Bodhi Tree (HT 2003-69)

📷: Heritage Tree Secretariat

The Bodhi Tree is a large, fast growing deciduous tree that can reach up to 25 m to 35 m in height. It has a large and wide-spreading crown with light-grey bark. Its figs are purple in colour. White latex is present in all such parts: the simple, long-stalked leaves, which are heart-shaped and long tipped; and the new flush of leaves which are purple, turning fresh green, then yellowish green. The flowers are tiny and found inside the small fleshy figs, which ripen to greenish-yellow, then purple. There are three kinds of flowers: male, female and sterile.

The Bodhi Tree originated from Pakistan, Southern China, Northern Thailand to Vietnam. The figs are a food source for birds, with the seeds being distributed by them. The saplings often develop on a branch of a host tree, on old, neglected buildings, crevices of walls, roadside kerbs etc. indicating that the tiny seeds are dispersed freely and germinate well. The seedlings grow very fast in Singapore when left undisturbed.

So, it is named, the Bodhi Tree is associated with religion and is regarded as sacred to Hindus and Buddhists. The Hindu god Vishnu was born under its shade and beneath this tree, the Buddha received his enlightenment. It is often planted in temples and other places for worship. Some of the trees grow for several centuries as recorded history reveals, evidently by means of its ability to supplement the ageing trunk with new shoots.

This Heritage Tree had a girth of 5.8 m when measured in 2003.

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