The Tamarind Tree

28 Mar

Most of us are familiar with the tamarind in this part of the world. Two types of tamarind exist. The ripe fruit of the sweet tamarinds are available from sale in our local supermarkets where they eaten fresh like a dessert fruit while the fruits of sour types are used as a souring agent (we call it ‘asam’ here) to flavour certain dishes or made into juice, jam, syrup and candy. The sourness is due to acidity of tartaric acid, which on ripening does not disappear but is matched more or less by increasing sugar levels. Hence tamarind is said to be simultaneously a sour and most sweet fruit.

Interestingly, according to Plant Resources of South East Asia (PROSEA), the seeds of this tree are also edible after soaking in water and boiling to remove the seed-coat. Flour from the seed may be made into cake and bread. Roasted seeds are claimed to be superior to groundnuts in flavour. The seeds also yield oil that is used to make paint and varnish. The green fruits and flowers may be used for souring soupy dishes of fish and meat. The young, tender, fine pinnate leaves are also eaten as a vegetable.

Besides food uses, the tamarind tree is also medicinal and hence has a place in a Herb and Spice Garden. Its bark is astringent and tonic and its ash may be given internally as a digestive. Incorporated into lotions or poultices, the bark may be used to relieve sores, ulcers, boils and rashes. It may also be administered as a decoction against asthma and amenorrhea and as a febrifuge. Young leaves may be used in fomentation for rheumatism, applied to sores and wounds, or administered as a poultice for inflammation of joints to reduce swelling and relieve pain. A sweetened decoction of leaves is good against cough and fever. Filtered hot juice of young leaves and a poultice of the flowers are used for conjunctivitis. The pulp may be used as an acid refrigerant, a mild laxative and also to treat scurvy. Powdered seeds may be given to cure dysentery and diarrhoea.

A member of the bean family, Fabaceae, the tamarind tree belongs to the genus Tamarindus and there is only one species in this genus. According to Plant Resources of South East Asia (PROSEA), a distinction was made between tamarinds from the West and the East Indies in the past. In the West Indies, plants are known as Tamarindus occidentalis and these produce pods up to 3 times longer than wide and have 1 to 4 seeds, In the East Indies, plants are known as Tamarindus indica which bear pods up to 6 times or more longer than wide and each fruit contains 6 to 12 seeds.

The exact origin of tamarind is actually unknown. This slow-growing tree can grow up to 30 m tall and features drooping branches and a dome- to umbrella-shaped crown which provides good shade. However, it presents a problem where excessive fruit drop can lead to cleansing issues. It is generally believed to be native to the drier savannas of tropical Africa but now cultivated in all tropical countries, commercially or as an ornamental tree in parks, gardens and streets. Tamarind is highly adaptable and can be found in a wide variety of soils, altitude and rainfall. Excessive rainfall is said to affect fruit production.

The tamarind tree is a sun-loving and semi-deciduous tree which sheds its leaves in a pronounced dry season. It produces bunches of small, yellow coloured, orchid-like flowers. The tree has an extensive root system contributes to its resistance to drought and strong winds and trees generally maintanence-free. In terms of propagation, tamarind can be raised from seeds and vegetatively via marcotting, grafting and budding. Shield and patch budding and cleft grafting are fast and reliable methods.

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Environmentally-friendly Gardening Talk @ HortPark

26 Mar

On 20 Mar 2010, I delivered a gardening talk entitled ‘Environmentally-friendly Gardening’ for the first time at HortPark. In this sharing session, I shared with fellow gardeners a range of sustainable tips and products which can be used in the garden to help our plants grow better without harming the environment and wildlife around us.

Many of us want to rid our garden of bothersome pests which harm our plants. Do you know that many synthetic agri-chemicals can actually kill the beneficial wildlife, such as bees and butterflies, in the garden? These flying insects play an important role where they help to pollinate the flowers of our plants? This is especially important if you are growing fruit trees. The flowers of many fruit trees rely on bees to help bring pollen from one flower to another so that fruits can form.

I also introduced a range of environmentally-friendly pest control measures which included the use of petroleum oil (commonly called summer oil), neem oil and soap solution for control of small sucking insect infestations. Physical barriers that can be used to block out larger chewing insects were also discussed in the session and the audience got to see a DIY version which they can construct easily with readily available materials.

