Skip to main content
A Singapore Government Agency Website How to identify
Official website links end with .gov.sg
Secure websites use HTTPS
Look for a lock () or https:// as an added precaution. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Government officials will NEVER ask you to transfer money or disclose bank log-in details over a phone call.

Call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 if you are unsure if something is a scam. (opens in new tab)

Heritage Trees of Singapore
CentralBodhi Tree2014

Bodhi Tree (HT 2014-225)

This Heritage Tree can be found in the round-about island within Bendemeer Secondary School.

A large tree stands in front of a multi-story building complex with banners and greenery.

📷: Heritage Tree Secretariat

Heritage Tree Information

Reference ID
HT 2014-225

Scientific name: Ficus religiosa
Family name: Moraceae
Girth: 6.41 m @ 1.3 m height
Height: 22.4 m

Location
Bendemeer Secondary School (View Map) (opens in new tab)

⚠️ Take note that this Heritage Tree is within school property; access to the tree might be restricted.

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.

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