KNOW YOUR DILLENIA – QUATTRO

Following is the introduction to the following selection of plants

commonly encountered when trekking in Singapore.

SEA ALMOND Terminalia Catappa

SIMPOH AIR Dillenia Suffruticosa

SINGAPORE RHODODENDRON Melastoma Malabathricum

TAPIOCA Manihot Esculenta

TEMBUSU Fagraea Fragrans

WILD CINNAMON Cinnamomum Iners.

WILD PEPPER Piper Sarmentosum

WILD WATERMELON Passiflora Foetida
SEA ALMOND / KETAPANG (Terminalia Catappa)
Also known as Indian almond, the sea almond grows can be found from tropical Asia to
Australasia and grows on rocky and sandy seacoast. It is one of the most common tree found
throughout the Tropics. It is an easy tree to recognize because of its distinctive style of branching.
The tree has a characteristic pagoda shape because it sends out a single stem from the top
centre. When the single stem reaches a good height, it sends out several horizontal branches. The
special form of branching is called, after this species ‘Terminalia branching’, or descriptively,
pagoda branching. The leaves form a rosette and are found only at the end of a branch. During
the dry season, the leaves turn into autumn colours of red, copper, gold. The tree usually sheds all
its leaves twice a year in January-February and July-August. The tree first drops its leaves when it
reaches 3-4 years old. After a leaf fall, the branches will be barren of leaves until the bright new
leaf starts growing again and the whole cycle repeats itself. This is a large tree, growing up to 25
meter in height. The leaf blade looks like a spatula. The tiny greenish-white flowers develop into an
almond like fruit, hence the name of the tree. The green almond-shaped fruit turns red to purple
when ripe. Each fruit has a thin fleshy layer surrounding a tough corky fibre interior, which enables
it to float in sea water, so the seed is water dispersed. The fruit, pinkish when it first drops from the
tree and the fibrous husk still contains a sweetish juice, is a great favorite with pigs and children.
Children like to pound at the fallen kernels to get at the edible almond flavored embryo inside.
In South America, edible oil is extracted from the dried nuts and used in cooking. Its timber is not
widely used, but in some places where other suitable timber is lacking (e.g., islands), it is made into
heavy-duty items like house, boat building, carts, wheels and posts. Tannin and a black dye can be
extracted from the bark, leaves and fruit. The leaves are sometimes used by fish hobbyist to
condition their tank water.
Do you know … the sea almond has the following medicinal use:
Leaves, bark and fruits: dysentery (Southeast Asia)
Fruits and bark: coughs (Samoa), asthma (Mexico).
Fruits: leprosy, headaches (India),
Ripe fruits: travel nausea (Mexico)
Leaves: get rid of intestinal parasites (Philippines); treat eye problems, rheumatism, wounds
(Samoa); stop bleeding during teeth extraction (Mexico), fallen leaves used to treat liver diseases
(Taiwan); young leaves for colic (South America); dressing for swollen rheumatic joints (Indonesia &
India).
Juice of leaves: scabies, skin diseases, leprosy (India, Pakistan)
Bark: throat and mouth problems, stomach upsets and diarrhoea (Samoa); fever, dysentery (Brazil).
SIMPOH AIR / SHRUBBY SIMPOH (Dillenia Suffroticosa)
This distinctive shrubby tree grows vigorously on eroded soil, wasteland, forest edges and swampy
areas. The Malay name Simpoh stands for all the members of the genus Dillenia, many of which
are exploited for timber. Plants in the Simpoh family (Dilleniaceae) hiss when the trunk or a branch
is cut (you have to put your ear to the cut to hear it). The sound comes from the air that is sucked
into the cut vessels. “Air” is the Malay word for water, which accurately describes the
characteristic location of this plant, next to streams, at the edges of lakes and ponds. This plant
can be found right from Peninsular Malaysia, right down to Borneo, Sumatra and the Riau islands.
In Singapore, which has an abundance of belukar area, this is one of the most dominant species,
as it seems able to tolerate compacted and waterlogged soil very well. Its attractions are the large
leaf blades and prominent secondary veins and toothed margin, bright yellow large flowers and
the start shaped split fruits bearing bright scarlet fleshy seeds. The plant blooms from age 3-4 and
can live for 50-100 years. Its flowers are visited by Carpenter bees whose wing beats have the
same resonating frequency as the stamens; when the stamens vibrate; they duly spray their
pollens on these pollinator bees. The flowers are interesting by itself, as it starts to open up at
about 3 am and drops off towards the end of the day. The unopened fruits are surrounded by thick
red sepals. To distinguish them from flower buds, the fruits face upwards while flower buds face
down. The ripe fruit splits open also at 3 am, into pinkish star-shaped segments to reveal seeds
