Tembusu
The tembusu (Cyrtophyllum fragrans) is a hardwood tree native to Singapore, Southeast Asia and many parts of tropical Asia.1
Description
A slow-growing and evergreen tree, the tembusu can reach heights of 30 to 55 m.2 Its bark is dark brown and deeply fissured.3 The juvenile plant has a conical crown, and matures into a towering, irregularly shaped tree.4
The oval-shaped, light-green leaves of the tembusu are about 5 to 11 cm in length and wavy at the edges.5 Tembusu flowers bloom twice a year – usually in May or June and October or November – and are pollinated by butterflies and nocturnal moths.6 The clusters of trumpet-shaped blooms emerge creamy white, turning yellow with age and emit a fragrance that intensifies in the late evenings.7 Its fruits are tiny, round berries that may take more than three months to mature.8 They turn from orange to red as they ripen and are eaten by birds and bats.
Found in southern Myanmar through Southeast Asia to New Guinea, this hardy species is tolerant of poorly aerated, compact clay soils and fairly resistant to pests and diseases.10 In Singapore, apart from Tanglin where the Singapore Botanic Gardens is located, tembusu trees can also be found in the Central Catchment Nature .
Usage
The wood of the tembusu is hard, heavy, highly durable and termite-resistant. These qualities make its timber suitable for a variety of uses, including heavy construction, railroads, bridges, boats, wharves, parquet flooring, furniture and chopping boards.12
The tembusu has medicinal properties as well: Its bark can be made into a decoction to treat fever and dysentery, and its leaves and twigs can also be similarly prepared to treat severe diarrhoea.13
As it can grow to a large size and cast excellent shade, the tembusu has been identified as a suitable species for planting in parks, open spaces and along roadsides with large verges.14 The tembusu was selected for planting in the early years of Singapore’s greening movement in the 1960s for its fragrant flowers.15
The species has also been used as a metaphor for relations between the state and civil society in the 1990s.
In a 1998 speech, ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh likened the government under the premiership of Goh Chok Tong to the tembusu for its tall and strong qualities but with a canopy smaller than the banyan tree, which was used to describe the preceding Lee Kuan Yew era. The smaller canopy of the tembusu allows other plants – a reference to civil society – to grow around it.16
In May 2002, beating six other contenders such as the sea fig, the tembusu emerged as the “unofficial national tree” of Singapore in an informal poll conducted by the Nature Society (Singapore).17
Tembusu tree icon
There are currently 10 tembusu trees that have been designated as “heritage trees” under the Heritage Tree Scheme launched in 2002.18
The tembusu located on the lawn overlooking Swan Lake at the Singapore Botanic Gardens was one of the first to be recognised as a “heritage tree”.19 Believed to have existed before the establishment of the gardens in 1859, this specimen stands at a height of 32 m and has a girth spanning 6 m in circumference.20 The iconic tree sports a distinctive lateral branch that grows close to the ground.21 This unique feature has made the tree immensely popular among visitors and a favourite spot for photography.22
Its image graces the back of the Singapore five-dollar note in the portrait series issued in 1999.23 The tree was chosen to exemplify Singapore’s aspiration of becoming a “garden city”.24 Moreover, its sturdiness and spreading canopy were thought to embody strength, resilience and a continuous drive for progress.25
Conservation
Over the years, measures have been taken to maintain the health of the tree. A solid wooden T-bar support was installed in 1992 to relieve pressure from the limb as it grew outwards.26 The tree was given a new pair of props in 2003.27 These were replaced in 2014 with a new dynamic system specially designed to provide support without restricting the movement and growth of the tree.28 A fence was erected in 2013 to deter visitors from treading on the area around the tree, so as to allow its roots to recover from the effects of soil compaction caused by years of heavy human traffic.29
Variant names
Old scientific name: Fagraea fragrans30
Family name: Loganiaceae31
Tembusu padang32
Temasuk33
Thailand: Thamsao34
Philippines: Urung35
Vietnam: Trai36
Myanmar: Anan37
