1. Rain Tree

Here we are at Fort Canning, with hopes of retracing Ah Gong's trail! Let's see where the first stop is. Hmm...

A huge tree with its leaves all closed up… Bearing in mind what Ah Gong sketched, we scanned the surroundings and tried to guess where Ah Gong’s first landmark could be.

We couldn’t miss this towering 36 metres tall Rain Tree (Samanea saman) with a girth of 6.5 metres. No wonder Ah Gong made special mention of it. The Rain Tree is a native of Central America and was introduced to Singapore in 1876. If the Rain Tree looks familiar, it is because its large, shady, umbrella-shaped crown makes it a suitable ornamental tree for lining the roads of Singapore. The leaves often fold up at dusk or before an impending rain.

No rain today I guess?

With the constant redevelopment of Singapore, there was a need to conserve our mature trees. Thus, the Heritage Tree Scheme was announced on 17 Aug 2001. This particular rain tree is also special as it has been designated as Tree 138 on the Heritage Trees Register. The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) donated an initial fund of $125,000 towards a conservation programme to preserve these Heritage Trees as well as promote appreciation of our natural heritage. Some of these programme initiatives include installing lightning conductors and interpretive signage, as well as putting in place a nomination scheme for the community.

Resource:
http://www.sbg.org.sg/attractions/heritagetrees.asp