covered in red arils. These arils are such a favorite of birds that you will be lucky to still be able to
spot them late in the morning. The Simpoh Air sends out very deep tap roots to reach
underground water sources. So much so that their presence suggests an underground water
source, and some people use the plant as a guide to decide where to dig a well.The Simpoh Air is
among the few plants that can germinate and grow on white sands. As a pioneer species, it
provides shade for other less hardy plants to establish themselves.
The timber is not useful because it is twisted and very hard. In traditional medicine, the Simpoh Air
has been used to staunch bleeding wounds. In Brunei, the fruit pulp is even used to wash hair. The
leaves were once used popularly to wrap food like tempeh (fermented soyabean cakes) or formed
into shallow cones to contain traditional "fast food" like rojak. Try munching on the flower petals …
the Malays cook it as a lemak dish.
Do you know …why the NSmen called the Simpoh Air “CB plant” (translated in Hokkien as Vagina
Plant.) This name was derived from the close resemblance of the slit at the base of the leaf to the
female sex organ … no wonder they say guys only have one thing on their mind.
SINGAPORE RHODODENDRON (Melastoma malabathricum)
One of the common plant you constantly encounter in Singapore is the Singapore Rhododendron.
(also known as Sendudok in Malaysia). This name is rather misleading as it is neither a true
rhododendron nor is it only confined to Singapore alone, since it can be found all over from nearby
Malaysia right up to India and Australia. It is a native of Sri Lanka where it is popularly known as
‘Maha-bowitiya’. It was introduced into both Malaysia and Singapore where it now grows
profusely as wild shrubs in the wastelands. The plant grows well in poor soil and rapidly colonizes
wastelands thanks to birds that help disperse their seeds. It can reach a height of 1 to 2 meters.
Leaves are arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the stem, are usually hairy and have three
prominent veins. It fruits and flowers throughout the year. The large bright pink or magenta
flowers last only one day, opening after sunrise, closing the same day, with the petals falling off on
the a few days later. There is also a species with white flowers, which are prized by the Chinese for
its medicinal value. The fruits are small and maroon. The pulp of the ripe fruit is soft, dark purple,
slightly sweetish and has many tiny seeds embedded in it. The fruits can be eaten raw but stains
the tongue black. In fact, the word melastoma is Greek for "black mouth. It is even made into jam.
In addition, the seeds are used to produce a black dye & the roots, a pink dye. The young leaves
are eaten raw or cooked and taste sour. In some places, the leaves are fed to silkworms. In
traditional medicine, the leaves are used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery (Malaysia, Indonesia);
wash for ulcers, to prevent scarring from smallpox; and to treat piles.
The fruits are the favourites of birds like the flowerpeckers and doves which also disperse the
seeds. Squirrels and monkeys are also fond of the fruits. The plant is the host for caterpillars of
butterflies such as the Common Sailor (Neptis hylas) and the Grey Count (Tanaecia lepidea). Being
among the first to colonize wasteland, the plant helps prevent soil erosion and allow regeneration
of vegetation in such places.
Do you know…the popular Chinese diarrhea medicine, Poh Chai Pill is made out of the young leaves
and shoots of the Singapore Rhododendron.
TAPIOCA (Manihot Esculenta)
Originating from tropical America where it is known as cassava, this plant is grown for the starchy
root, which are used as food or to make cakes. The stem is brittle with scars of the many leaves.
The leaves are palmately lobed and each is borne on a long stalk. Latex tubes occur in all parts of
the plant exuding a sticky, milky fluid on injury. The latex in younger plants is a clear watery juice.
The root tubers contain a glycoside that yields highly poisonous hydrocyanic acid and this is
responsible for the bitter taste. The quantity and distribution of this acid divides the cassava into 2
main groups, bitter and sweet. The latter is relatively free from poisonous properties. However, it is
the bitter variety, which remains the staple food in several countries. This plant was first
domesticated in Central or South America, having been cultivated there for several thousand
years by the American Indians. The cassava was taken to West Africa by the Portuguese in the
16th century and than spread to the rest of the world. It is second in importance to the sweet
potato as a tropical root crop. Young starchy roots are peeled and steamed or made into cakes
prepared from pounded paste Flour made from the root are used in making bread and other
