wetlands a publication of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve reserve homepage all past issues search the site

Vol 10 No 1 Dec 2002 snakes: myth & reality fell & fly: about poems finding & growing native plants merope angulata glochidion littorale the kingfisher experience wetland rainforest the sungei buloh mangroves how sungei buloh 'got' me world environment day: 5 jun 02 back home again		finding & growing native plants Merope angulata | Glochidion littorale text and illustrations by joseph lai conservation officer scientific name Glochidion littorale (the name is derived from the root word of Greek origin, glochin-meaning a point; referring to the 6 stamens of the male flower which are joined in a pointed knob or column. The Latin word, littorale, meaning by the sea). common name Ubah, Jambu kera, Selunsor, Hujan panas, Daun san sik. habit A shrub or small tree with brown flaky bark, growing to about 6m high. leaves Alternately arranged, short stalked, glabrous (hairless), leathery, obovate with a rounded apex, varying in length from 5-15cm long. Underside greenish-yellow, upper side glossy, midrib (main vein) prominently raised, appearing white. Leaves wither bright yellow with red blotches. flowers The plant is monoecious (meaning literally one-housed, i.e., bearing separate male and female flowers on the same tree); flowers tiny, apetalous (without petals), in dense clusters in leaf axils, male flowers with 4 to 5 times longer stalks than females. Male flower pendulous, with 6 light green sepals, arranged in two sets of 3 on top of each other; stamens 6, joined in a short pointed knob. Female flower with 6 somewhat joined short sepals, forming a cup. Styles fused into a fleshy pinkish-white knob, toothed at apex. fruit A globose capsule, 1.5 to 2cm in diameter, lobed, consisting of 12 to 15 locules (fruit chambers). Apex of fruit depressed like a dimple. Fruit ripen red, splitting between the lobes. Seed red, 2 per locule. male flower female flower fruit remarks Glochidion litorrale belongs to the Rubber Tree Family (Euphorbiaceae) but does not have white sap. It has a wide distribution, ranging from India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, S. E. Asia, to the western limit of the Philippines, but currently, it is very rare in Singapore. It occuers in sandy beaches and back mangroves. The young red leaves are edible. You can find the plant planted by the pond of our Visitor Centre. It was raised from seed collected by the author at the former back mangrove of Nee Soon Road in August 2000. It is now 2.5m tall.
		© Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve