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".
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1USkpLaJKqbs_jAyp1mG0t0g5Dokd7gurNe9SGwc1A6tnzfzcUO_ozDOuaGQdd-xm_rocPqK9PUJ3zOGSN9iVOQUYENVSOyHcWiJM2HmyPRsiEv0vZR0UE3hX5N6TbthznRE9-iKb-iQ/s280/_DSC9167m6.jpg)
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.