yellow saraca at bukit batok nature park

i was at bukit batok nature park when i saw these attractive pods on a tree near the public toilet. i do not remember seeing the pods when i walked past the tree in my previous visits to the park. i think there were yellow flowers then on the same tree.

with the help of the nparks book '1001 garden plants in singapore', i managed to identify the tree. on the same page of the book, there are two saracas, one is the saraca cauliflora and the other, saraca declinata (red saraca). i think the one at bukit batok nature park is the yellow saraca.

then i did an internet search on the saraca cauliflora and was i surprised to see a posting by my blogger friend john. the maroon pods of the saraca cauliflora are featured here. the pods appear to grow from the trunk of the tree.


at the botanic gardens in singapore, there is an attraction called the saraca stream. here is an extract about it:


saraca stream walk is another new attraction, tropical plants line the bank of the stream as it meanders its way down a small hill. the main highlights of the stream walk are the yellow saraca trees (saraca cauliflora) and red saraca (saraca declinata). as most of the plantings in the area are still quite young, it will take a few more years before the full bloom spectacular of the saraca will be able to reach its full potential.