Factsheet A - National Parks Board

MEDIA FACTSHEET A
Heritage Garden
The Heritage Garden highlights the social history of the Singapore Botanic Gardens,
as well as its role in Singapore’s greening journey. Overlooking the Swan Lake, the
garden is located on the same lawn where Singapore’s first “Aneka Ragam Ra’ayat”,
or People’s Variety Show, took place.
The Heritage Garden’s planting palette reflects the variety of species introduced to
Singapore in the Garden City campaign, especially plants that were utilised for their
colour and fragrance. More than 80 types of plants can be found in the garden,
including the Mempat (Cratoxylum formosum), Bread Flower (Vallaris glabra), Cape
Jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides) and Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Brunfelsia
pauciflora). The Garden also features trees with distinctive bark, such as the Yellow
Cow Wood (Cratoxylum cochinchinense), Shore Eugenia (Syzygium antisepticum)
and Capirona (Calycophyllum spruceanum), as well as low-growing, shade-tolerant
plants like Flame Violet (Episcia cupreata), Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia amoena),
and Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum).
The Gardens’ role in Singapore’s greening journey
The Gardens’ involvement in the greening of Singapore dates as far back as the
1880s, when Nathaniel Cantley – Superintendent of the Gardens at the time –
assumed the role of propagating trees for planting in Singapore’s streets, parks and
nature areas. A classic street tree introduced during this time was the Rain Tree
(Samanea saman). It was raised from seed in the Gardens in 1882, and is now a
common sight along roads across the island. Later, Cantley’s successor Eric Holttum
would also be credited for popularising the use of Frangipani (Plumeria spp.) and
Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp.) for landscape planting.
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In 1963, recognising that the introduction of greenery would soften the harshness of
urbanisation and improve the quality of life, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
launched a campaign to transform Singapore into a Garden City.
With more than a century’s worth of botanical and horticultural knowledge, the
Gardens provided the expertise, skills and resources needed to implement the
Garden City vision. A nursery was set up in the Gardens to supply the necessary
plants and trees needed for the greening campaign. For example, in the fiscal year
1979/80, the Gardens was responsible for planting 56,000 ornamental trees, 10,000
fruit trees and 400,000 shrubs. This feat was maintained for over a decade until
some of the propagating work was parcelled out to other agencies supplementary to
the Gardens. In the earlier days of the greening campaign, the Gardens would also
give away plants to the public to encourage them to contribute to the Garden City
transformation.
In 1972, the School of Ornamental Horticulture was established and housed in Burkill
Hall to meet the growing demand for technical expertise in horticulture. Here, the
Gardens’ staff trained officers from other government departments as well as
university students. In 2007, the School of Horticulture’s role was inherited by the
Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE). The Centre continues to provide
training and certification for Singapore’s landscape industry. Today, as Singapore
furthers its vision as a City in a Garden, the Gardens supports Singapore’s greening
efforts through its plant research, education and conservation work.
Background on the Gardens’ economic, scientific and social contributions to
Singapore
Established in 1859, the Singapore Botanic Gardens has been an integral part of the
development of modern Singapore. One of the Gardens’ earliest and most important
successes was the introduction, experimentation and promotion of Para rubber in the
late 18th century. This became a major crop that transformed the economic and
social landscape of the region.
The Gardens also pioneered orchid hybridisation and cultivation. In 1928, the
Gardens set up a laboratory to demonstrate how orchid seeds could be raised in
sterile glass flasks with artificial media, soon revolutionising the breeding of hybrids
and founding a new regional horticultural industry.
The Gardens has always been a part of the country’s social and cultural history,
providing a sense of place and identity. It played a pivotal role in promoting racial
cohesion and developing a national culture as Singapore moved towards
independence. On 2 August 1959, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officially
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opened the inaugural People’s Variety Concert in the Gardens. It was a key historical
milestone marking the first of a series of cultural concerts with a multi-racial theme
organised by Singapore’s then Ministry of Culture. To a crowd of 22,000, Mr Lee said,
“Here, under open skies, Malays, Chinese, Indians will, I hope, discover the
materials for a national art and national culture”. Today, the Gardens still plays an
important role in fostering social cohesion by providing a common space for the
community to bond through various public activities and performances.
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Plants in the Heritage Garden
Common Name: Mempat
Scientific Name: Cratoxylum formosum
Chinese name:
1
越南黄牛木
On 16 June 1963, the founding Prime Minister of
Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, planted a Mempat tree
(Cratoxylum formosum) at Farrer Circus. This marked
the start of an island-wide greening movement that
has continued for more than five decades. The
Mempat tree is native to Singapore and the region. It
is a medium to large-sized tree with a grey, scaly bark
and reddish-pink new leaves that mature to green.
Light pink flowers blossom when its leaves shed,
emitting a subtle fragrance.
