08 April 2009

More Woodlands Mangrove surprise: Sonneratia caseolaris?

Are there Berembang (Sonneratia caseolaris) at Woodlands Park? In the "Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore" by Prof Peter Ng and N. Sivasothi, there is tantalising mention of "a few trees at Woodlands Town Garden".I scan the canopy and peer at the undergrowth for Signs of Sonneratia. High high up, I notice some intriguing leaves ...

Here's a closer look.And an even closer look. Those leaves and their arrangement on long stalks sure look like Berembang.

Then I look down, and AHA! Conical pneumatophores!I scoot over the mud to have a closer look under the tree. The tree is GIANORMOUS. It must be 10-15m tall. The trunk is nice and wide, and the pneumatophores are tall and sturdy, though there are not a lot of the pnematophores. The ground was firm and rather sandy.Under the tree were some leaves. No pinkish bits anywhere.And a bunch of fallen flowers/fruitlings. The insides were not pink like for Perepat (Sonneratia alba).And there was a broken fruit.

I'm a rather lame Mangrove Tree Detective. So I'm giving up now and shall patiently wait for expert help.

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