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Pretty in pink... and yellow and white and orange too
Singapore is now experiencing a "September spring", the second of two flowering seasons each year. Residents are in for a treat now, as species such as the trumpet tree, pink mempat and yellow flame tree are flowering. The Straits Times Picture Desk captures the streetscape here.
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Pink mempat trees in bloom providing a pretty backdrop at Marine Cove in East Coast Park last week. The tree bears light pink flowers and is a native species that was planted by founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1963 to mark the start of Singapore’s nationwide tree-planting campaign.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Yellow flame trees in Tiong Bahru Road last Friday, displaying bunches of blooms that each measure about 3cm in diameter. This species is native to South-east Asia – including Singapore, where it is critically endangered in the wild, according to the Singapore Red Data Book.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Trumpet trees in bloom beside the Singapore River near Kim Seng Road earlier this month. These trees are also commonly known as pink poui, but are often fondly called “Singapore’s cherry blossoms”.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
An overhead bridge in Lorong 1 Toa Payoh last Wednesday, decked in bougainvillea that had blossomed profusely in the recent wet weather. Bougainvillea is grown extensively in Singapore because it is a plant that flowers all year round in the Republic’s hot and wet weather conditions.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
The flowers of these glossy shower trees adding some colour to this stretch of Commonwealth Avenue last Thursday. The trees are able to grow up to 7m tall, providing shade to pedestrians.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Garlic vines blooming outside Nanyang Polytechnic in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 last Thursday. These plants are woody climbers with odourless leaves that give off a distinct garlic smell only when crushed, thus earning them the common name garlic vine.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
A row of red lip plants brightening up the drive on the Central Expressway near the Braddell exit last Friday. Red lip trees have a dense, bushy crown and can grow up to 20m tall. They are suitable for planting along streets, and in parks and gardens, singly or in a group as a dense hedge.
ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
Cratoxylum maingayi at Jurong Lake Gardens last Wednesday. The tree can grow up to 10m tall, and its pale pink and white flowers are insect-pollinated.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
A butterfly among the blooms of a peacock flower shrub at Raintree Cove in East Coast Park last Thursday. This plant flowers throughout the year, but blooming is reduced when it is under too much shade.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
A yellow-vented bulbul searching for insects in the flowers of a golden myrtle tree in Binchang Walk last Friday. The golden myrtle was introduced to Singapore in 1982 from the Australian city of Cairns, where it is the floral emblem.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Cyclists ride past Pink Mempat trees at Marine Cove, East Coast Park on Sept 10, 2020. The Pink Mempat (Cratoxylum formosum) is a medium to large sized tree which is 45 m tall in habitat, but is normally much shorter in cultivation.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Framed by the pink blooms of a Crepe Myrtle, a man walks in front of Blk 19 Jalan Membina on Sept 11, 2020.
ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
The canopy of the Yellow Flame tree, which has bunches of bright yellow blooms measuring about three centimetres in size, along Tiong Bahru Road on Sept 11, 2020. It is widely planted along roadsides for its wide beautiful crown and bright yellow, full blooms which occasionally cover the entire tree.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Bougainvillea seen along Esplanade Drive on Sept 11, 2020. Bougainvillea is commonly found around the island, especially on overhead bridges and highways. It is grown extensively in Singapore because it flowers all year in hot and wet weather.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Yellow trumpet flowers seen outside Maybank Tower at Fullerton Square on Sept 11, 2020. Slightly fragrant, its flowers are trumpet-shaped, bright yellow of up to 5 cm long.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Bougainvillea at Read Bridge at Clarke Quay photographed on Sept 11, 2020. The shrubs can grow as tall as trees and come in a variety of bright colours, including magenta, white, orange and crimson. Although the plant is native to tropical South America, its largest breeders and producers include India, Malaysia and Florida in the United States.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Pink mempat seen at Fort Canning on Sept 11, 2020. The Pink Mempat (Cratoxylum formosum) is a medium to large sized tree which is 45 m tall in habitat, but is normally much shorter in cultivation. When it blooms, its crown is covered with light pink, fairly fragrant flowers which measure up to 2.5 cm wide.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Bougainvillea on an overhead bridge at Bishan Road near Bishan park on Sept, 2020. Bougainvillea is commonly found around the island, especially on overhead bridges and highways. It is grown extensively in Singapore because it flowers all year in hot and wet weather.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Cratoxylum maingayi tree in full bloom at Jurong Lake Gardens on Sept 09, 2020. The tree can grow up to 10 m tall. The flowers have pale pink or white petals and are insect-pollinated.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
People cycling past Bougainvillea Garden at East Coast Park during the September school holidays on Sept 7, 2020. Bougainvillea is a native plant of tropical South America. Its common name is Paper Flower.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Trumpet Trees (Tabebuia rosea) blooming along the Singapore River near Kim Seng Road on Sept 4, 2020. These large and showy flowers bear five petals and create an impressive flowering display. When they fall, they retain their colour for a few days, forming a spectacular pink or white carpet around the tree.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
