hen the Singapore entity. With the re-alignment, the Botanic Gardens core concept used in master­ celebrated its 130th planning the Gardens is better W anniversary in 1989, it realised. The Central Core unveiled an ambitious Master-plan incorporates the expunged portion for the re-development of the of Cluny Road and provides the Gardens to move it to the forefront main vehicular entrance to the Gardens at the new Gateway.

An electrical substation adjacent to the Gateway was completed under Phase I. It serves the needs of the entire vicinity, and has been designed to blend into a neighbourhood of high class bungalows. Motorists drive past a lovely residential home that is but a facade for equipment which lights up the area.

Other completed infrastructural developments include a Resource Centre at the Bukit Tirnah as a leading institution in tropical Core. This major support facility is a botany and horticulture. A holding nursery for the propagation substantial sum was granted by the and conditioning of introduced Government to set the plan in as well as a centre for plant motion. With Phase I of the re­ records and practical horticultural development near completion, it is training. Water for the Plant time to take stock of what has been Resource Centre is provided by a achieved, so that planning for the lake which has been developed as next phase can dovetail with the the focal point for a garden with a work in the first phase. In the theme of "Plants for the use of Man." parlance of our bureaucrats, we When completed, the Bukit Tirnah must now "optimise the gains and Core will accommodate some of the capitalise upon the potential." requirements of a new generation botanic garden with emphasis on The most significant physical education and recreation. The change to the Gardens is in the re­ landscape will take a number of alignment of Cluny Road which years to mature, but the rolling previously transected the Gardens, terrain with its people friendly lay­ dividing it into two parcels. Cluny out is fast becoming an important Road now continues northward as area for group exercise and for Evans Road, while the portion of leisurely strolling and jogging. Cluny linked to Gallup Road has been re-named Cluny Park Road. Two historic buildings in the The Gardens can now be accessed Gardens have been restored. The former Garden Director's House, named Burkill Hall, is now an new headquarters of the re­ put to better use, and the important reception and function constituted National Parks Board. programme to upgrade night lighting space in the new National Orchid The many advantages for such a is critical to achieving this objective. Garden. The latter amenity had move were covered in the previous The first phase for night lighting in already achieved an international message. the Gardens is near completion. The reputation as one of the finest basic safety and functional lights are display gardens featuring orchids in To dovetail with Phase I of the in, and decorative lighting to the tropics. Fronted by the Orchid Gardens' development programme, highlight the vegetation will follow. Plaza with its shady grove of trees NParks will be proposing a Phase II Consultation is currently on-going to and a leafy fountain, the Orchid development programme that create a night-scape in the Gardens Garden has welcomed well over a should complete much needed that will convert the Gardens into a million visitors since it opened its infrastructural upgrading and create new venue for the recreation of the doors in October 1996. new gardens featuring different Singapore coummunity after the sun plant groups that deserve sets. Visitors may linger to take The other restored building, highlighting in a tropical setting. advantage of the cooler named EJH Comer House after its Some of the proposed developments environment, and to enjoy the former illustrious occupant, is a gem are outlined below. displays that will assume a totally of a classical British Colonial different character under light. New bungalow that was originally built to The successfully completed benches, shelters and food and house the Assistant Curator of the Shaw Foundation Symphony beverage outlets will add to their Gardens. Its proposed function is Performance Shell on an island in enjoyment. that of a restaurant in the Central Symphony Lake has become an Core near the Gateway to the important venue for musical Each generation of visitors Gardens. performances in the Gardens. The enters the Gardens with different regular appearances of the needs and expectations. The Come 1998, the Gateway at the Singapore Symphony Orchestra Gardens' administration has to stay Central Core will open its doors to during its outdoor performance nimble in catering to new demands visitors to the Gardens. A spreading season has made the Symphony while maintaining the integrity and raintree standing amidst a grove of Lake a cynosure of attention. Aside mission of the institution. The Sealing palms defines this form being an important landscape ambience of the Gardens has taken central Gateway to the Gardens. feature, it is the source of water for more than a century to achieve. Coach and car parking will be the National Orchid Garden. Plans Improvements must be made with a provided. The entrance building now call for it to be re-contoured to minimum of discordance in the with its sweeping roofs of wooden improve its capacity and to soften process. This necessitates a shingle and timber posts conveys a its current hard edge. An on-going balancing act in toeing the fine line regional tone which is at once project is the Orchid Cool House. between expedience