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Heritage Trees of Singapore
Off-Shore IslandsCommon Pulai2003

Common Pulai (HT 2003-37)

This Heritage Tree can be found on Pulau Ubin, Jalan Durian after Pekakak Hut (former Kampong Melayu).

A tall tree with a thick trunk and branches covered in dense green leaves, surrounded by other vegetation.
Canopy Shot of Heritage Tree(📷: Heritage Tree Secretariat)

Heritage Tree Information

Reference ID
HT 2003-37

Scientific name: Alstonia angustiloba
Family name: Apocynaceae
Girth: 7.06 m @ 1.3 m height
Height: 40.8 m

Location
Pulau Ubin, Jalan Durian after Pekakak Hut (former Kampong Melayu) (View Map) (opens in new tab)

The Common Pulai or Alstonia angustiloba is a mid-canopy tree that can reach up to 40 m in height. It is native to Singapore and is naturally distributed across the primary or secondary forests and swamp forests of Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Java.

It has buttress roots and its deeply fluted, dark grey trunk supports a pagoda-shaped crown. The Common Pulai has simple, glossy, dark green leaves that are oval shaped, arranged in whorls. The tree exudes latex when any part of the plant is damaged. In Singapore, flowering can be triggered by distinctly cool dry weather, and the tree produces many sprays of creamy-white flowers accompanied by a heady fragrance reminiscent of burnt sugar.

The Common Pulai and Pulai (Alstonia scholaris) (opens in new tab) are both similar looking and commonly planted in Singapore’s urban landscapes. However, they can be differentiated by a few characteristics: The Pulai has greenish-yellow flowers while the Common Pulai has creamy-white flowers, and the Pulai has a stipule at the base of the petiole (leaf stalk) while the Common Pulai does not.

This impressive specimen along Jalan Durian was hard to miss and was so tall that it was seen from the bumboat ride to and from Pulau Ubin. This Tree was growing next to a Malay burial site. This Heritage Tree had a girth of 6.35m in 2003; and 6.8m at 1.3m height with buttresses in 2014.

For more information on this species, please refer to NParks' Flora & Fauna Web profile (opens in new tab)