Recycling has a place in the garden. One can reuse drink cans as plant containers. Instead of peat pots, the green gardener can use paper egg trays to raise seedlings. Composting is a great way to recycle plant and kitchen waste and I took the opportunity to invite an landscape industry partner – GreenBack Pte Ltd – to my talk to share with my audience the value of composting and how one can perform worm composting at home using the Can-O-Worms kit.

The Interesting Calabash Tree…

24 Mar

The Calabash Tree is not a common tree in Singapore. The place that I can recall seeing this tree is in the National Orchid Gardens in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. I vaguely remember seeing some planted amongst some bromeliads near the vicinity of Yuen-Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection.

Although the appearance of its large fruits are gourd-like, it is not a member of the melon or gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. Instead, it is classified in the Bignoniaceae family, where the once common African Tulip Tree and currently a very popular ornamental shrub, Yellow Bells, belong to. Its exact origins is not known and today can be found growing throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It has been introduced throughout the tropics.

Scientifically known as Crescentia cujete, the Calabash Tree grows as an evergreen tree can attain a height of 10 m. It features a broad but irregular crown comprised long, spreading and arching branches which is capable of providing dappled shade on sunny days. Leaves are simple and elliptical in shape clustered at the nodes. As a result of this growth habit, this tree often becomes a surrogate for orchid-growers to perch their plants on its branches. Crescentia cujete is grown in lawns and parks, and used for hedges.

This tree produces greenish-yellow flowers marked with purple veins on the trunk or main branches. Flowers are reported to open in the evening and emit a slight odour. They close and wither away by afternoon time. The oval, gourd-like fruit has a hard and woody rind and can grow up to 25 cm in diameter. Each fruit takes up to seven months to ripen. Ripened fruits are brown in colour and the seeds inside are surrounded by light-colorud pulp. The shell of the dried fruits is used to make a wide range of household utensils or filled with sand to make musical instruments. The larger fruits are used as bowls or made into helmets that are worn by bird hunters.

The fruits are not eaten as a dessert fruit but have medicinal properties. From Plant Resources of South East Asia (PROSEA), the fresh fruit pulp is documented to be macerated in water and is considered depurative, cooling and a febrifuge and good for headache and burns in West Africa and the Caribbean. In Vietnamese folk medicine, the dried fruit is used as an expectorant, antitussive, laxative and stomachic. In West Africa, the ash of the roasted fruit is considered mildly purgative and diuretic. In Central America, various parts of the fruit are a common ingredient in syrups for cough and colds.

Other parts of the tree are also used medicinally. In Sumatra, a decoction of the bark is used to clean wounds, and the pounded leaves are applied as a poultice for headache.  In Thailand and Central America, crushed leaves are applied on wounds to stop bleeding and promote healing. A decoction of the leaves or bark is astringent and taken for diarrhoea and dysentery.

Wood from this tree has a range of uses which include manufacture of cattle yokes, tool handles, wooden wheels, ribs in boat building and thin strips are used to make baskets and hampers.

Crescentia cujete is easily confused with another related species, Crescentia alata. The latter has a more upright form, with much fewer criss-crossing branches, and possesses smaller fruits and trifoliate leaves.

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A Great Vertical Garden Blog

22 Mar

If you are currently into vertical gardens, you may want to pay a visit to this blogsite called “Lushe – Urban Greening”. Very little information can be found on their blog on who exactly they are though, but from their ‘About’ tab, the blogsite is stated to be set up by a small group of vertical garden enthusiasts in Australia who want to fill our backyards and courtyards with vertical gardens. The blogsite is accessible via http://www.lushe.com.au/.

The group at Lushe help their clients to put up a number of different types of vertical garden systems to suit their budget and options include soil-based using systems like Gro-Wall or Elmich or hydroponic (soilless) systems using felt or rockwool to replicate the effect of a high end living wall.

What I find great about this blog is that one can get to read about the great number of posts on the range of vertical garden systems that are put up in various parts of the world (saving you loads of money to go on your own). The vertical garden systems featured range from small, DIY versions to big, commercial installations. It is a blogsite to visit if you want to get ideas if you want to install one yourself in your humble home or engage a professional company to help you put up one to clad the facade of your building. You can also find designer vertical gardening products on this blogsite too.

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Root Awakening (20 Mar 2010)

20 Mar

Below are my responses to 3 gardening questions published in the last instalment of the Root Awakening column for Mar 2010.

