Download Trip to Botanical Gardens

Trip to Botanical Gardens
Jeremy Chia & Rohith Srinivas
Historical Aspects
The Singapore Botanical Gardens was first found in 1822 by Sir Stamford Raffles, the
founder of Singapore. He was a keen naturalist which prompted him to establish the
Singapore Botanical Gardens. After his death, without sufficient funding, the garden
languished and was closed in 1829. The Gardens at its present site, which was founded in
1859 by an Agri-Horticultural Society, was planned as a leisure garden and ornamental park.
The Gardens' first Director, Henry Nicholas Ridley, came to the Gardens in 1888 and worked
tirelessly to produce rubber trees in the plantation for the next 23 years to usher the
Gardens into the twentieth century and its most productive period historically. Beginning in
1928, Professor Eric Holttum, Director of the Gardens from 1925 - 1949, set up laboratories
and conducted the first experiments in orchid breeding and hybridization.
Historical Aspects
By the mid 1960s, the Gardens was taking a leading role in the greening of Singapore. To meet
the need for urban landscapes and recreational areas, the Gardens' staff became involved in
supplying planting material and in plant introduction to increase the variety and colour in road
side and park plantings. In 1988, a big leap forward occurred when Dr Tan Wee Kiat became
Director of the Gardens. While the Gardens remained committed to its role in making
Singapore a Garden City and meeting recreational needs, renewed focus on being a leading
international institution for tropical botany was established. Excellence in botanical research,
education programmes and preservation of the cultural heritage of the Gardens were
emphasized. In June 1990, Singapore Botanic Gardens came under the management of the
newly formed National Parks Board to bring it to the forefront of botanical and horticultural
activity by the 21st century.
Logos
Logo of Singapore
Botanic Gardens
Logo of National parks
Board
Interesting features
There are a few halls named after the previous directors of the Singapore Botanic Gardens such
as the Ridley Hall and the Holttum Hall. Furthermore, there are facilities for research and
education. One of them is the herbarium which houses a main collection of about 650,000
herbarium specimens, as well as a supporting spirit collection. The Herbarium collections mainly
include material from the Malaysian region (Peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei,
Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea) and adjacent areas (East Asia, mainland SE Asia, the
Southwest Pacific), with the most extensive collections from Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia
dating from the 1880s. Out of these, about 6,800 are type specimens. The Herbarium uses the
Botanical Research and Herbarium Management System (BRAHMS) to computerize the plant
collection data.
Interesting features
For visitors to learn more about horticulture, there is the Library of Botany and Horticulture.
With many interesting titles on topics such as Wildlife, Natural History, Conservation, Gardening,
Health and Well Being and many more. The Public Reference Centre houses materials on botany
and horticulture for room use and reading within the library premises. Materials available are
only for reference and not for loan. Specially prepared sets of herbarium specimens are available
for referencing. Books, magazines, and CDs on plants and the local flora, horticulture and
landscape architecture, with some attention given to animal life, conservation and the
environment are on display. Dried carpological (fruit) exhibits, botanical artifacts, and exhibition
of rare books are also available. This library of the Singapore Botanic Gardens existed since 1875
together with the Singapore Herbarium (SING). The Reference Library is one of the oldest in
Southeast Asia, with more than 30,000 journals, books (including over 4,000 rare books and
botanical illustrations), CDs, slides, audiovisuals and other media in its collections.
Heritage Tree Species
Adenanthera pavonina
Family : Leguminosae
Common name : Saga
Origin : Southeast China and India
Saga is a medium sized tree, which grows to
about 20m tall. It has a round uneven
preading crown. Hardy and fast growing, it is
deciduous but sheds its leaves fully leaving a
bare crown. Flowers are small and star shaped,
occurring in clusters and are light creamy
yellow to orange , with a sweet fragrant smell.
The tree flowers twice a year. Seeds are
usually bright red, shiny and slightly heart shaped
and are uniform in weight.
Heritage Tree Species
Calophyllum inophyllum
Family : Guttiferea
Common name : Penaga laut
Origin : Coasts of Northern Australia
A coastal tree, the calophyllum inophyllum, is
a slow growing, long lived evergreen tree.
Flowers are, small, white with a yellow center
occurring in bunches. They have a sweet
fragrance and open in the middle of the night
to be pollinated. Its wood is hard and strong
and has been used in construction or
boatbuilding . Active ingredients in the oil are
believed to regenerate tissue, so is sought
after by cosmetic manufacturers.
Heritage Tree Species
Ceiba pentandra ( 80 – 90 years old)
Family : Bombaceae
Common name : Kapok, White silk cotton tree
Origin : West Africa, tropical America, India
This gigantic, deciduous large tree has tiered
and horizontal branches giving it an open
pagoda shaped crown. The inconspicuous
Flowers are light yellow , whitish or pink with
a milky smell. The fibre is light, very buoyant
and resistant to water. It is difficult to spin but
is used as an alternative to use as filling in
mattresses, pillows, upholstery and stuffed
toys . The seeds produce an oil used locally in
soap and that can be used as fertilizer.
