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Heritage Trees of Singapore
Off-Shore IslandsCommon Pulai2005

Common Pulai (HT 2005-130)

This Heritage Tree can be found in a forested area of Sentosa, beside Siloso Beach Resort.

A large tree with green moss on its trunk surrounded by dense, vibrant green foliage viewed from a low angle.

📷: Heritage Tree Secretariat

Heritage Tree Information

Reference ID
HT 2005-130

Scientific name: Alstonia angustiloba
Family name: Apocynaceae
Girth: 9.11 m @ 1.3 m height
Height: 40 m

Location
Sentosa (near junction of Imbiah Hill Road / Imbiah Road, beside Siloso Beach Resort) (View Map) (opens in new tab)

⚠️ Please note that this Heritage Tree is in a forested area.

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.

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