The first question asked why the flower buds of a new pot of African violet had turned brown. Note that newly imported African violets from a cooler area may be shocked when they arrive in hot, tropical Singapore and this will cause its flower buds to turn brown. Also, avoid wetting the flower buds and locate the plant in a bright and well-ventilated area at home/office. Remove dead flower buds promptly by cutting the flower stalk at the base.

Plants are often potted in a peat-based substrate and that can retain too much water. You may want to carefully transplant the plant after all flowers have faded by first removing the soil around the roots and repotting it in a better draining soil mix. You can buy a commercial African violet mix and combine 1 part of this mix with 1 part of perlite and 1 part of vermiculite to enhance drainage.

African violets often rot when they are over-watered. You can water them via the saucer method and water only when the soil mix feels dryish and you can do this by poking your finger into the soil mix to feel for moisture.

The second question was about the care of a potted pussy willow plant bought during the Lunar New Year. The reader reported that water flowed straight out from the pot when he tried to give water to the potted plant. Water probably flowed out as the root ball has dried and caked up and hence does not permit water to infiltrate it. In such a case, one would need to soak the root ball in water to thoroughly moisten it. Since the root ball is wet, withhold watering for the next few days and situate the plant in a well-lit and well-ventilated area. Don’t allow the root ball to dry out totally again. Note that pussy willows are trees belonging to the temperate climate. They won’t do well in Singapore and are not rewarding to grow here. It is best treated them as festive plants for decorating the home for Lunar New Year which can be discarded when they start to decline.

The last question asked how one can propagate the torch ginger plant. The part of the torch ginger plant that is sold in the wet market is its unopened flower buds which are used for rojak. That cannot be used for propagation of the plant. Rhizomes of this plant are not used in food and are hence not sold in the market. One can visit any large nursery to buy a young plant to grow. Remember to grow this plant in a semi-shaded area in the ground with soil that is fertile and kept moist at all times. Avoid a windy area. Plants should flower in 1 to 2 years if well-taken care of.

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A great Garden DIY website

18 Mar

Recently, I came across a very informative website whilst searching for a range of gardening products related to work. I am impressed with this website called ‘Instructables’. Quoted from their website: “Instructables is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others. The seeds of Instructables germinated at the MIT Media Lab as the future founders of Squid Labs built places to share their projects and help others.”

In Instructables, visitors ask questions and give praise for outstanding projects or offer suggestions for further improvements. This becomes somewhat like a discussion forum which allows a conversation between the project author and the rest of the community. There are even competitions organised to encourage more innovative ideas.

The DIY projects in Instructables are classified into various sections. What interest me most is the gardening DIY section under ‘Living’. There are step-by-step descriptions of gardening projects that fellow gardeners want to share. Like what was quoted in the Instructables website: “They are educational, inspirational, and often replicable.” A great number of projects in there involves the usage of recycled household materials.

Below are some projects that caught my eyes:

Natural Wood Raised Garden

Upside-Down Hanging Self-Watering Earth-Filled Box

Tip-Top Flower Pots: Maximize limited space to grow plants and flowers!

I shan’t reveal more. Do go pay a visit to the gardening section of Instructables website at http://www.instructables.com/living/gardening/

Do read more about Instructables’ Founder, Dr Eric J. Wilhelm, who is the founder and CEO of Instructables. He has a Ph.D. from MIT in Mechanical Engineering and he believes in making technology accessible through understanding, and strives to inspire others to learn as much as they can and share it with those around them.

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A Pandan that Climbs

16 Mar

Most Singaporeans are familiar with the Fragrant Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius) which produces fragrant leaves that find numerous uses in our local cuisine. That plant adopts a clumping growth habit and lives happily both in dry land or in water. In the Pandanaceae family, which the Fragrant Pandan belongs to, contains numerous other plants. One of which is Freycinetia cumingiana, which is also commonly called the Climbing Pandan. 

Freycinetia cumingiana is an evergreen climber that feature stems that can grow up to 2 m long. Slender roots grow along the stem which help the plant to attach to a tree, shrub or rock on which it is growing. The slender leaves of Freycinetia cumingiana are dark green and leathery and can grow up to 25 cm long. Each is pleated into an ‘M’ shape and has spines along the margins, similar to those seen in the Fragrant Pandan. For me, a clump of Freycinetia cumingiana looks like a bamboo plant when viewed from a distance.