Heritage Tree Species
Fagraea fragrans ( Over 100 years old)
Family : Loganiaceae
Common name : Tembusu
Origin : Singapore
A tall and impressive tree. It is hardy but slow
growing. The evergreen tembusu can grow up
to 25m. The large crown of light green leaves
provides excellent shade. When mature, its
crown assumes an irregular shape with several
large branches. The light green leaves are oval
shaped with a leaf tip. Flowers are very
fragrant especially in the evening. The trunk of
this tree can produce hardwood, and this
wood can be used to make chopping boards.
Heritage Tree Species
Millettia atropurpurea
Family : Leguminosae
Common name : Tulang Daing, Purple milletia
Origin : Malaysia
A beautiful tall evergreen tree with a dense,
dome-like crown. Leaves are a simple, pinnate
compound, with narrowly oblong pointed
leaflets. The young leaves are edible with
flowers that are inconspicuous. Mounted with
dark red petals and purple sepals, it has a
rather unpleasant smell.
Heritage Tree Species
Terminalia subspathulata
Family : Compositae
Common Name : Jelawai, Malayan
terminalia
Origin : West Malaysia
A gigantic tree which grows up to 50m in
height. It possesses spreading buttresses
with a wide conical, narrowly flat topped
crown. The leaves are small, bluish green
underneath and set spirally in rosettes.
Fruits are flat and winged. Flowers are small
and inconspicuous.
Heritage Tree Species
Samanea saman
Family : Leguminosae
Common Name : Rain tree, pukul lima
Origin : Tropical America introduced to
Singapore 1876
A lofty tree with spreading umbrella shaped
crown. The rain tree is fast growing and can
reach a height of 25m with a crown spreading
just as wide. The leaves are twice pinnate
compound with oval shaped leaflets which
have the habit of folding at night or during
rainy periods. The pink flowers, with white
stamens grow in clusters.
Tanglin Core
Among the many attractions, one of them is the Swan Lake Gazebo. This gazebo is a Victorian cast
iron garden shelter. It stands proudly, overlooking the Swan Lake. The Swan Lake was added as a
feature of the Botanic Gardens in 1866. Its landmark island with the big clump of elegant nibong palms
has become a timeless facet of the landscape of the Gardens. The pair of mute swans was imported
from Amsterdam. As well as providing scenic vistas, the lake is an important water supply for the
Garden. Another attraction is the Swiss Ball Fountain. The granite ball, which took Swiss sculptor Mr.
Ueli Fausch three months to hand sculpt, measures 80 cm in diameter and weighs 700 kg. It fits
perfectly into a 3-tonne basal block. Away from the Swiss ball Fountain, there are 6 sculptures
depicting different moments and emotions. The last attraction is The Sun Garden and the other tree
species. The Sun Garden displays succulents and other plants of arid regions. The Passing of Knowledge
sculpture (2003) by local sculptor Victor Tan Wee Tar was presented by the Rotary Club of Singapore.
There is also a Vanda Miss Joaquim garden there. The Vanda Miss Joaquim is our national Flower.
Central Core
The Central core houses some of the most popular attractions. One of them is the VIP orchid
garden State Visitors and other VIPs named selected orchid hybrids after themselves. Next, there
is a orchidarium where almost 400 species in 100 genera are housed. The Orchidarium is
landscaped to simulate a rainforest to provide comfort for the orchids. Adjacent to the Orchid
Garden is the Ginger Garden. It contains more than 200 species of gingers. The Ginger Garden
has been divided into special zones where one may find gingers organized by themes such as
beauty or usefulness, or regions of their origin. There is also a 6-hectare primary rainforest. It is
the only piece of original jungle left in Singapore! Not only rich in species, the Rainforest includes
a wealth of species with economic importance. It is multi layered with herbs and ferns, shrubs,
climbers and small, medium and large trees. The Evolution Garden at the Singapore Botanic
Gardens is a 1.5-hectare area dedicated to telling the amazing story of how plants gave us life,
and how, long before we humans arrived, they started to evolve into the myriad complex life
forms that we see today.
Bukit Timah Core
The Eco-Lake, with its irregularly sinuous shores, has a soft and natural atmosphere. Fish swim in its
clear waters, and water hen, heron and migrant ducks call this home. It is delightful to see the
colourful bee-eaters swooping and turning as they catch insects above the lake surface. Of course,
no visit would be complete without a sight of the black swans . Jacob Ballas Children's Garden is
Asia's first children's garden. Dedicated to all children of Singapore, it is designed to provide unique
discovery and learning experiences in a garden setting. Then there is a rich variety of herbs, spices
and medicinal plants at the Herbs and Spices Garden and the Medicinal Plants Garden. Adjacent to
these gardens, is the fruit tree plantation. On display are several species of fruit-bearing plants such
as the mango, rambutan, chempadak, banana, and butter fruit. There is also a beverage nuts garden
which houses many types of coffee beans used to make coffee.
Acknowledgments
Images
www.wikipedia.com
www.gislab.edu.com
www.africanflowers.de
www.flowersinsingapore.blogspot
www.sbg.org.sg/
www.karani.com
www.facebook.com
Text and Information
www.sbg.org.sg/
www.wikipedia.com