Kent Ridge on 19 Jan

Brought a few friends to NUS today for a bio project! (: Showed them a few plants and it was really fun. Haha. Here are some of the things that we saw today. Hopefully i didnt ID them wrongly =X haha.

This is the Tiup tiup (Adinandra dumosa). The leaves has a dark green shade on the surface and a paler shade on the underside. The young leaves are reddish pink and the new leaves look like a sword. It has alternate leaf arrangement.

Smilax (Smilax glauca? Not very sure). A climber that can have quite big leaves.

Hairy clidemia (Clidemia hirta). It has hairy stem and leaves.

Wild cinnamon (Cinnamomum iners). When you crush the leaf, it gives off a sweet smell. The baby leaves are red and it has 3 distinct veins on the leaves. Opposite leaves.

This is the Simpoh air (Dillenia suffruticosa). It has the cleavage thingie near the stem of the plant.

The fruit of Simpoh air. Beautiful, isn't it? It has red flesh and ripes in 36 days.

This is the Melastoma (Melastoma malabathricum). It has edible fruits and it will stain your mouth black after you eat them.

White leaf fig (Ficus grossularioides). It has a whitish underside and a rather rough leaf surface. Figs have 4 common characteristics. 1. They all have sap. 2. When you look at the underside of the leaf, you'll see the triangular vein. 3. It has a prominent bud. 4. There are scars on the stem of the plant.

This is the Macarthur Palm (Ptychosperma macarthurii). It is a monocot.

This is the Vitex pinnata. It has compound leaves and it comes in 3, 4 or 5 leaflets each. The new leaves are reddish too.

This is the Vitex pinnata with 3 leaflets.

Flowers of the Yellow Flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum). This tree is deciduous and it is one of the most common trees seen in Singapore.

The leaves of the Yellow Flame Tree. Compound leaves.

Let's end off with the Fishtail Palm (Caryota mitis). Haha. A lot of people didn't want to touch this after i said that this is poisonous. Most parts of the plant contains toxic crystals and may cause swelling if it is embedded in the skin. This plant starts fruiting from the top of the tree then subsequently furthur down. Sadly, it will start fruiting at the base of the tree eventually then it will die.

Hope that everyone enjoyed today and learnt something. Haha. Good luck with the bio project! :D