Besides its interesting growth habit, plant collectors grow this plant also for its ornamental bright red-orange floral bracts. (bracts are modified leaves that on this plant resemble flower petals). Freycinetia cumingiana is native to Tropical Asia, Malesia and Philippines. This species is cultivated on Maui for sale as cut flowers throughout the United States. The Kalanguya tribesmen in the Philippines pound the roots of  this plant for fibers to sew a hunter’s coat.

Going back to the Fragrant Pandan, we know that it has never been recorded to produce flowers. Note that Freycinetia cumingiana is dioecious which means that the male and female flowers are produced on separate plants, although on occasion, the same plant will produce both flower sexes. Male and female flowers are densely produced on white cylindrical spikes housed in the middle of the bracts, while female flowers consist of several ovaries.  Clusters of three or four flower spikes containing either male or female flowers are borne at the terminal ends of branches.

Freycinetia cumingiana is easily propagated from stem-cuttings. For higher rate of success, choose stem tips with roots already developed. These stem sections will root easier.  Freycinetia cumingiana is forest plants so they are best grown under shade in an outdoor garden. Grow this plant in well-draining, slightly acid soil that is kept most at all times.

 The genus Freycinetia was named for Admiral Louis de Freycinet, a 19th century French navigator and explorer, who was the commander of the circumglobal expedition on which Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré was the botanist. Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré was the botanist who first collected and described the genus Freycinetia.
 

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Root Awakening (13 Mar 2010)

14 Mar

Below are my answers to three gardening questions to the second instalment of the Root Awakening column for Mar 2010.

The first question asked about the identity of a tree found growing in the vicinity of the Regent Hotel on Cuscaden Rd, Singapore. That tree is a popular landscaping candidate that is commonly called the ‘Happiness Tree’ and ‘Philippine fortune tree’. It thrives in semi-shade and well draining soil conditions. Botanically known as Garcinia subelliptica, it is a close relative of the common mangosteen and is a slow-growing, medium-sized tree with evergreen, thick and leathery oval leaves. It has one main trunk and adopts a compact and conical crown. Interestingly, it was once planted to form a windbreak in the Okinawa islands, Japan.

The second question asked about a problem – yellowing leaves – encountered during the cultivation of a chilli plant. It is important to ensure that one’s chilli plant is well hydrated at all times. Plants that have suffered severe drought conditions often develop yellowing leaves which are shed subsequently. There may be a need to water your plants more than once daily if it is grown in a windy and sunny location.

One may also want to take the plant out of its pot to check for soil mealy bug infestation as these pests impair a plant’s ability to uptake water. When there is a prevailing infestation, the roots of your plants will have white patches surrounding them. A safe and organic but rather slow method that can be used to treat infested plants is to use diatomaceous earth (available from Known You Seeds (S.E.A.) Distribution). Diatomaceous earth is an inert, non-volatile, powdered substance made from the skeletal remains of diatoms, which have been processed to form razor-sharp particles which cut into the bodies of small insects. Avoid breathing in the dust.

To treat for soil mealy bugs, carefully wash off infested soil from your plants roots and then repot your plant in a soil that has been mixed with diatomaceous earth. Use about 1 tablespoon per one liter of soil. Note that large chilli plants can suffer from transplant shock during the root washing process.
Soil mealy bugs can be difficult to eradicate and badly affected plants should be discarded. Sterilise pots and soil before using them to pot up new plants.

The last question was about mosquito plants. Note that no plant (common ones include Pelargonium citrosum and citronella grass) in existence will repel mosquitoes by sitting in a pot or a corner in a garden. Many plants touted to repel mosquitoes are due to the fact that they have significant amounts of repellent essential oils in their leaves. The repellent effects will only be observable when their leaves are crushed or heated where the essential oils are released into the air.

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Brazilian Fireworks – Porphyrocoma pohliana

12 Mar

Commonly known via a range of names such as Purple Shrimp, Blue Shrimp, Rose Pine Cones, Maracas Brazilian Fireworks or simply, Brazilian Fireworks Plant, Porphyrocoma pohliana is a tropical evergreen plant that is a prolific bloomer in the tropics. It is a member of the Acanthaceae, a family consisting of many ornamental flowering shrubs used widely for landscaping in Singapore and similar climates.

