Ordeal Tree (HT 2010 176)

Reference ID
HT 2010-176

Scientific name: Erythrophleum suaveolens
Family name: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Girth: 3.5 m @ 1 m height
Height: 16.4 m

Location
Upper Seletar Reservoir Park,
on slope behind carpark
along Mandai Rd

The Ordeal Tree originates from tropical Africa and can grow to a height of 20 m to 30 m. It has a wide-spreading crown and its young leaves are attractive with their coppery colour. Its flowers are small, cream to yellow, and grow in dense, long bunches. When pollinated, they mature into flat, woody pods.

The bark contains an alkaloid that acts on the heart, and some African tribes make a poison from it that is applied to arrows. The bark can be pounded into a powder that, if placed in water, will turn the water red. This is sometimes dispensed as an ‘ordeal’ poison to people accused of crimes. The belief is that the person will die from the concoction if they are guilty, and survive if innocent.

For more information on this species, please refer to NParks Flora & Fauna Web profile here.

Gallery

📷: Brendon Phuah