Bitter Nut & Wild Pepper

Bittenut Tree

Close up look of Bitter Nut

Wild Pepper



Bird Nest Fern

The Bird's Nest Fern has a short stout erect rhizome (stem) which bears a rosette of simple, long, pointed leaves (fronds) to form a "nest". The stem is usually not visible from the top. The nest traps fallen leaves and other debris which eventually decompose to humus. Beneath the nest of fronds is a large spongy, mass of roots which are covered by the reflexed dead leaves. Rain water is soaked up and stored in the mass. In this way, the plant provides its own food and water and can continue to grow in a soilless condition as long as it is not left to dry out for too long. When the plant grows upward and outward and the root mass becomes deeper and spongier, it attracts other ferns, mosses or algae to grow on the root mass.

The fronds can grow to a length of more than a metre and a width of about 20 cm, with the whole plant extending to about two metres across. The leaves are in shiny light green colour, with a smooth-edged blade and a prominent black midrib. The reproduction sacs, or sporangia which produce spores, are formed along the veins on the underside of the mature fronds at a 45 degree angle in parallel rows to the midrib. The fern produces plentiful spores which are dispersed by wind for proliferation. It is believed to have originated from tropical Asia and Polynesia.
Usage and Potential:
Food: The Bird's Nest Fern is non-poisonous and is occasionally eaten by aboriginal tribe in Malaysia.
Medicine: The Malay used a decoction of the leaves to ease labour pains in childbirth and also to obtain a lotion to treat fever.
Other uses: The fern is now commonly grown for garden landscaping, either placed in trees as naturally found or on the ground as a garden plant. The plant is also used in flower arrangements with the whole plant or cut leaves used to enhance the arrangement.
Variant Names:
Common names: Bird's Nest Fern, Nest Fern.
Scientific name: Asplenium nidus.
Malay names: Daun semun, Paku langsuyar, Paku padan, Rumah langsuyar, Selimbar.
Chinese name: Niao Chao Jue.

Sources From: http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_389_2005-01-28.html

Gnetum Gnemon

Belinjau

           Picture of Gnetum Gnemon

Gnetum gnemon is a species of Gnetum native to southeast Asia and the western Pacific Ocean islands, from Assam south and east through Indonesia and Malaysia to the Philippines and Fiji. Common names include melinjo or belinjo (Indonesian language), bago (Malay language, Tagalog language), muling (Aceh language) peesae (Pattani Malay), dae (Kwara'ae language), phakmiang (Thai language) and bét, rau bép, rau danh or gắm (Vietnamese language). They are sometimes called padi oats or paddy oats.

Melinjo is native to Indonesia and very popular in this country. It is widely used in Indonesian cuisine. The seeds are used for sayur asem (sour vegetables soup) and also, ground into flour and deep-fried as crackers (emping, a type of krupuk). The crackers have a slightly bitter taste and are frequently served as a snack or accompaniment to Indonesian dishes. The leaves are also commonly used for vegetables dishes in Indonesia.
This plant is commonly cultivated throughout the Aceh region and is regarded as a vegetable of high status. Its flower, young leaves and fruit are used as ingredients in traditional vegetable curry called kuah pliek. This dish is served on all important traditional occasions, such as khanduri and keureudja. In the Pidie district, the women pick the ripe fruit (its skin color is red) and make keureupuk muling from it

History & Attractions

 Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was one of the first forest reserves established in Singapore. When the government of the Straits Settlements commissioned a report on the state of the forests, it was recommended that several reserves be created. Thus, in 1883, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was established. In 1951, it received more protection under the Nature Reserves Ordinance which was enacted under the National Parks Act.

The 163-hectare reserve retains one of the largest tracts of primary rainforest left in Singapore.

The forest has been a botanical collecting ground for more than a century, where the first known specimens of many species of Malayan plants were obtained. Dr David Bellamy, a renowned conservationist, once pointed out that the number of plant species growing in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is more than that in the whole of North America!

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is also home to Singapore's highest hill at 163.63 m. Composed mainly of granite, Bukit Timah Hill was once an active quarrying site in the mid-1900s. One abandoned quarry has been developed as a park - Hindhede Nature Park. It is now a popular spot with visitors who come to enjoy the quarry's scenic beauty and have some fun with the more challenging play equipment. 

Sources from: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=naturereserves&id=46&Itemid=75

Information About Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

    

    Step into the nature reserves and journey back in time to the days before Sir Stamford Raffles arrived, when much of the island was covered with lowland, tropical forest. Though much of Singapore's original vegetation had been cleared for logging and cultivation, the forest at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve hMacRitchie area and Nee Soon Swamp at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

These nature reserves bounded 4 reservoirs - namely MacRitchie Reservoir, Lower Peirce Reservoir, Upper Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir. The nature reserves act as water catchment for the reservoirs, in addition, the nature reserves also ensure the quality of water in the reservoirs.

Other than being storehouses of water, today, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve are homes to more than 840 flowering plants and over 500 species of animals (including butterflies). With such an astonishing variety of plants, animals and insect life, the nature reserves are indeed treasure houses of Singapore's biodiversity.

    Covering an area of approximately 3,043 hectares, both the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve are managed by the Central Nature Reserve Branch of the National Parks Board.

     As nature reserves, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserves are protected by the Parks & Trees Act 2005 for the conservation of our native biodiversity. Certain activities are prohibited within the nature reserves, especially activities that cause a lot of impacts on the native flora and fauna - hiking in groups of more than 30 without a permit, releasing of animals, feeding of animals, removing of native flora and fauna from the nature reserves, cycling, walking off the designated trails are just some of these activities.

Sources from: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=naturereserves&id=46&Itemid=75