I remember seeing this attractive plant being offered for sale in Singapore a while ago, but it has since disappeared once again. Native to South America, Porphyrocoma pohliana grows as a shrub that can attain a height of about 30 cm. It features very ornamental leaves that are deep green which are adonred with silver veins. The plant also produces extremely showy terminal spikes which are covered with long-lasting deep pinkish-red  bracts. The true flowers of Porphyrocoma pohliana are purple in colour and they contrast quite starkly with the overlapping bracts.

One may wonder why this plant is has the ‘fireworks’ word in its common name. In one of my searches on the Internet, the fireworks part was said to have been derived from two sources. One is the appearance of its deep red flower bracts that develop purple flowers, creating an explosion of color. Second, as flowers fade, it can shoot its small black seeds across the surroundings where it grows. Porphyrocoma pohliana is said to be able to self-seed readily and may become a weed in your garden!

Interestingly, it is one of the shrubby Acanthaceae members which can be grown from seeds which are offered for sale by mail order nurseries. Like other Acanthaceae members, it can also be grown from stem-cuttings. It should be grown in a fertile, well draining soil mix that is rich in organic matter. Like many shrubs, it is necessary to prune Porphyrocoma pohliana regularly to ensure that it retains a compact growth habit.

Many Internet resources say that Porphyrocoma pohliana is an indoor plant because it is a shade-loving plant. However, the apartment gardener is to be advised that this plant is not suitable for growing long term inside your apartment. Conditions there are far too dark for the plant to grow. The best area in an apartment for growing Porphyrocoma pohliana is either on the balcony or corridor where it can receive filtered sunshine or bright indirect light for at least 6 hours daily. Outdoors, this plant can be grown in the shade, but not in full or direct sunlight. Strong sunshine can bleach the leaves.

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Introducing the Nam-Nam Tree

8 Mar

The nam-nam is an uncommon fruit tree in Singapore. It grows as a shrubby, much branched shrub or tree which can grow up to 15 m tall. Botanically known as Cynometra cauliflora, it is believed to be a native of Malaysia and can only be found in the cultivated state in South East Asia, Ceylon and Western and Southern Peninsular India. In Malaysia, this tree is mainly found planted in rural villages.  The plant can be planted in pots where it stays small by regular pruning to turn it into a bonsai or an ornamental tree in an outdoor garden. I have recently planted a specimen at HortPark’s Fruit and Vegetable Garden.

Interestingly, this tree is a member of the bean family, Fabaceae. Each leaf on this tree is made up of two leaflets and they form a dense crown, growing from distinctly zig-zag twigs. Each leaflet is shiny smooth, dark green above and paler below. What is extremely attractive about the nam-nam tree is that its new flushes of leaves are bright pink in colour, which contrasts against the largely green background of mature leaves. They hang from the branch tips like handkerchiefs!

Its flowers are rather small and they are produced on the trunk in clusters. Such a habit is often term as cauliflory (and hence the species name cauliflora) which refers to plants that flower and fruit from their main stems or woody trunks rather than from new growth and shoots. Jackfruit is another common tropical fruit that is produced in the same way. For nam-nam, a sackcloth is said to be used to wrap around the trunk to protect the developing pods against rodents and fruit borers and this wrapping does not seem to hinder the progress of flowering and fruit set.

The fruits of the nam-nam are flat, kidney-shaped pods. Like most legume pods, the fruit of the nam-nam has a dividing line but the fruit does not split open readily. The young fruit is very sour but the acid content is observed to decrease with maturity of the fruit. The mature fruit is picked when the skin has turned yellowish brown. It is cooked with sugar to make sweets (compote). It can also be made into a fruit salad, picked, or be used to prepare a special ‘sambal’ (a condiment based on pounded chili). The fruits are reported to have useful medicinal properties too and are used in folk medicinal preparation. The seeds yield oil which is used in India for the treatment of skin diseases.

Namnam grows well in wet tropical low lands such as Singapore. From information available on Plant Resources nof South East Asia (PROSEA), experience in India suggests that it is more fruitful in monsoon climates with a distinct dry season. This plant prefers full sun but tolerate shade and a well draining location.

The tree is always multiplied by seed – note that the seed remains dormant during the first three months. Seedlings are quite slow-growing and only start to fruit when they are about 6 years old. Nam-nam can also be propagated by budding and approach grafting.

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