The comeback nature walk for 2025 took place at the 9th Hole of the Old Course on 24 February. With 38 registered participants, the walk started from the golfer’s terrace and headed to the yellow rain tree between the 9th Hole and 1st Hole of the Old Course. Participants were briefed prior to the walk about each station, as well as with interesting facts about each of the seven tree species reviewed on the day.
1st station Yellow Rain Tree
This golden rain tree though not as yellow as the one at the 18 Hole of the Old Course, was planted to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the club. The yellow rain tree is purported to have been planted by the colonial government in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore about 100 years ago. The earliest planting were at the Taiping public gardens where they provided welcomed shade to pedestrian and cyclist along the lakeside avenues. Sadly, many trees have been cut down due to road widening to cater increased traffic.
The yellow rain tree is also a prominent feature of the scenery in Singapore. When arriving at Singapore Changi Airport, visitors can see the impressive umbrella shaped trees lining the city’s road.
In the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Yellow Rain tree became a signature tree as it stands out attractively with its bright yellow foliage contrasting against the dark green foliage around the band stand. The prevailing theory once suggested that some nutrient deficiency in the soil was responsible for the yellow leaves, but scientists discovered that only certain branches turned yellow while others remained green. The rest of the crown continued to grow normally, suggesting that the yellow coloration was due to a localised genetic mutation.
In the 1970s, observations of local yellow raintree revealed that they almost never flowered, whereas green rain trees could flower as often as twice a year in six-month cycles. Older- trees produced new leaves which usually ended in flowering. In Mexico and Brazil, where the rain tree is indigenous, an annual dry season lasts up to 6 months and the trees remain leafless throughout this period, in contrast to Malaysia and Singapore where there is no distinct dry season: experiments conducted by collecting 800 seeds, found that 600 produced green seedlings, while 200 turned into yellow cotyledons. A second batch of 300 seeds was planted, and over 200 produced green cotyledons, while fewer than 100 produced yellow cotyledons. During the walk, participants learned that propagating the yellow-leaf variety by grafting apical shoots from yellow trees onto green seedlings had been attempted, but with limited success.
2nd station Gapis tree
The second station featured the Gapis tree. I changed the second species in the programme since our Mempari tree did not look good this season. The Gapis tree, native to Malaysia and West Java, is also known as Pokok Gombak. The fruit is also known as Buah Tenlan. This round tree has a wide-spreading crown and looks spectacular when in bloom. The yellow flowers in clusters are fragrant especially at night, and resemble saffron-yellow flowers. The flowers grow directly from the branches and the trunk of the tree and they are petal-less. They are very small, light yellow to deep yellow. One of us mentioned that it only flowers twice a year, in February and September and only after dry weather. Fauna such as sunbird and butterflies feed on its nectar. The fruit is used for cooking and baking by the indigenous people. It must be boiled and the skin peeled off. This tree thrives with water and grows at the water’s edge. In the jungle its lives near water sources and wet soil and assist in reducing soil erosion. It also helps to balance the ecosystem. The fruit has a large flattened pod that turns from green to a striking purple. The Gapis tree is also shade tolerant and an understory tree. The bark is smooth, and the leaves are slightly compound. The young leaves hang for several days, transitioning from pinkish to purplish before turning green.
3rd station Pokok Damar Minyak
Pokok Damar Minyak also known as the King of Wood or locally Raja Kayu. The best thing to share about this tree is that its wood is believe to ward off negative and dark energy, counter black magic, and emit positive energy. If you seek a simple yet effective protection element, this is one of the best types of wood to consider. Deep in the forest, this tree receives almost no sunlight which is believed to provide the best environment for evil spirits to gather. The King of Wood emits powerful charms and amulets, providing protection to the Malaysian indigenous people for a very long time. Raja Kayu emits a red-light glow when shone under torch light, a phenomenon that science has yet to explain. The wood has excellent properties such as high compression strength, high density and is so tough that hammering a nail into it is extremely difficult. It is also resistant to moths and corrosion. Monks in India, Malaysia, and Thailand use Raja Kayu to make prayer beads. It is so dense that it does not float. During the walk, the participants were shown samples of the wood and used torchlights to identify genuine Raja Kayu. It appeared flawless, dense, and smooth. I used to wear Raja Kayu as a bracelet.
