Monthly Archives: May 2009

Raffles Building’s Bulbophyllum vaginatum in Flower!

Posted on May 10, 2009 | 4 Comments

Those of us who work or recently visited Raffles Building that is near National University of Singapore’s Law Faculty and Singapore Botanic Gardens would have noticed a spectacular floral show put forth by Bulbophyllum vaginatum that are growing from the branches of the old rain trees (Samanea saman) that are planted in the carpark.

The Bulbophyllum vaginatum plants are growing on the rain trees for years and have largely colonised almost every branch on each of the trees there. The plants formed a tidy dense mat that enveloped the branches all around. With this large number of plants around, the gregarious flowering that is believed to be triggered by a recent rainstorm is hence very massive and hard to miss. The rain trees are literally dotted with thousands of bright yellow flower heads of Bulbophyllum vaginatum! 

Bulbophyllum vaginatum is an epiphytic orchid that is native to Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. It is a sympodial orchid that spreads via a series of pseudobulbs connected at the base and each pseudobulb bears only a single, leathery, oblong-shaped leaf. The flowers it produces are quite unlike those that we would normally associate as orchids. Bulbophyllum vaginatum produces bizzare-looking flowers that are borne in a tight cluster and the ‘strings’ that dangle are actually the flowers’ lateral sepals.

Another epiphytic orchid, the pigeon orchid (Dendrobium crumenatum) that are grown amongst the large population of Bulbophyllum vaginatum can also be seen to be in flower. The attractive white flowers with a distinctive yellow spot on their lips of the pigeon orchid are borne on pendulous pseudobulbs. The pigeon orchid is also  a sympodial orchid that is well known for its habit to burst into blossom whenever there is a rainstorm after a hot and dry spell. The drop in ambient temperature of more than 5.5 deg C is reported to be the trigger that induces flowering.

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Posted in Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

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Musa ‘Praying Hands’ @ HortPark

Posted on May 8, 2009 | 1 Comment

Musa ‘Praying Hands’ is a unique banana cultivar that produces rather unique looking fruits. Unlike ordinary bananas, fruits produced by this cultivar are fused to one another! Two adjacent hands of fruits are also stuck to each other making them look like two hands put together in prayer! When ripe, the fruits can be separated and consumed like a regular banana. They are reported to contain a hint of vanilla!

When it is not in fruit, Musa ‘Praying Hands’ looks like any other regular banana plant. It makes a nice plant to grow in a tropical themed garden as it can grow up to a stately height of about 2 to 3 m tall. Its broad, green leaves growing from the thick and sturdy green pseudostem are relatively wind-resistant and one does need not worry about the appearance of unsightly, thinly shredded leaves that can be found on susceptible banana plants grown in windy areas.

A triploid banana cultivar with an ABB genome (A for Musa acuminata and B for Musa balbisiana), the botanical name of this highly desirable cultivar should be reflected as Musa x paradisiaca ‘Praying Hands’. Depending on the locality, this particular cultivar can be known via a variety of names such as  ‘Uht Kapakap’ in Pohnpei (an island in Micronesia) or ‘Inabaniko’and ‘Ripping’ in the Philippines. It may also be called ‘Benedetta’ in some rare instances.

The Musa ’Praying Hands’ in HortPark’s Floral Fancy has started to produce fruit and do pay a visit to take a closer look at the bunch of fruits produced by this out-of-this-world banana cultivar!

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Posted in Fruits, Tropical ornamentals

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Contribution to Time Out Singapore Magazine (May 09)

Posted on May 6, 2009 | 1 Comment

The May 09 issue of the Time Out Singapore magazine published an article entitled ”It’s easy being green” that was was penned by Wendy Bruere, who is one of the magazine’s contibutors. In the article, the reader will be able to learn some tips on successful highrise gardening which I shared in an interview with Wendy in the capacity of a staff member of National Parks Board (NParks).