and disruption. distinctive and intimate. This Upon completion, the cool house In implementing Phase IT of the re­ building will be fully devoted to will extend the range of orchid development of the Gardens, the visitor services, amenities and species that can be displayed in the staff will be tasked to toil under the orientaton. A clock tower, cast in National Orchid Garden. constraints in order to prepare the metal to reflect the Sealing Wax Singapore Botanic Gardens to enter palm motif of the Gardens' logo, will Evening is a most important the next millennium as an equatorial show the time at four major cities in time of day for recreation in botanic garden par excellence. four different time zones. Fountains Singapore. As the heat of the day in a plaza of African oil palms recedes, people are also freed from complete the tropical decor. The the confines of their daily work Gateway annexe adjacent to the spaces to be with their families. This entrance building will house the is the time when the Gardens can be colour or group them under lights in expanded clay, charcoal, white stones any part of yom house to brighten or small granite chips at the bottom of the dark corner. These are the the container. In most cases it is a traditional ways of displaying African good idea to landscaspe the base into violets indoor. There are also many hills and valleys. Then add planting other possibilities for arranging mix (i.e. porous and sterilized ready African violets to suit your personal mix for African violets) to 113 of the taste and ingenuity. You can use height of the container. Do not them effectively in terraria, in incorporate wood that will rot and hanging baskets, in decorative which may harbom pests. Firm the containers or simply cheerful planting medium and wet it a little. accents on coffee tables, in entry Now arrange African violets with other halls or on well-lighted counters­ house plants before planting them in just to mention a few possibilities. the container. After all the plants have For effective mass displays, try been planted in the container, firm the grouping several pots of blooming planting medium arow1d the and African violets in large, shallow wipe the glass clean. Yom fish tank containers such as metal bowls, or garden is now finished and is ready for for aesthetic appreciation, grow a watering. Use very little water -just few African violets in hanging enough to moisten the smface. baskets or suspended pots. Provide good light but keep well away from clixect swilight. Below are some ideas for displaying these beautiful and (2) Hanging African violets interesting house plants: There are some African violets that have a trailing growth habit. Ways to enioy These are tailor-made for showing off in hanging pots or baskets. But even if you do not have one of the and display trailing types, a large multiple­ crowned plant of any of the common varieties can put on a spectacular African Violets show when suspended at eye level. frican violets also known (1) Terraria/Glass containers/ Hanging African violets can be grown in a wide assortment of as Saintpaulias are among Bottle gardens the most well-known containers. To avoid dripping water, house plants in the world. choose either a hanging pot that has A One advantage of growing a built-in drip tray or put the pot of Plants are attractive and grow in a variety of sizes and shapes, from African violets in glass containers is plant inside a large, water-proof miniatures of a few inches high to that humidity is increased. Water container. To make watering and trailing forms that drape from pots. vapom from the plants condense on misting an easier task, place the The flowers of African violets are the inside surface of the glass, display at eye level. If there is no most appealing. Coloms range from creating a humid, mini-envirorunent, more room on the window sill for single shades of white, red, pink, so watering is seldom required. An your African violets, hanging baskets blue, deep pmple and wine to open container such as an aquarium are the best way to display these striking combinations. Foliage is lush or glass bowl requires more frequent delightful plants. and multi-shaped in various shades watering but not as much as a clay of green. African violets grow well in pot. (3) Decorative containers/ the temperate region but they also attractive cachepots thrive well in the tropics provided African violets can be combined the five basic needs, (ie. steady with small house plants such as African violets are so pretty and warmth, careful watering, good dwarf , Ivy, Episcias, Begcmias, decorative in themselves that lighting, high air humidity and regular and liverworts to create decorated containers are not really feeding) are taken care of. There miniatme landscapes in candy jars, necessary. But if you have them, you should be no difficulty in producing glass bowls, fish tanks and other may enjoy showing off a flowering several flushes of flowers each year. glass containers. specimen or two in them. Containers come in enchanting coloms and African violets are an attractive To make a fish tank garden, first wonderful forms. They are also addition to your home decor. You can of all make sme that the tank is clean available in a wide variety of material use them to fill a window sill with and dry. Begin by placing a layer of ranging from pottery, porcelain, continued on pg 13 4 3 I. Pink and white Nrican violets harmonize well \vilh Episcia and Ivy in a hanging basket 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 African violets ru·e displayed to their best advamagc in cachepots made from natural materials

5 6

5 used extensively for ornamental purposes, they are also critical food and material resources for many communities and some are the source of important industrial raw products, for example , Cocos nucijera, , sagu and Oil palm, Elaeis guineensis.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens' collection is concentrated in Palm Valley where it is arranged in a herring bone pattern with islands representing the major palm groups. All six sub-families of palms­ Coryphoideae, Calamoideae, Ceroxyloideae, Arecoideae, Phytelephantoideae and Nypoideae are represented in the collection.

NYPOIDEAE This is represented by Nypa jruticans, Nipah palm, the only

INTRODUCTION

alms have fascinated gardeners and landscapers from the very beginning. P Today's home gardeners, horticulturists and landscapers are re-discovering palms, realising the potential of their myriad forms and using them more than ever in private homes, parks and public gardens.

The palm family, Palmae, is represented by 200 genera and about 2600 species found throughout the humid tropics and sub-tropics. Although some representatives are found beyond the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, palms are most abundant in the wettest parts of the equatorial tropics. This family is one of the major plant groups well species in its genus. It is native to in botanic gardens where it is usually represented in the living collection mangrove areas in and the included as a novelty and of the Singapore Botanic Gardens western Pacific region and locally educational item. with more than 11 9 genera and over important for a range of products, 250 species. including sugar, vinegar and alcohol PHYTELEPHANTOIDEAE from the unopened A small sub-family consisting 3 The in1portant role played by and thatch from its . It is a genera and 15 species representing a palms in the tropics is not generally feather-leaved palm with a prostrate separate and highly evolved group of realised. While globally palms are trunk and is rarely cultivated except the arecoid line. One species,

6 Phytelephas macrocarpa, native to palm is the source of nuts, slices of Another showcase in the Central and South America is which are chewed with a of the gardens is Lodoicea maldivica, represented in our collection. plant and lime, as a stimulant nicknamed Double Coconut and in social and religious rituals. because its fruit resembles a twin­ ARECOIDEAE This custom of "betel- chewing" is packed coconut. This palm was These are the "feather" palms with of great antiquity in South and highlighted in the July 1997 issue of leaves that are usually pinnate. The Southeast Asia and was an important Gardenwise. stems are either solitary or multiple aspect of cultural life of the region. and are usually smooth, ringed and Fine clumps of Acoelorrhaphe rarely with spines. There are 124 Othr exciting and exotic species wrightii, whose native habitats are genera and over 1400 species in this of the Arecoideae include Arenga the damp forests or swamps from sub-family. pinnata, Sugar palm; Wodyetia Florida to the Caribbean coast of bifurcata, Foxtail palm and Central America, are found on the An interesting member is Butia Normanbya normanbyi, Black island in the Eco-lake of the capitata, Jelly palm. This is palm. Gardens. Their shiny compact distinguished by its rough woody crowns are distinctive. trunk and arching feathery leaves CORYPHOIDEAE with fine bluish-green leaflets. The This sub-family is represented by 39 Some other beautiful and tall fruits are reportedly edible. genera and about 400 species. With fan palms include Pritchardia few exceptions, members of pacifica, Fiji Fan palm and Cyrtostachys ?"enda, Sealing Coryphoideae are characterised by Livistona chinensis, Chinese Fan Wax palm, is a most attractive their large fan-shaped leaves. The palm.The Petticoatpalm, native palm with a striking reddish most massive of all fan palms is Washingtoniajilifera is a striking crownshaft. It was chosen to be Corypha umbraculifera, Talipot robust fan palm with a thick solitary represented on the logo of the palm. This palm flowers and fruits trunk covered in a dense petticoat of Singapore Botanic Gardens and is a once, at the end of a life-span of old dead leaves. symbol of the Gardens. thirty to eighty years. The stored-up energy is expended in the spectacular In addition, our collection Unlike the leaves of other palms production of a massive terminal includes the magnificent which are either simple pinnate or inflorescence bearing millions of Johannesteijsmannia magnifica palmate, the genus Ca1-yota has flowers. and Johannesteijsmannia altifrons, species with large undivided leaves.

The only genus in this sub­ family with pinnate leaves is Phoenix. The Date palm, Phoenix dactylifera is a tall suckering species with a patterned trunk growing to about 20 m. It has been cultivated for its fruits since pre­ historic times in the Midclle Eastern countries and Western India. This genus is one of the most widely used group of palms in landscape planting.

CALAMOIDEAE This sub-family of 22 genera and about 650 species is mainly distributed in the eastern tropics. Calamus, with about 370 species, is the largest in this group and also the largest palm genus. Members of this leaves which are bipinnate, that is Cyrlostachys nmda (Sealing Wax palm), an genus are climbing feather palms of outstanding native species each of the primary leaflet is further the rain forest with slender stems 2 Wodyetia bifurcata (Foxtail palm), a splendid divided. These final segments are specimen in heavy fruit which when young are covered in more or less triangular with the outer 3 Johannesteijsmannia altifrons, an outstanding leaf sheaths which are often very corners elongated and the apical side understorey palm from the forests of Southeast prickly. The stems of certain toothed, in a fishtail shape, hence the Asia Calamus and closely related genera common name, Fishtail palm. A 4 Corypha umbmculifera (Talipot palm), this are the of commerce, plant in the Gardens flowered at t11e age of 71 plant of great cultural significance is inl996 possibly the most important non­ Areca catechu, . This timber resource from the forests of continued on pg 11 7 he National Orchid Garden ancidium Goldiana 'Golden 9 Ltrurisara Fatimah Alsagoff Shower' set amidst 10 Poepoe 'Diana' is located on the highest landscaping plants like hill in the Singapore Melaleuca 'Golden Gem' 11 Amnda Wong Bee Yeok T Botanic Gardens. Here, 2 Dendrobium Chane! 12 Tan Hoon Siang Misthouse three hectares of carefully 3 Tiger Orchid Fountain 13 Yuen-Peng McNeice Brometiad House landscaped slopes provide a setting 4 Amchnis Maggie Oei 14 Orchidariun1 for 60,000 orchid plants comprising 5 Waterfall with Burkill Hall in 400 species and more than 2000 the background 14a Orchidariun1 waterfall with Anmdina graminifolia in 6 Vanda M.iss Joaquim hybrids. the foreground 7 Vanda Miss Joaquim var 14b A1-urutina g>-aminifolia 'Douglas' The National Orchid Garden was 14c Rats' Tail Orchid opened on 20 October 1995 and it 8 Dendmbimn hybrids 14d Epidendmm cinnabarinum received its millionth visitor after 15 8a Dendmbium White Faiiy months of operation. 8b Dendmbimn Genting Blue

Have you been to the National Orchid Garden? Whether you are a "first time" visitor or a "repeat" visitor, we invite you on an armchair tour of this floral paradise.

Armchair 7 tour of National

Orchid 2 Garden

Let us enter the Garden from the Ticketing Pavilion. 'IWo bronze cranes, perched on top of a cascading fountain, greet you as you enter. You have arrived at the "spring" zone of the Garden. Here, 3 the prevailing colours are bright and lively shades of gold, yellow and creams. lmportant orchids here include Oncidium Goldiana 'Golden Shower,' Arachnis Maggie Oei, Makara Kelvin, Aranthera Beatrice Ng, Makara Khaw Phaik Suan and Aranda Iskandar of Johor. Major landscape plants are Pisania grandis, variegated Duranta and 4 Melaleuca 'Golden Gem.'

Adjacent to this zone is the vibrant "summer" zone where the major tones are the various shades of strong reds and pinks. lmportant orchids here include Makara Chark Kuan, Kagawara Christie Low and Renantanda Charlie Mason. Major 8 continued on pg 10 8 9

14d 10

• 1 Visitor Services \ \ Souvenir Pavilion \ ffi Suggested -~ Wheel Chair Route Public Telephones •tit Restrooms '~ Shelters -Fountains I Refreshments 11

Waterfall t6- Burkill Hall ~ Yuen-Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection

'11? VIP Orchid Garden

Orchidarium 4 12 Palm Valley ... •.'(9 Sundial

Sb 9 continued from pg 9 landscape plants are 1866, the former home of the rocks and the landscaped display Pritchardia pacifica and directors of the Singapore Botanic shows off the brilliantly coloured Licuala grandis. Gardens has been carefully restored and Kagawara. Also to serve as a reception centre. featured here are the invaluable Then the matured "autmnn" Cycads. shades of Vanda Miss Joaquim, Thank you for joining us on the Stamariaara Noel and Bokchoonara armchair tour. Come over for a visit 6. Vanda Miss Joaquirn Khaw Bian Huat beckon. Major if you want to see more! landscape plants are Chrysophyllum 7. Vanda Miss Joaquirn var cainito, Cordyline sp. and Orchids you can see along Heliconia indica. 'Douglas' the way ..... Finally the "winter" garden of Vanda Miss Joaquim is the white Vanda Poepoe 'Diana' and 1. Oncidium Goldiana oldest natural hybrid of Singapore and and is the first Vanda cool blue Aranda Wong Bee Yeok. 'Golden Shower' Major landscape plants are hybrid to be registered in the world. Podocarpus macrophyllus, This is an early hybrid from the It was fo und in 1893 by Miss Araucaria sp. and Pinus caribaea. Singapore Botanic Gardens. It has Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian lady, in earned the name "Dancing Lady" her garden in Tanjong Pagar. This By now you would have because of the beautiful and elegant new hyb1id was then named after her. probably realised that a distinctive yellow flowers. The overall feature of the National Orchid impression is that of a ball-room On 15 April1981, Vanda Miss Garden is its design concept which dancer in a voluminous skht. presents the display of plants in four Joaquim was made the National Flower of Singapore. It was selected separate colour zones over most of 2. Dend'robium Chanel its area. This is achieved by a careful because of its beauty, resilience and year-round blooming quality. blend of selected trees, shrubs, herbs This Singapore hybrid with and orchids (mostly hybrids) with pastel coloured flowers is very matching foliage and floral colours. Vanda Miss Joaquim var popular with our Japanese visitors. 'Douglas' is the brother of Vanda This vigorous hybrid is easy to grow Miss Joaquim. It is very similar to Are you ready to see more of and it blooms all year round, making the Garden? Vanda Miss Joaquim but its flowers it very popular as a cut-flower. are bigger with darker and brighter coloured petals. However, it is not as Do you want to see the Rich and 3. Tiger Orchid Fountain Famous? They are in the VIP Orchid free flowering. Garden. We are talking about "Very Growing on top of this fountain Important Plants." These are 8. Dendrobium Hybrids outstanding orchid hybrids from the is the Tiger Orchid, Grammatophyllum speciosum, so Singapore Botanic Gardens named Dendrobium is one of the named because markings on the after State Visitors and YIPs from largest plant genera in the world. It flowers resemble patterns on the within and outside Singapore. In the is also the single genus with the most skin of the tiger. VIP Orchid Garden, you will see hybrids bred by the Singapore famed orchids including Dendrobium Botanic Gardens. The first The largest of orchids, a good Margaret Thatcher, Dendrobium Dendrobium hybrid, Dendrobium specimen can weigh over one ton. A Masako Kotaishi Hidenka, Helen Park, was registered in the flowering spray can reach 2m in Dendrobium Tien Soehruto..... 1940s. Since then, the Orchid length and a plant may bear Breeding Programme has produced Move along the meandering thousands of flowers. more than 145 registered hybrids in path and you will find two this genus. misthouses. The Tan Hoon Siang 4. Arachnis Maggie Oei Misthouse features orchids displayed 8a. Dendrobium White Fairy against a backdrop of cultural decor This hybrid is commonly known and the Yuen-Peng McNeice as the Scorpion Orchid. It is A white, free flowering orchid Bromeliad collection presents a extremely vigorous and free­ widely grown for the cut-flower display of over 20,000 plants flowering and is ideal as a cut-flower. trade. This is also one of the representing over 800 types in the It was one of the earliest cut-flowers commonest cultivated orchid. Pineapple family. to be exported from Singapore, being popular in the 1950s and 60s. 8b. Dendrobium Genting Blue Tired? Then let us round off our visit with a stop at the top of the hill. 5. Waterfall A purplish orchid popular in the Here, Burkill Hall opens its doors cut-flower trade. The plant is free into a classic British colonial home of This is one of two waterfalls in flowering. the 19th Century. Completed in the Gardens. It is made of volcanic continued on pg 16 10 continued from pg 7 Southeast Asia. Rattans and other parts of these palms play a major New& role in the cultural life of forest dwellers. And rattans of course are the raw material for the ubiquitous Exciting "cane" furniture. See Calamus in the Gardens, but be wary of its thorns. Calathea loeseneri showy heads of pointed lavender (MARANTACEAE) bracts which resemble mini-lotus Other related species include flowers. Well grown plants will flower Metroxylon sagu, Sago palm which profusely. They prefer light well Calatheas belong to the family is a large clump forming palm with a drained soil (soil, leaf mold, cocopeat Marantaceae which is represented by trunk 8 to 10m tall. This is the major and sand in equal proportions). They about 300 species of perennials. somce of sago and the species can be propagated by division of They are rhizomatous or tuberous is increasingly cultivated for this crowns. Give a dilute fertiliser herbs and some are with brightly product. Sago is obtained from the weekly and repot them when they coloured and patterned leaves. pith of the trunk and is harvested Native to Tropical America, they are bound. Water plentifully just before flowering, when the tree during dry periods. occur on damp and swampy forest is felled, the pith rasped and the floors or in areas subject to periodic starch washed out. flooding. Ohn Set As you move along, you will Research Officer come across the spiny Pigajetta Calathea loeseneri is from Planllnlroduction Unit Brazil. It has a dense habit with long Singapore Botanic Gardens jilaris also known as Wanga palm lanceolate leaves on stiff petioles. and Salacca zalacca, Salak, a palm The leaf blades are olive green with a often cultivated for its edible fruit. greyish tinge. The inflorescence has a stalk 20 to 50 em long which bears Calalhea loesenm·i CEROXYLOIDEAE This is a sub-family of 11 genera and 30 species. Members are mainly dioecious feather palms, often very tall with solitary, smooth ringed trunks.

A magnificent member of this group is Ravenea rivularis, Majestic palm, a native to Madagascar where it grows in moist areas near streams and swamps. This will reach 30 m tall with a tapered pale trunk and a large crown of bright green drooping fronds.

Others in this sub-family include Chamaedorea elegans, Good Luck pabn and Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, Bottle palm.

Only a few palms can be highlighted here, the rest have to be discovered on our lawns. We invite you to stroll along Palm Valley and other parts of the Gardens to experience the wonderful world of palms.

Camelia Marican Assistant Manager Singapore Botanic Gardens Management

11 are

• 001

wo spectacular and peculiar plants, Amophophallus T paeoniifolius and Amorphophallus gigas in our Aroid Collection flowered in the Gardens recently. These are herbaceous monocotyledonous plants with tuberous roots belonging to the family Araceae.

Amorphophallus is a genus of about one hundred species dist1ibuted in the Old World tropics and sub-tropics. "Amorphophallus" is derived from the Greek word meaning shapeless or deformed phallus and as a genus well-known for its unusual and foul-smelling

II 12 continued from pg 5 . A. paeoni'ifolius is of cultivation in the Asian and Indo­ plastic, metal and glass to native to tropical Asia and Africa Pacific region and its natural organics like wood, , reed and while A. gigas is endemic to distribution is obscure because gunny. . specimens found in the wild are probably escapes from cultivation. Cachepots made from organics Plants of this genus are stemless associate especially well with African herbs with a single very large and The species should be grown in violet displays. A cachepot that is too divided leaf with an upright stalk to 2 moist, fertile soil. In Peninsular deep can be filled with pebbles, wire­ m or more. The corms are often Malaysia, it sometimes occurs at the mesh netting, wooden blocks or large and those from several species edge of forests. The inflorescencce marbles to elevate the plant. The are edible. Unique to this genus is of A. paeoni'ifolius in our A.roid colow·s and shapes of plant and the often enormous inflorescence House was 0.5 m tall and 0.4 m wide. container must harmonize. with tiny flowers borne on an It lasted for about 3 to 4 days and enlarged spadix subtended by the emitted a light odour. It has been ( 4) African violets in shows fleshy funnel-shaped spathe. It is an recorded that the tuber of this and exhibitions architecturally floral wonder so species grows to 20 kg. unlike any ordinary plant one could African violets can be grouped Calcium-oxalate crystals are using different criteria, such as present in the tissues of both wild bloom colour, bloom shape, leaf and cultivated tubers, although colour and leaf shape to make a cultivated varieties have less of these more charming display. African irritant neeclle-like crystals. In India, violets can be outstanding in the tubers and seeds are used miniature arrangements as they can medicinally as external initants to be the focal point in a general relieve rheumatic swellings. horticultural show. Their dainty Throughout the region the corm of blooms also are well suited for this species is used as food prepared complementing miniature flowers, in numerous ways, boiled like grassy foliages, small fronds or potatoes, cooked in curries or cut tiny seed pods. When arranging into slices, boiled with African violets with other plant leaves and made into pickles. The displays especially in a show, keep in tender petiole before the leaf is fully mind how small their flowers are. opened is eaten as a vegetable and Grouping the African violets has considered a delicacy in the several other advantages; air . The corms and leaves humidity will be raised, effect of are also used as fodder. draught will be lowered and finally, damaged parts of a plant can be The health of an hidden. Amorphophallus is measw·ed by the increase in the size of the corm over The virtues od African violets as each season. The pe1iodically 2 indoor decorative plants lie in their produced inflorescence becomes combination of beauty and associate with. You will either be bigger as the plant grows older and versatility. Truly, they.come close to intrigued by its extraordinary leaves the corm correspondingly larger. As being all-purpose decoration items. and bizarre inflorescence or you may ornamentals or specimen pot plants, You may pick up ideas frorn be put off by its ugliness. A. p aeoniifolius and A. gigas offer magazines, shows, or plant shops, striking foliage and dramatic but most important of all, create a A. gigas is exceptionally rare as inflorescences. display that pleases you. compared toA. p aeoni'ifoli us. The height of the inflorescence in the picture is 2.5 m but it has been AndreaKee Mrs Koh-Low Neok Chein Research Officer Research Officer recorded to be as tall as 4 m in Plant Introduction Unit Sumatra and the corm can weigh up Singapore Botanic Gardens to 70 kg. The matured inflorescence Dr Lin1-Ho Chee Len will last 4 to 5 days. A. gigas prefers Sr Research Officer Tissue Culture Unit loose, well-drained but fertile soil. Singapore Botanic Gardens The inflorescence of this species qualifies as being the tallest in the 1 Amorphophallus gigas; tl1e peduncle is greatly genus which A. ti tanum is normally elongated; tl1e cylindrical s padix protrudes credited as being the largest. beyond a spatlle tllat does not fully open. 2 The stout inflorescence of Amo1pl1ophallw; A. paeoni'ifolius, also known as paeoniifolius witll a spreading spatl1e and an Elephant Yam has a very long history enlarged spadix.

13 ancy seeing a plant that This terrestrial plant has The highly acclaimed Panama looks like a palm but is not creeping rhizomes with short, hats are made from the leaves of this a palm! This is none other upright stems or is sometimes almost plant. Despite the name "Panama F that the Ca1·ludovica stemless. The leaves are fan-shaped Hat," these are not exclusively nor palmata or commonly known as with stalks measuring from 0.5 m to even mainly produced in Panama. Panama Hat palm or Toquilla. It is 4 m long and the leaf blade is 3 to 5- The largest Panama hat industry is actually a shrub with large, palm-like parted nearly to the base with found in Ecuador where over 4 leaves very similar to those of a Fan drooping tips. The flowers are small million hats are made and 1,500,000 palm. The leaves have a softer and unisexual with the male and hats are exported armually. It is also texture than that of a palm. It is well­ female flowers arranged spirally on extensively cultivated in Colombia known and common in Central an elongated and cylindrical spadix and Peru. America where the fibre is used in resembling that of aroids. The the manufacture of hats and other fruiting spadix is about 20 em long. The plant takes 3 years to reach artifacts. This genus is named after the stage when young leaves can be Ki.ng Charles N (1748- 1819) and Carludovica palmata is native harvested for production. The young Queen Luisa (1751 - 1819) of Spain to the humid forests of Southern leaves are collected once a month and it belongs to the fanU.ly Mexico and Peru. It was first before they are fully opened. The Cyclanthaceae. introduced into the Singapore stalk is cut at about 20-25 em below Botanic Gardens in the early 1900s. the leaf-blade to allow easy handling. A clump of this Panama Hat Palm A sharp, thin knife is used to remove can still be found next to a footpath the larger veins of the leaf and if this A PALM abutting the Potting Yard. is done skillfully, the intermediate parts of the leaf blade are left OR attached to the upper portion of the stalk. Each leaf is carefully cut into strips or ribbons about 1.25 em wide. A LOOK--A--LIKE! When the stalk is held in the hand, the strips should be quite free from each other. The leaves are boiled for 10 to 15 minutes. They are then dried in the sun and subsequently bleached in a sulphur chamber for a day. The straws gradually become inrolled and form fine cylindrical strands known asjipijapa. It is the Spanish term for straw and also the name of a town in Ecuador. The hats are woven by hand from these straws.

Panama hats are fine, lightweight and usually of a natural straw colour. A good hat will last for years. It takes about six leaves to produce an ordinary sized hat. A coarse hat from broader straws can be made in a day while one from very fine straws may take 18 days. For the making of the top quality hats, the finer veins on either side of the straws have to be meticulously removed by a needle. After the hats are made, they are hung in an airtight box and subjected to sulphur fumes again, to bleach them even whiter. Plaiting is a difficult process and requires careful and intensive training. A craftsman requires six months' training to be proficient in this job. And, for successful weaving, it is pertinent that the air should be

<4 Panama I !at palm in the Gardens

14 of the correct humidity to produce trained to pick . Acquiring these remarkable hats. The finest some of these animals, he had them and superior quality ones are highly retrained as botanical specimen priced and regarded as the best collectors - the first apes in the civil standard hats for summer wear. service.

