| Rare
Trees of Labrador - the subtleness and significance of extra-flora forms, textures and colours |
| Her beauty lies in her predisposed charm.
Scaveola flowers seduce admirers
like no other 'normal' flower can. They swarm to her like bees to
honey. And her secret? ''Half ' a flower is better than one, isn't it?', she seemed to tease, smiling with half-abated eyelids that give her shyness its sensuality, and delicateness her gentleness. She simply is bewitching. There is a body-language in plants that excite one to no ends. |
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| Call
it flower power, but it does not stop there. There are a wonderful
array of subtle forms, textures and colours in leaves, twigs and bark,
for examples, that are not only artistic creations of Nature but are
also signature-characters for identification. And we can certainly
draw inspirations from some rare trees at Labrador
Nature Reserve. |
| Take for instance, Rapanea porteriana - a once common tree of mangroves, coastal headlands and islands in Singapore. Due to the substantial lost of coastal habitats through land conversions in the past decades, their numbers had been decimated to the point of non-existence. And for the sizable population that remained intact in the unique sandy mangroves of Tekong's northern coast, their days are numbered too. Soon they will be buried under by the ongoing reclamation works there, and the well-known hotsprings |  |
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around which the trees grow will be things of the past. For the ardent botanical students, however, there is a single opportune tree standing on the lower slope of Labrador waiting to be studied. It is easily accessible by the sandy beach. Look out for the signature branches (photo above) which set the tree apart from the others. They are serpentine and wiry, and are perpetually stubbed with numerous inflorescence stalks throughout the year. Look for a freshly fallen leaf next, and hold it up against the light. You will be mesmerized by the tiny spots of light shining through the numerous oil glands which punctated the leaf blade like minute lenses. This is a diagnostic character shared by many of Rapanea's member-species in its family, Myrsinaceae. Similar oil glands can also be found in the leaves of the Orange Family, Rutaceae. |
| Another
'gem', gleaming with light so sublime, is the very rare tree, Symplocos
adenophylla (photo right). In Greek, 'adeno' means
gland, and 'phylla', leaf - an name aptly applied as the leaf
margin is adorned with a string of light-catching golden oil glands.
There is such a tree growing on the cliff face close to the boardwalk halfway down the trail. But don't be surprised if you should miss it. Its non-descript look and inconspicuous flowers make it difficult to recognise. Another |
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useful clue, though, lies in the orientation of its coriaceous leaves.
They droop straight down with leaf-tips pointing earthwards. This
is a good character worthed taking note of, for not always does Chloris,
the goddess of flowers, smile on you and shower you with fallen flowers.
A good grounding in the phenology of the local trees would help. As a general guide, March to May, and August to October, are the best periods for tree-watching. During which, if you are lucky, you might encounter the fallen flowers of the rare Seashore Mangosteen tree on Labrador's rocky shore before the next rising tide washes them away. However, the science of phenology is not limited to flowering seasons only. It includes the study of leaf renewal too. For a tree that seldom flower, or flower sporadically in relatively short spells, this knowledge is a great advantage for the botanist. Take for example, Saga Hutan (Ormosia bancana) growing on the lower slope of Labrador. The emergence of its youthful golden leaves take centre stage for a week or so at the end of May or the beginning of June. The whole tree crown turned golden-yellow in colour... and what a sight to behold! The significance of extra-flora forms, textures and colours cannot be more apparent than in the face of recognising and thus conserving a tree so critically rare as in Ormosia. The authoritative contemporary guide to tropical trees - 'Tree Flora of Malaya' - has this to say, 'All species of Ormosia are uncommon and most are rare or very rare, being known from only a handful of collections; ...The possibility arises that the genus is on the way to dying out, cf. Crudia.' This is indeed an un-nerving spectre. The 'golden' moment of Ormosia bring to bear thus the necessity to seize every opportunity to avert such a catastrophe for itself and all the trees of rarities and known localities. Modern techniques in mass plant propagation may well be the last solution to stop their decline. But we must first seek them out actively and know where they are. The impetus to do so is never too new. The breathe of fresh air brought about by the first-ever post-colonial designation of a nature reserve in Labrador should spur us to take stock of what we have done so far, not only for habitat conservation, but also for conservation at the species-level. If need be, lets start anew. Lets start with 'Ormosia Optimism' - here and now. |