs to the same genus as the other gum trees commonly found in Australia. However unlike the other members of the genus, the Rainbow Eucalyptus is the only one that hails from the Northern Hemisphere, specifically the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. This is why it is also referred to as Mindanao Gum.
Here’s a cloeser look at is beautiful rainbow bark.
Why is the bark so colourful? This is due to the different rates of peeling and drying of the thin, smooth bark. Newly exposed (i.e. fresh) bark is bright green, and then slowly turns bluish to purplish, and then pink-orange. Finally the colour turns brownish maroon just before it starts to peel off, which starts the entire colour change cycle again. Since this process of exfoliation occurs at different rates and at different locations on the trunk, simultaneously, the tree will never have the same colour pattern twice. This makes the Rainbow Eucalyptus a living work of art.
I love “showing off” this living beauty to my friends and family, and now my elder brother ranks this tree as the coolest tree in Singapore. If you stay around the area just pop by Katong Park, which is along Meyer Road, to admire this gem. Don’t forget to bring your camera!
Joey Gan
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