Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Trees that can tolerate semi-shade sunlight

Frustrated that you cannot plant trees under mature trees or near tall buildings where there is semi-shade? Be angsty no more.


Species    Maximum known height    Description
1. Ardisia elliptica    8m    native; small tree, sparse columnar crown, edible small fruits
2. Artocarpus rigidus    35m    native; dense, spreading crown, edible large fruits, hard wood
3. Baccaurea parviflora    6m    native; small tree, edible small fruits, hard wood
4. Barringtonia racemosa    27m    native; sparse crown, drops flowers and seeds
5. Bauhinia purpurea    6m    sparse crown, Leguminosae

6. Brownea grandiceps   20m   sparse crown, pendulous young leaves are brown with green specks, flowers are arranged in a ball shape
7. Calophyllum soulattri    26m    native; dense, spreading crown, edible small fruits, hard wood

8. Cratoxylum cochinchinense   10m   sparse crown, pendulous leaves, flaky bark
9. Cynometra ramiflora    26m    native; dense, spreading crown, hard wood
10. Diospyros buxifolia    35m    native; sparse, spreading crown, hard wood
11. Elaeocarpus mastersii    20m    native; dense crown, edible small fruits
12. Erythroxylum cuneatum    33m    native; sparse crown, hard wood
13. Garcinia atroviridis    27m    native; sparse conical crown, edible large fruits
14. Heritiera littoralis    25m    native; sparse, spreading crown, drops seeds
15. Maniltoa browneoides    12m    sparse, spreading crown, prominent young flushes (handkerchiefs),  hard wood, Leguminosae
16. Palaquium gutta    30m    native; sparse spreading crown, hard wood (Nyatoh)

17. Saraca thaipingensis   20m   sparse crown, young pendulous flushes purplish, flowers after pronounced dry weather
18. Streblus elongatus    33m    native; sparse spreading crown, hard wood

19. Syzygium glaucum   10m   native; leaves with rounded tip, flaky bark
20. Syzygium polyanthum   30m   native; fruits eaten by birds, leaves used as spice


Some trees to feature (photos below are taken by me unless stated otherwise):

Calophyllum soulattri
 Photo taken at Hortpark, near Pasir Panjang Nursery.

Flowers

Cynometra ramiflora

This is a Cynometra cauliflora actually, but looks similar to a C. ramiflora from a distance. Flanked on the right by a Flacourtia inermis.



Different shades of young leaf flushes.

Diospyros buxifolia

Photo taken at Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Close-up on leaves. Image: Scott ZonaCC BY-NC 2.0

Maniltoa browneoides

Photo taken somewhere at a roadside in Tuas.

Prominent young flushes (handkerchiefs).

Streblus elongatus

A sapling planted behind park name signage (that is made of recycled timber). Photo taken at Tampines Eco Green.

The unique elongated flower clusters that develop at the leaf axils. Male flowers are whitish and small. Image: Cerlin Ng, CC BY-NC 2.0

And female flowers are larger, appearing almost like a large ant's head. Image: Cerlin Ng, CC BY-NC 2.0

Honourable mention: Ficus lyrata

 Multiple shoots branching - a form that is rarely seen locally. Image: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY-NC 3.0

Ficus lyrata 12m Non-strangling fig tree, slow-growing, leaves resemble a fiddle, top the plant from an early age to encourage branching, toxic plant sap

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