4rd station Pokok Gelam
Pokok Gelam is an evergreen tree that grows in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia. It is commonly found in Terengganu, where 1500 hectares of forest are reserved for its growth. The tree has an irregular shape and the canopy is narrow but can round out when it grows densely. It is twisted, whitish in colour, with the thick spongy bark. It can be peeled off in large flakes like sheets of paper, giving rise to common name, Paper Bark Tree. It is a fast-growing, hardy tree that thrives in poor soil and waterlogged conditions, making it suitable for urban planting. It is planted as a screen or windbreak. Its thick, leathery leaves release a “tea tree” fragrance when crushed. The small, creamy white flowers bloom yearround. The best way to highlight this tree is that its wood is popularly used for firewood.
Currently, it is planted along the beaches of Kelantan, Terengganu, and the East Coast. Its leaves and branches produce cajeput oil, which in Malay means “Kayu Putih” (“White Wood”). The oil is widely used for skincare, headache relief, aromatherapy, antiseptic purposes, and as a mosquito repellent. It is also good for blood circulation. In Indonesia, it is applied externally to treat burns and skin inflammation. In Myanmar, the oil is used for gout, and in the Philippines, it treats respiratory disorders. The oil is extracted via distillation method. The bark sheets are used for boat-making. It flowers all year long, allowing beehive colonies to produce high-quality honey. From 4 kg of leaves, 54 ml of oil is extracted through a 100-degree distillation process.
5th station Leopard Tree
The next station we visited was a medium-sized tree called Leopard tree. It is because the trunk is smooth, light grey to whitishyellow, and mottled with brown spots, resembling the colouration of a leopard’s hide. ‘Ferrea’ refers to the word ‘iron’ from Latin, which resembles the wood, as it is dense and heavy. A block of dried, seasoned wood was shown to the participants, demonstrating that it will sink into water.
There were no flowers during our walk. The other name of this tree is the Brazilian Ironwood tree. The participants were familiar with ironwood, as it could be seen around the course with young flushes of red leaves.
6th station Pokok Jati Laut
Pokok Jati Laut is categorised as a threatened species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list. This species is rare and has only been found in certain places on the course. The tree has an irregular shape, with narrow and linear leaves, which appear dark green from afar. The leaves are arranged spirally. Two weeks before, I captured cream coloured, cylindrical cones that developed in clusters of 3-5 and noted that they were male flowers. However, during the walk we were able to see a female cone developing singly with a naked seed and a fleshy receptacle which is edible. Since the seed dropped to the ground, we weren’t able to eat it fresh.
7th station Chinaberry tree
Also called the Pride of India, this tree resembles the Neem tree. It has several medicinal purposes. However, when it comes to the fruit, it is poisonous to eat. Melia azedarach is also known has various traditional uses. The infusion prepared from the bark and leaf is effective in eradicating ascariasis in the intestine. The juice extracted from the leaves is used as a diuretic and to dissolve kidney stones. A decoction prepared from the leaves is beneficial for reducing the intensity of diarrhoea. It is also used in alleviating toothache and treating teeth or gums. When the juice from the leaves is applied to the hair roots, it is said to be beneficial for treating dandruff. Other than that, a poultice prepared from the flowers and leaves when placed on a painful area alleviates neuralgic pain. I was asked about pain in the knee. Boiling the leaves and applying them over the painful joint was said to reduce inflammation and pain in an arthritic joint. A decoction made from the leaves is also useful for regulating menstruation if it is irregular, by drinking one teaspoon once or twice a day. Meanwhile boiling the leaves can also be an effective natural treatment for treating fungal vaginal infection.
When talking about flowers, the purple flowers of the Chinaberry are called lice killers. Preparing a paste from the flowers of this plant and applying it over the scalp and hair, then rinsing after a few hours, is said to be effective. Applying the paste in one application once a week for a few weeks until the lice are gone usually works. As for the bark, it is said that dissolving its powdered bark into water and applying the resulting paste on ringworm can help eliminate it. Our participant, Tan Kheng brought some of the leaves home to treat her knee. Hopefully, they will be beneficial to her.
On the way back to the hall, we walked from the 9th Hole Old Course, on the right side towards the golfer terrace. Along the way, we got to see our reserved pocket forest on the 9th Hole to our left. Some feedback from the participants was that they would like to learn more about the trees in RSGC and the hidden stories behind them. It was a joyful experience, sharing and gaining good knowledge about nature and being able to use it at home as a natural remedy.
We had refreshments in the hall, while I set up some short videos about the species that we looked through. There was a lot to discuss and share with the participants, but I thought a more effective approach would be to use quizzes as a way to help them remember the facts. I prepared 15 quiz questions, and the participants answered them well.
I would like to thank all the regular participants who continue joining our nature walk and are eager to learn more in future events. We will meet again in May for our next walk, and I will try my best to make it even more informative and filled with stories of nature.
With lots of love!
