wetlands
a publication of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Vol 9 No 3

otters: water puppies of the reserve

Hillgrove secondary school adopts the reserve

singapore's first wetland reserve:
what does this mean?

reintroduction of
native mangrove flora

some interesting notes on
the sunbirds

volunteer training at mawai eco camp

Commonwealth secondary school student volunteers

home on high
  
conservation with community
by joseph lai
conservation officer

A few more native trees are added to our increasing list of native flora in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve!

We had the honour of inviting the Minister of State, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Chairman of National Parks Board, Prof. Leo Tan, and CEO of Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, Mr. Eric Gill, to plant Litsea myristicaefolia, Xylocarpus rumphii and Cynometra ramiflora respectively near the entrance to the Mangrove Boardwalk on the 7 Dec 2002 to mark the launch of the Countdown to SBWR's 10th anniversary.

The introduction of these rare and endangered trees is indeed a reflection of our staff's active and resourceful approach to conservation. Besides increasing the genetic-resource of the plants found in Sungei Buloh by our own plant propagation programme, we are also actively and effectively out-sourcing ecologically compatible plants from conservation-minded individuals, organizations and tertiary institutions in the community. Without these positive partnerships, our conservation motto, Conservation with Community, will not materialized in Sungei Buloh.

Fellow stakeholders of our natural heritage, THANK YOU.

Nutmeg Laurel
Litsea myristicaefolia
(Family: Lauraceae)

Medium-sized tree reaching 27m tall found in lowland forest, including back mangrove. The leaves, light green above but whitish on the underside, are very sweet smelling when bruised. The species epithet, myristicaefolia, means leaves (folia) resembling that of nutmeg (Myristica). Once considered extinct, a few mature trees were found in Loyang Swamp recently. Saplings were collected from there by Derek Yap, Assistant Arboriculture Manager (Changi) and successfully raised by staff of Pasir Panjang Nursery.
Nyireh
Xylocarpus rumphii
(Family: Meliaceae)

Small tree which occurs naturally in rocky headlands and seashore. There are only a few left in Singapore today - two matured trees and a treelet in St John Is and another treelet recently discovered rooting on one of the bunds in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve by conservation staff. The tree often produces multiple trunks near the base and do not exceed 12m tall. Seeds were collected from St John Is by Assistant Professor Jean Yong from the Natural Sciences, National Institute of Education, who has successfully raised them and kindly donated to us for our conservation-planting programme.

fruit


seed

Katong Laut
Cynometra ramiflora
(Family: Leguminosae)

A moderate-sized tree reaching 25m tall, with one or two pairs of leaflets which are conspicuously limp and pendulous, white or reddish when young. It bears small white flowers at the leaf-axils and on the twigs behind the leaves. The non-edible brown pod is potato-shaped, knobbly and scurfy. It occurs naturally on sandy coasts, tidal rivers and back mangroves, and was once found in Kranji but has long since disappeared. This re-introduction is thus a significant conservation effort for Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve which is located in Kranji. Another locality, Katong, is believed to have gotten its name from this tree.
   
© Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve