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Tree
of Time
(co-authors
Angie Ng, Chuah Ai Lin & Marilyn Cheng)
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| Just
suppose for a moment that the tree that gave Changi its name is not
Neobalanocarpus heimii, or chengal (pronounced “chengai”)?
The link between “Changi” the place and chengal the tree was suggested
by the legendary botanist H.N. Ridley; the story is now a standard
part of local botanical lore. Although Ridley made an educated guess
as to the origins of the place name, there is no direct evidence that
the chengal was ever found Changi, or for that matter, anywhere else
in Singapore. But if Ridley’s guess was not entirely correct, what
other tree could have lent its name to Changi? |
One
obvious way to investigate this possibility is to check the vernacular
names of all the native trees recorded in the checklist of the flora
of Singapore, to find a name that matches ‘Changi’ as closely as possible.
That is reasonably easy to do, but putting up a convincing proposition
to support it is not. Without historical accounts or botanical records
that testify beyond a doubt that such a tree did occur once upon a
time in Changi, the elusive origins of the name remain anyone’s guess.
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| Given
the paucity of historical accounts, where else should one look? The
answer just may have presented itself. One particular old tree, located
near Halton Road in Changi, may be the key that unlocks this century-old
puzzle. |
We
discovered it recently while conducting a tree survey of the area,
and as luck would have it, it was fruiting profusely. It proved to
be a kind of dipterocarp (an important group of timber trees), a forest
giant that is in all likelihood a remnant of the Changi Forest Reserve
that existed in the area 100 years ago. Thanks to assistance provided
by biologists Dr Shawn Lum (Natural Sciences Academic Group, NIE)
and Dr Jim La Frankie (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute), we
had it positively identified as Hopea sangal.
A further check with botanical references led us to another exciting
discovery - its native name is “Chengal Pasir” or “Chengal mata kuching”!!
Could this be the tree species that gave its name to Changi? |
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The
Singapore Red Data book (Ng and Wee, 1994) lists Hopea sangal as
being extinct, but at least this one lone tree still remains in Singapore,
having been overlooked all these years. This precious tree relic measures
a respectable 330cm girth and has a height of about 35m. By conservative
estimates, it could easily be 150 years old or more. What better form
of evidence to rely on than a living testimony growing right in the
heart of Changi. A tree of time doesn’t tell lies!
We believe our discovery is yet another interesting, and perhaps significant,
account in the colourful tree-history of
Changi. Our tree survey has taught us how valuable the many giant
trees in Changi are. As Singaporeans, we ought to cherish, care for
and celebrate them as natural and national treasures to behold for
generations to come. Long live the trees! |
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