dishes while starch is also manufactured for the paper, laundry and other industrial products. The
young leaves may also be consumed as a green vegetable.
Do you know … in Indochina, the starchy roots are used to dress ulcerous sores while in Philippines,
the bark is considered anti-rheumatic.
TEMBUSU (Fagraea Fragrans)
The tembusu is one of the more beautiful native trees in Singapore. It can grow to a height of
about 30 meters. It is easily recognized from the distinctive dark brown, deeply fissured bark,
which contrasts nicely with the light green foliage. Flowers are a lovely cream color and grow in
clusters near the ends of branchlets. The tree flowers towards the middle and the end of the year.
The blooming flowers create a strong, yet not overpowering fragrance that is most noticeable at
night or in the late evening. Flowers are pollinated by nocturnal moths and develop berries, which
ripen from orange to red. These fruits are fleshy and contain numerous tiny reddish brown seeds
and are eaten by birds, squirrels and fruit bats. It is a native of Sumatra , parts of Thailand and
Malaysia. The highly fragrant flowers are gathered by women for garlands and personal
adornments. The wood of the tembusu is very hard, pale yellow with a purplish tint, easy to work
and durable. It is therefore used a lot to build houses, bridges, furniture, chopping boards and
Malay grave posts. A decoction of the leaves and twigs is a said treatment for Malaria and for
blood in the stools. Because it tolerates low soil fertility, it is often planted as a shade tree and to
check soil erosion.
Do you know that the tembusu is the National tree of Singapore and the tembusu tree that appears
on the $5 Singapore is found in the Singapore Botanics Garden.
WILD CINNAMON (Cinnamomum Iners.)
Also known locally as Kayu Manis, this quick growing small tree up to about 10 meters in height is
related to the commercial Cinnamon tree. It is often planted by the roadside for the brightly
colored new leaves which it puts out at frequent intervals. The leaf blades bear three
characteristic longitudinal veins. Its small yellowish flowers have an unpleasant waxy smell. The
small black fruits are eaten by birds, squirrels and fruit bats, who will than proceed to disperse the
seeds. The leaves when crushed smelled faintly of cinnamon and are eaten by the caterpillars of
the Bluebottle butterfly. The wood is used in making fragrant joss sticks and a decoction of the
boiled roots is given as a tonic after childbirth or for fever. The Orang Asli also use the leaf juice as
a cure for poisoning by the Upas tree. Sometimes, the leaves are even used as a poultice for
rheumatism.
WILD PEPPER (Piper Sarmentosum)
More commonly known by its Malay name of Chabei or Daun Kadok, this erect herb has long
runners which develop into plantlets. The plant becomes a weed once it is left untended in a shady
place, as evident now in a lot of shady roadside areas in Singapore. The leaves are simple and
heart shaped. The leave is an important ingredient in the Penang version of ‘otak-otak’ and also
one of the many herbs that goes into the traditional Malay nasi Ulam (a type of herbal salad with
rice.). The roots are used in Chinese medicine as a cure for toothache and in Malaysia, the leaves
are used to treat headache and pain in the bones. In Indonesia, the rootlets are chewed with betel
nut and the juice swallowed as a remedy for coughs and asthma.
WILD WATERMELON (Passiflora Foetida)
This particular plant goes by many other names like Stinking Passion Flower, Love In A Mist and
Wild Water Lemon. This is a tropical, tendril climber, which originated from South America and is a
member of the Passionflower family. It was introduced into Malaysia more than 200 years ago
and now grows wild throughout Malaysia and Singapore. It is the hardiest of vines in the
Passifloraceae family. The whole plant has an unpleasant smell. The flower bud and unripe fruit
are enclosed in a basket formed from 3 finely subdivided bracts bearing sticky glandular hairs. The
flowers are white, small and showy and look like passion fruit flowers. Unripe fruits look like tiny
watermelons. The young shoots can be cooked and eaten. The inside of the ripe fruit is a hollow,
filled with soft, transparent, sweet pulp full of small black seeds. These are usually eaten by
children and birds. The leaves of the plant contain hydrocyanic acid and are poisonous.
Do you know…the name of the passion fruit is derived from the flower of the Passiflora vine, which is
a perennial climbing plant with many edible fruits. When Central and South America were colonized
by the Spaniards, the Christian priests who came to America were struck by the unusual form of the
flower of the Passiflora vine. They saw in it a symbol of Christ’s “passion” and they named it “flor
passionis” or passionflower.