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Heritage Trees of Singapore
Off-Shore IslandsNyatoh Puteh2003

Nyatoh Puteh (HT 2003-94)

This Heritage Tree can be found in Sentosa, Imbiah Rd, at Skyline Luge exit.

A large, leafy tree stands beside a paved road lined with bushes and small plants, under a clear blue sky.

📷: Brendon Phuah

Heritage Tree Information

Reference ID
HT 2003-94

Scientific name: Palaquium obovatum var. obovatum
Family name: Sapotaceae
Girth: 3.3 m @ 0.3 m height
Height: 16.8 m

Location
Sentosa, Imbiah Rd, near Skyline Luge exit (View Map) (opens in new tab)

Nyatoh Puteh is a tall forest tree that can grow up to 40 m. It has a heavy, cylindrical crown with the lower branches often drooping a massive trunk with greyish-brown, fissured bark, and large, leathery leaves set in close rosettes. The flowers are green with a strong smell, crowded along the twig behind the leaves and fruits are oblong (1.5cm long) and green with 1-2 seeds. It is native to Singapore.

Processed latex from Palaquium trees, including the Nyatoh Puteh, is called gutta percha. As early as the 1820s, Malays in Singapore were using gutta percha for production of articles such as flexible whips and handles for machetes. In 1843, Dr William Montgomerie wrote to the Bengal Medical Board that gutta percha could potentially be used to make knife handles and for various medical devices.

Gutta percha was known to be durable and have good elasticity when compared to leather and other types of rubber. When placed in temperature below boiling water, gutta percha becomes soft, making it easy to mold. When cooled, gutta percha becomes hard and retains its shape without any change by contraction or warping. Gutta percha became a commodity and was popularly used for insulation of submarine cables. Singapore was a great entrepot for gutta percha trading as the world's supply came from the surrounding Malay Peninsula and Indonesia Archipelago. Nowadays, gutta percha is still used as dental fillings.

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