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Trees of our Garden City:

Enhancing Singapores Liveability

Trees play an important role in our Garden

City. Apart rom sotening and beautiying

our cityscape, they provide numerous

environmental benets. Not only do they

oer a welcome respite rom the tropical

heat and glare, they help alleviate the

heat island eect by removing excess

carbon and air pollutants. They also

prevent soil erosion and reduce storm

water run-o. Trees also serve a variety

o ecological unctions including being

a natural habitat and source o ood or

wildlie. To a large extent, trees improve

our emotional well-being by helping us

eel more connected to nature and the

city we live in.

This walking trail provides an o the beaten tr ack

experience across Pulau Ubin, a tiny island o the

northeastern coast o Singapore and a delightul

retreat rom the hustle and bustle o city lie.

This island is home to Singapores last villages (or

kampungs) as well as Chek Jawa Wetlands, a unique

nature area housing some o Singapore's richest

coastal and intertidal ecosystems.

Experience Pulau Ubins rustic atmosphere and

get a good insight o village lie as you embarkon this well-shaded trail. This trail, which starts in

ront o the Ubin- HSBC Volunteer Hub, takes you

to old coconut and rubber plantations, the house

o the late village head o Pulau Ubin and several

interesting trees.

This walking trail ends at the viewing jetty outside

House No.1 (Chek Jawa Visitor Centre), a charming

Tudor-style cottage with a replace that has been

restored and designated a Conservation Building.From the jetty, view Singapores only t wo mangrove

trees listed in the Heritage Tree Register o

Singapore. Turn around to get a pic turesque view oHouse No.1. Linger at the jetty or a glimpse o Pulau

Sekudu (Frog Island) and sweeping views o the sea.

Pulau Ubin Tree Trail

A Guide to

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How to get to Pulau Ubin

Take a bumboat rom Changi Point Ferry Terminal

($2.50 one-way and an extra $2 i you have a

bicycle with you). Boats will leave when there

are 12 passengers but you can also opt to pay

the dierence or the boat to leave immediately.

Bumboats run rom sunrise to sunset.


A Guide to

Malayan Banyan

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Village Head's

House

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Jackruit

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Candlenut

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Cocoa

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Banana

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Durian

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Oil Palm

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Common Pulai

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RubberPlantation

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Malay House

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Jambu bol

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Attap Palm

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Perepat

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Malayan Banyan(Ficus microcarpa)

The Malayan Banyan is an evergreen tree and

its gs provide a valuable source o ood or

birds. It is also a good choice or a bonsai plant

as it can thrive in a wide range o conditions. As

a testament to this, it is no wonder that you can

oten spot them growing rom small crevices in

drains or walls o old buildings.

This Malayan Banyan provides a prominent

landmark or where Jalan Ubin meetsJalan Jelutong.

Candlenut, Buah keras(Aleurites moluccana)

This handsome evergreen tree can grow to about

20m and has a round, spreading crown that

provides excellent shade. It is easily recognised

or its silvery-white appearance when new oliage

appears, which makes this tree a good choice or

ornamental planting. In act, the scientic name

Aleurites means foury in Greek, reerring to

the dusty-white appearance o young leaves

and buds.

This is a tree that is oten planted in kampungs.

Almost all parts o the tree has a use; the ruits, leaves,

bark, sap, wood and roots are used as medicine, oil

or illumination, ood, dyes and construction.

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao)

This small tree (6 to 9m tall) is native to the

central and western Amazon region but is now

cultivated throughout the humid tropics.

The ruits grow on the trunk and contain seeds

that are the source o commercial cocoa and

cocoa butter. While cocoa is grown primarily or

chocolate production, the edible pulp is oten

consumed in the tropics.

This tree was planted by villagers living on the island.

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

A large tree that can grow up to 30m, the Jackruit

bears the largest tree-borne ruit in the world. Theaverage ruit size is around 30 to 60cm long and

about 20 to 30cm wide.

This tree is native to Peninsular Malaysia and

is commonly ound growing in kampungs. It is

grown or its ruits that have green, knobbly skin

with several seeds containing yellow, banana-

favoured fesh. The ruit has a unique taste and

emits a pungent smell when ripe. The other name

or Jackruit is Nangka. The unripe jackruit can

also be cooked as a culinary dish in coconut cream

called "lemak nangka".

Banana (Musa spp.)

The Banana is commonly ound throughout the

tropics; it is planted or its feshy nger-like ruit, which

has been a staple o human diet or centuries.

Apart rom its ruit, the Banana has many other

uses. Banana fowers and the tender inner pith o

the stem are eaten as a vegetable. Its leaves are

used to favour and wrap ood, and the bre is

used in textiles.