Nothing is allowed to go to DUl'ing the Japanese occupation waste. Leaves not suitable for hat­ Comer remained in the Gardens malting are used to make mats, where he was allowed to continue baskets and other artifacts. with his research. He left the Elsewhere, the leaves are also used Gardens in 1946, and after a short for curtains, roofing, fly swatters and interlude with UNESCO in Brazil, even straw pmses. The stalks after took up a teaching position at being divided into strips are made Cambridge University where he into brooms, especially in Hondmas. remained until he retired in 1973 as Professor of Tropical Botany. The qualities of these Panama Reputed to be an eloquent and hats are distinguished by their persuasive teacher, he attracted to uniformity and fineness of textm e, tropical botany a steady stream of their strength, durability, elasticity outstanding students, some of whom and resistance to water. Due to the E.J.II. Comer, a photograph taken in 1972. remain as leaders in the field. high prices these hats can command, many countries in central Ame1ica Corner published in a range of and even the Philippines and OBITUARY topics. Books include the following: have joined the A Monograph ofClavaria (1950), bandwagon to set up this hat EDRED The Life of Plants (1964), The industry. But not ali of these have JOHN Natural History of Palms ( 1966), been successful. It is apparent that Seeds ofD icotyledons (2 volumes, only a certain area in Ecuador has HENRY 1976), The Freshwater Swamp that distinct atmospheric conditions Fo1·ests of South Johore and suitable and necessmy for the CORNER Singapore (1978),Ad handling of these straws enabling the 12 Jan 1906- 14 Sep 1996 Polypo-raceas (7 volumes, 1983- production of these tme-blue ---- 1991) and Botanical Monkeys Panama hats. (1992). J.H.Com er came out East as a young man in 1929 and Apart from being grown for the To the Singapore Botanic . served as Assistant Director hat-making inclust1y in central E Gardens, Corner left behind a legacy of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, American countries, the Panama Hat of research and scholarship; as part under Professor R.E. Holttum till palm has also natmalised itself in of the lich history and tradition of 1946. His research duties were most parts of that region up to an the Gardens he will continue to roainly concemed with the fungi, a elevation of 1500 m. Carludovicas inspire new generations of botanists. great diversity of which are found in are handsome foliage ornamentals The colonial bungalow in the the tropics. Through his wanderings that grow well in humid, tropical Gardens where he lived as Assistant in the forests of Singapore and the environment. It should be taken care Director has been named E.J.H. Malay Peninsula he amassed a great like that of a tropical palm. This Corner House in his honour. collection of fungi and he also plant can be grown in huge pots or in gradually built up an extensive the ground. It thrives better on knowledge of trees and palms of the moist, well-drained soil and in areas Singapore Botanic Gardens region. with diffused light. Propagation can be clone by division or seed. When In 1940 Corner published his established, it forms a large, first book, Wayside Trees of handsome clump. Although it looks Malaya, in two volumes. This work great as an ornamental, it has yet to written in his lucid and frienclly style become popular in the gardens of is full of detail that reveals a personal Singapore even though introduced familiarity with the subject matter. almost a centwy ago. Now in its third edition, this is still the best book on the common (and many not so common) trees of the AndreaKee Research Officer area covered. To solve the problem Plant Introduction Unit of collecting botanical specimens Singapore Botanic Gardens from tali trees Corner developed an idea inspired by watching monkeys

15 A NOTE OF THANKS ...

set of the "Flowering This set will not only convey to the Plants of Africa," volume reader the beauty, variety and form 1-49 (1921-1987), has of the African flora but is a botanical A been donated to the database of the flora of the regiop.. It • Library by Mr Tan Jiew Hoe. These is a valuable addition to the library's 49 volumes are sturdily bound in reference collection of botanical and library cloth with leather backing horticultural books and we would and corners. The publication is an like to express our thanks and illustrated serial with 20 plates to appreciation to Mr Tan for his each part and two parts to a volume. thoughtful and generous donation. Each beautifully coloured illustration is accompanied by a detailed description of the plant. Chin See Chung Director Euclinia lfmgiflora, an Mrican species blooming in Singapore Botanic Gardens U1e Gardens

continued on pg 10

9. Lewisara Fatimah Alsagoff 13. Yuen-Peng MeN eice 14b. Arundina graminifolia Bromeliad House This is a semi-shade loving This orchid is widespread in epiphytic plant. The flowers are a To complement the display of Southeast Asia. It is also known as very attractive violet blue colour. orchids, the Yuen Peng McNeice the " orchid" because of its Bromeliad Collection is featured in bamboo-like habit. The flowers have 10. Vanda Poepoe 'Diana' the National Orchid Garden. large lips and superficially look like a Propagations from this collection of Cattleya. This hardy growing plant is 20,000 air plants representing 800 closely related to the national flower types in the Pineapple family have 14c. Rats' Tail Orchid Vanda Miss Joaquim. It usually also been incorporated in the flowers best in full sun. landscaping of the Gardens. These Paraphalaenopsis species are so named because their 11. Aranda Wong Bee Yeok 14. Orchidariuni. long cyclindricalleaves resemble the form of rats' tails. This free produces The Orchida1ium is landscaped one of the largest Aranda flowers. to provide the natural orchid 14d. Epidendrum habitats of tropical rainforests. There cinnabarinum 12. Tan Hoon Siang Misthouse are about 400 species in 97 genera growing in the Orchidarium. Commonly known as "reed In the Tan Hoon Siang Misthouse orchid." This orchid was introduced you will see Cymbidium hyb1ids 14a. Orchidarium waterfall into Singapore from South America. from Holland, Epidendrum hybrids A sun loving orchid that is easy to from South America (Mexico), Pansy The waterfall in the orchidarium grow and is free-flowering. orchids from Australia, Dendrobium helps to create the humid micro­ nobile types from Japan, Antelope climate that these orchids need. Dendrobiums from New Those planted here include WongWeiHar Guinea, Vanda and Ascocenda Grammatophyllum speciosum, Assistant Director hybrids from , Trichoglottis Epidendrum radicans, Doritis and Renanthera species from pulcherrima, Spathoglottis plicata Whang Lay Keng Assistant Manager Philippines, and Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis violacea. Singapore Botanic Gardens Management hybrids from Singapore.

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