(Photo Credit: Lois Yong)
Common Name: Yellow Cow Wood, Kayu Arang
Scientific Name: Cratoxylum cochinchinense
Chinese Name:
2
黄牛木
The Yellow Cow Wood (Cratoxylum cochinchinense)
is a deciduous tree species that can grow up to about
30m tall. In urban areas, it is grown as an ornamental
tree, admired for its weeping crown, attractive red
flushes of new leaves and attractive bark. Its outer
bark is pale brown to reddish brown with a smooth to
flaky texture. This peels off in angular pieces or in
long strips to reveal the inner bark, which is greenish
yellow to pink in colour.
(Photo Credit: Chng Mun Whye)
Parts of the plant, such as the tree’s young shoots,
can be eaten raw or cooked with fish or pork. They
have a sour and astringent flavour. The roots, bark
and twigs are used as a traditional medicine to treat a
variety of ailments, such as colds and diarrhoea.
Common Name: Bread Flower
Scientific Name: Vallaris glabra
3
The Bread Flower (Vallaris glabra) is an evergreen,
woody climber that can grow up to 2 - 3m wide. Its
flowers open in the morning, but their Pandan or burnt
rice-like fragrance is strongest in the evening. This
plant was a favourite of former Prime Minister Lee
Kuan Yew and his late wife, who introduced it to the
Istana so visiting guests could enjoy the fragrance
during official functions.
(Photo Credit: Charis Chiang)
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Common Name: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Scientific Name: Brunfelsia pauciflora
4
The Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Brunfelsia
pauciflora) is a perennial shrub, growing up to 3m tall
and spreading 2m wide. It has dense and green
foliage, is semi-deciduous in seasonal countries but
evergreen in Singapore. It has fragrant flowers that
undergo a colour change with age - from purple to
lighter blue and finally white before they fade.
(Photo Credit: Arthur Ng)
Common Name: Cape Jasmine
Scientific Name: Gardenia jasminoides
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Gardenias are flowering plants from Rubiaceae, or
Coffee family. Gardenia species and cultivars produce
fragrant flowers and have also been introduced for
planting in Singapore. A range of white-flowered
Gardenia are planted in the Heritage Garden,
including the Gardenia jasminoides.
(Photo Credit: Pauline Tay)
Common Name: Bougainvillea
Genus: Bougainvillea
6
(Photo Credit: Edmund Chia)
Bougainvilleas originate from the tropics and
subtropics of South America and were introduced into
the Singapore Botanic Gardens in the 1920s.
The blooms as we know them are not true flowers.
The vibrant flower colour of this plant comes from the
three large paper-like bracts (specialised leaves) that
surround each flower. The papery bracts gave rise to
its local name of ‘Bunga Kertas’ (Paper Flower).
Bougainvilleas are a common sight in Singapore as
they thrive on roadsides and in the planters of
overhead bridges and expressways.
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Common Name: Shore Eugenia
Scientific Name: Syzygium antisepticum
7
The Shore Eugenia (Syzygium antisepticum) has a
distinctive red trunk with flaky, corky bark. Distributed
in Sumatra, Java and Borneo, this tree also produces
attractive young leaves that are reddish in colour.
(Photo Credit: Shi Biying)
Common Name: Capirona, Pau-mulato
Scientific Name: Calycophyllum spruceanum
8
The Capirona (Calycophyllum spruceanum) originates
from the wet, humid lowland forests in the Amazon. It
is a tree with a relatively straight trunk that is
unbranched for the lower half of its height. Its bark is
very smooth and the colour can be grey-green to
brown.
(Photo Credit: Boo Chih Min)
Common Name: Flame Violet
Genus: Episcia cupreata
9
The
species
are
perennial herbaceous
plants characterized by a stoloniferous habit, red
(rarely orange, pink, blue or yellow) flowers, and
frequently have marked or patterned leaves. They are
grown in the tropics, and in temperate regions as
houseplants, primarily for their attractive foliage.
(Photo Credit: NParks
FloraFaunaWeb)
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Common Name: Dumb Cane
Genus: Dieffenbachia amoena
10
A robust herbaceous shrub with usually unbranched
fleshy stems and large elliptic leaves arching
gracefully from the upright stems. Very commonly
grown for its foliage, which has interesting patterns
and markings, especially as an indoor or house plant.
(Photo Credit: NParks
FloraFaunaWeb)
Common Name: Chinese Evergreen
Genus: Aglaonema commutatum
11
Native
to tropical and subtropical regions
of Asia and New
Guinea,
they
are
evergreen perennial herbs with stems growing
erect or decumbent and creeping. They have been
cultivated, hybridised, and bred into a wide array of
cultivars. They live in low-light conditions and are
popular houseplants.
(Photo Credit: Boo Chih Min)
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