A Guide to

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3From a botanical perspective, a banana is a giant

herb and not a tree, as it does not produce wood.

In act, it is the largest fowering herbaceous plant

in the world.

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Malay House

A traditional Malay kampung house is usually

a timber-ramed structure on stilts that rest

on stone blocks. This house is situated in the

low-lying area, so the stilts protect the house

rom foods. The foors and walls are made rom

wooden planks. The roo is thatched using palm

leaves.

This house shows a more updated design that

incorporates a zinc roo and an iron grille door,while still maintaining the wooden stilts and walls.

Rubber Plantation

While resting at Murai Hut, look behind the hut and

you will see remnants o an old rubber plantation.

A ast-growing tree that reaches a height o 40m

in its native orest habitat, the Rubber Tree has

a straight trunk with greyish-green bark. It has

compound leaves with three leafets that are dark

green above and lighter green beneath.

Rubber trees are usually planted in neat rows

to acilitate the easy movement o the rubber

tappers, who would remove a thin layer o bark in

a downward spiral along the trunk. Cups would

be attached at the base o the cuts. Rubber trees

will drip latex or about our hours until the latex

coagulates naturally at the tapping cut.

Durian (Durio zibethinus)

Durian is known as the "King o ruits" and some

may nd its smell overpowering.

Durian trees can grow up to more than 40m tall

and can be recognised by its leaves that have

coppery undersides. Young trees begin to ruit

around seven years o age and the ruits take

about three months to develop. The ruit will

all to the ground only when it is ripe. When let

undisturbed, it will split open into ve pieces. Thisgives animals easy access to the fesh and seeds.

These animals then help disperse the seeds.

Village Heads House

This quaint blue house (located opposite Belatok

Hut) belongs to the late village head o Pulau

Ubin, who lived to a ripe old age o 102 years. His

son and amily now live in this house. You can buy

cold drinks here and view the many interesting

old black and white photographs that hang on the

outer wall o the house. Do stop by to say hello!

Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)

Oil Palms can grow up to 20m tall. Oil is extracted

rom the pulp o the ruit to produce edible palm

oil. Oil is also extracted rom the kernel o the ruit

to produce palm kernel oil, which is used in the

manuacturing o ood and soap. The name Elaeis

is derived rom the Greek word or oil, elaion.

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A Guide to

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A Guide to

Jambu bol(Syzygium malaccense)

A native to our region, Jambu bol can grow up

to 20m in height and is recognised by bright red

ruits with waxy skin. The crunchy ruits are edible

and have a mildly sweet favour.

Attap Palm or Nipah Palm(Nypa fruticans)

The Attap Palm is one o the ew palms that grow

well in mangrove conditions. It is commonly

ound growing in dense clusters with their rondsgrowing out rom the sot mud. The leaves are

used or roo thatching in "attap houses".

While it may look trunkless, the trunk o the Attap

Palm actually lies horizontally underground. The

ruits group together to orm a large brown ball

and break o into individual ruits when ripe.

Attap Chee is the name given to the translucent

fesh inside the ruit. It is processed and used in

local desserts such as ice kacang.

Common Pulai (Alstonia angustiloba)

The Common Pulai is a very tall tree (up to 40m tall)

ound in this region. It is easily recognisable rom

its pagoda-shaped branching pattern and simple

leaves that are arranged in whorls. This tree belongs

to the amily o Apocynaceae, which are identied

by the presence o white latex in the stems.

This Heritage Tree (35m height, 6.4m girth) is hard

to miss as you walk along the trail. It stands out

among the canopy and can be seen rom

a distance.

Perepat (Sonneratia alba)

From House No.1, walk out to the jetty or a good

view o these two large Perepat trees that are

located on the arthest point o the mudfats.

To survive in the oxygen-poor mud, Perepat trees

send out pneumatophores (breathing roots) that

stick out o the mud, allowing the exchange o

gases and helping the trees to breathe.

To combat the high saline conditions, excess salt

is restored in old leaves, which are later shed.Depending on the tide, these two trees spend a

air amount o time hal-submerged in seawater, a

testament to the resilience o trees.

About 178 trees in Singapore have been given

the Heritage Tree status under the Singapores

Heritage Tree Scheme, as part o eorts to

promote the conservation o mature trees in

Singapore. These two Perepat trees are the only

two mangrove trees listed in the Heritage Tree

Register o Singapore.

We hope you have enjoyed your walk. To get

up close and personal with more trees,embark on the Trees of the Fort trail at Fort

Canning Park.

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The Common Pulai

Seashore nutmeg

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