In the article, Wendy included a paragraph that described about vertical gardening which is now a very popular and space-saving means to grow plants at home. The article also introduced a variety of plants that one can grow at home. Three groups of plants suggested by me were featured and they include herbs and spices, fruit-bearing plants and seed sprouts. The first two groups of plants can be successfully grown in a high-rise apartment’s balcony or corridor as long as they can receive 4 to 6 hours of direct sunshine daily.

Seed sprouts, in general, do not require direct sunshine to grow. Some can be located in a bright windowsill while others can be started in the dark. They can be started from seeds bought from the grocer or seed dealers that offer sprouting seeds. Besides having the advantage of not requiring high light conditions for growth, seed sprouts have a very short growth period and they can be harvested within a week or two, depending on the sprout that is being grown.

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Posted in Contributed Articles

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My first contribution to SUTRA magazine

Posted on May 4, 2009 | Leave a comment

My first contribution in the capacity of a staff member of the Singapore National Parks Board (NParks) to the SUTRA magazine was published in its May 09 issue. I managed to purchase a copy of the Malay lifestyle magazine from the newstand recently after I saw an advertisement that appeared on the Straits Times broadsheet which carried a small thumbnail depicting a photographic shot done at the familiar Lifestyle Corner at HortPark.

 The feature article entitled “Taman Mekar dalam flat” which translates directly to “Blooming Garden inside an apartment flat” is a feature story that shared useful tips and knowledge which one can follow so as to be able to create a beautiful and successful garden inside a high-rise apartment.

The excellent photographs that can be found in the article that spanned a total of four pages were all taken in HortPark’s Lifestyle Corner. They illustrated how plants can actually be used to decorate various parts of a modern apartment flat. I hope the reader will be inspired by the choice of plants and innovative ideas that originated from the Hort Outreach team that can be incorporated into the design and layout of the dining room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen in one’s home.

In order to have a lasting and visually appealling plant display at home, one has to consider the availability of natural sunlight in a selected area inside one’s home. Depending on their light requirements, plants will thrive and grow if they are situated in a location that receives either direct or filtered sunshine for at least 6 hours daily. One can only find such areas in the home either at the balcony or windowsill that faces East or West.

When a plant is displayed in a dim area deep inside one’s home, it is recommended to bring it to a brighter location for it to recuperate. A plant should be allowed to ‘see the light’ for at least 2 weeks after being placed in a dark environment for at most a month. Note that not all plants are forgiving when they are placed in a non-conducive environment as some sensitive ones will shed all their leaves or quickly exhibit etiolated growth that may not be that visually appealling.

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Posted in Contributed Articles, Herbs, High-rise Gardening, Houseplants

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Root Awakening (2 May 09)

Posted on May 2, 2009 | Leave a comment

The first Root Awakening column for the month of May 09 was published on Straits Times Life! last Saturday. Three gardening questions were given answers this time round.

The first question asked where a gardening enthusiast can purchase various succulent species in Singapore. Unfortunately, the local nurseries in Singapore currently only stock a very limited range of such plants which are mostly imported from Cameron Highlands. A handful of nurseries occasionally import from Holland and elsewhere  a selected range of succulent plants.

Do note that some succulent species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) list and the enthusiast is advised to check on the CITES appendices to see whether the plant that he/she is interested to import is listed or not. All plants need to be furbished with the necessary CITES permits and phytosanitary certificates before they can be brought into the country. The CITES appendices can be viewed via this link - http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml.

The second query revolved around the appearance of a white powder-like substance on water yam leaves. The white powder-like substance could be powdery mildew. Because the plant is probably grown near a water feature which possibly has fish in it, it is advisable to use a chemical-free method that will entail the triming away of affected leaves and the growing of the water yam plant in a sunnier location with better air circulation.

The last question is an intriguing question (probably asked a few times previously) where the beautiful purple leafed basil turns green after some time. I reckon it could be due to the heat in tropical, lowland Singapore that causes the loss of the purple colouration in the leaves of this particular basil cultivar. One can try locating the plant in a cooler and semi-shaded location so as to be able to keep abit of the purple colour in the leaves. However, never expect the purple colour to be as intense and vivid as seen in the newly imported plant.

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Posted in Root Awakening in ST Life!

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