Selembat (HT 2020 314)

Reference ID HT 2020-314	Scientific name: Syzygium conglomeratum Family name: Myrtaceae Girth: 2.7 m @ 1.3 m height Height: 27 m	Location Night Safari, along Tasmanian Devil Trail
⚠️ This Heritage Tree is only accessible to Night Safari visitors, and can only be visited at night.

An uncommon tree from the lowland forest, the Selembut can grow to 27 m tall. The flowers are white. The fruit is dark purplish, 1.2 cm across and depressed globose in shape.

Previously recorded as extinct in Singapore, this species was recently re-discovered in Singapore in 2006 when keen-eyed botanists at the Singapore Zoo and NParks came across this tree.

The species is naturally distributed in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Syzygium is well represented in the Singapore forest and trees of the genus have similar leaf morphology. Therefore, it may take further investigation into the reproductive structure,s like flowers and fruits, when available in order to uncover the tree species.

This rare Selembat had a large girth of 2.65 m when it was endorsed as a Heritage Tree in 2020.

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

Gallery

📷: Heritage Tree Secretariat