Etymology | Genus | 'Strong wood' in Greek, referring to the timber |
---|---|---|
Species | Beautiful in Latin, perhaps referring to its flush bloom of pink covering the canopy | |
Family | Hypericaceae | |
Synonyms | - | |
Common Names | Pink Mempat | |
Status | Native: Endangered | |
Form | Tree | |
Native Distribution | China, Indochina, Malesia |
Cratoxylum formosum is a native tree that can be found in our rain forests, but yet cultivated extensively along the roadsides too. During the dry season, it loses all its leaves and have a flush of pink flowers covering the canopy, representing in a way, our local "Sakura" bloom. The new leaves are reddish orange.
Cultivated tree at Alexandra Retail Centre.
Cultivated tree in bloom with new leaves at Queenstown.
Leaves upper.
Leaves lower.
Flowers.
Fruits.
Trunk.
Rao AN & WC Wee (1989) Singapore Trees. Singapore Institute of Biology, Singapore. 357 pp.