Taiping Lake Gardens is the most beautiful lake garden in Malaysia
It's very sad that some selfish people, under the guise of development, are threatening and literally choking to death the famous rain trees which surround the Taiping Lake Gardens. The beauty and tranquility of this priceless natural treasure is at stake...and once the damage is done it is gone forever. See news video here.
Not only it's an eyesore but a direct threat to these 120-year old rain trees
Recently, many Taipingites and visitors have voiced their concern and dissatisfaction with the local authourities for their uncaring and foolishly bold attitude in developing the area in front of the Flemington Hotel...and this is only a couple of feet or inches to the metaled road and certainly under the shade of the rain trees and on top of the critical roots zone of the rain trees.
This may be the foundation of the defunct BMX bicycle track but
it had blended well with the surrounding rain trees
Now, another part of history is gone...in its place is a sterile and
ugly piece of land that marred the serenity of the rain trees
Do You Know What Is A Rain Tree?
It's equally sad to note that many Taipingites do not know much about their rain trees and called them incorrectly as "golden rain trees" and "angsana or pterocarpus indicus".
So, it's about time we get to know more about our rain trees. When we get to know them well, we will be more concerned about its welfare and safety. Be a friend to the rain trees for they certainly need our help to survive the relentless push of development.
What Is An Angsana or Sena Tree?
The angsana or sena (Pterocarpus indicus) is another tall magnificent tree which has achieved almost the same stature as the famous rain tree. And we have some beautiful specimens in Taiping which we can proudly proclaimed as monumental trees.
One tragic example of a giant angsana tree that fell victim to recent development was located along Jalan Tupai diagonally opposite the Balai Bomba and Hawkers' Center.
Monumental Angsana or Sena tree (Pterocarpus indicus).
Picture taken in 2008.
Outline of the angsana tree against the hugh crane and blue fence
of the Taiping Mall project along Jalan Tupai.
Picture taken in 2008.
A grand new project called Taiping Mall is being developed on this large tract of land behind the tree. And sadly this majestic angsana tree became the latest victim of the uncaring developers and authourities. Why can't they leave the tree alone and build around it just like many developed countries do to conserve trees that are revered by the local people. Or relocate the tree to another site where it can continue to grow in peace providing beauty and shade. This news story from Subang Jaya is a fine example all developers should follow.
of the Taiping Mall project along Jalan Tupai.
In early 2005, another magnificent angsana tree that once stood near the junction of Jalan Tupai and Lorong Tupai was felled for the sake of development (see news story here).
This particular angsana tree was believed to be at least 60 to 80 years old and beneath its shady canopy were several food stalls selling noodles and drinks especially for the morning crowd. It was a popular spot and the local Chinese fondly called it "Foot of The Big Tree".
The angsana is a big tree with a round crown unlike the umbrella-shaped rain tree. Angsana has beautiful, big, single leaves compared to the small, compound leaves of the rain tree. Angsana tree has small, yellow and fragrant flowers while the rain tree bears small, white or pink flowers that look like a group of needles.
Thus, the angsana or sena tree (Pterocarpus indicus) is a different species of trees compared to the rain tree (Samanea saman or Albizzia saman). The only thing that is common to both trees is that they belong to the same legume, pea or bean family of Fabaceae or Leguminoseae.
It is also incorrect to say that the rain trees there are called "golden rain trees" because I have not seen any rain tree in the Taiping Lake Gardens that is golden or yellow - all of them is green.
Golden Rain Tree or Yellow Rain Tree
You can see many Golden or Yellow Rain Trees in Singapore because these unique trees are very popular in large gardens and roadsides landscaping there. But you won't find any of them in the Taiping Lake Gardens. The rain trees that surround the Taiping Lake Gardens are the common green form.
Rain Trees In The Taiping Lake Gardens
Scientific or Binomial Name
The rain tree is a species of flowering tree in the legume, pea or bean family of Fabaceae or Leguminoseae.
There are two schools of thought regarding the preferred scientific or binomial name of the rain tree.
Scientists from ASEAN countries and the Pacific Islands refer to it as Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr. (reference ASEAN Tropical Plant Database) while those from South Asia call it Albizzia saman (Jacq.) Merr. (orth.var) (reference Wikipedia).
While Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr. and Albizzia saman (Jacq.) Merr. (orth.var) are now generally accepted by most people, the rain tree has been called by other obsolete names such as:
Calliandra saman (Jacq.) Griseb.
Enterolobium saman (Jacq.) Prain
Feuilleea saman (Jacq.) Kuntze
Inga cinerea Willd.
Inga salutaris Kunth
Inga saman (Jacq.) Willd.
Mimosa pubifera Poir.
Mimosa saman Jacq.
Pithecellobium cinereum Benth.
Pithecellobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.
Pithecellobium saman var. saman (Jacq.) Benth.
Pithecolobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.
Zygia saman (Jacq.) A.Lyons
Its origin is in the North tropical regions of South America and its range extends from Mexico, south to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It has been widely introduced and naturalized in South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii.
Common local names in the Asean countries:
Common English names include rain tree, saman, monkey pod, giant thibet, inga saman, cow tamarind, and East Indian walnut.
Common Malay names are pokok hujan-hujan and pokok pukul lima and these two names aptly described the rain trees.
Even though the shape or silhouette of the rain tree is like an opened umbrella and generally remind you of rain, it is not how it gets its name. The name rain tree has been generally attributed to:
• The leaflets are light-sensitive and fold together on rainy or cloudy days allowing rain to fall through the canopy to the ground below. Thus, the grass is often much greener under a rain tree than the surrounding grass.
• Being light-sensitive, the leaflets also fold together from dusk to dawn. Dusk at 5.00 pm (pukul lima)? Well, probably this was true during the old days. Japan Standard Time is set 9 hours ahead of GMT. Territories occupied by Japan during World War II, including Singapore and Malaya, adopted Japan Standard Time for the duration of their occupation, but reverted after Japan's surrender. We have changed the local time on several occasions and the latest one was on 1 January 1982, when Peninsular Malaysia changed it's local time from Greenish Mean Time+7:30 to GMT+8:00 or UTC+8 i.e. 8 hours ahead of the Coordinated Universal Time .
• Nectaries on the leaf petioles excrete sugary juice that collects on the leaf surface. During a strong breeze, this sugary juice sometimes falls from the tree like rain.
• A steady drizzle of honeydew is often created by sap-sucking insects such as cicadas.
• During heavy flowering, stamens can drop from the canopy like rain.
Oldest Rain Tree In The World
One of the oldest rain tree in the world was known as Samán del Guère located near Maracay, a city in north-central Venezuela. This giant rain tree was first described in 1799 by Alexander von Humboldt, a Prussian geographer, naturalist and explorer.
Its umbrella-shaped crown had a circumference of 576 ft (about 180.8 m). The trunk measured 9 ft (about 2.8 m) in diameter. The tree was 60 ft (nearly 19 m) tall.
The giant Angsana tree stump that once stood along Tupai Road
This particular angsana tree was believed to be at least 60 to 80 years old and beneath its shady canopy were several food stalls selling noodles and drinks especially for the morning crowd. It was a popular spot and the local Chinese fondly called it "Foot of The Big Tree".
This noodle shop is now located at the Taiping Hawker Centre
The angsana is a big tree with a round crown unlike the umbrella-shaped rain tree. Angsana has beautiful, big, single leaves compared to the small, compound leaves of the rain tree. Angsana tree has small, yellow and fragrant flowers while the rain tree bears small, white or pink flowers that look like a group of needles.
Umbrella-shaped raintree and the rounded canopy of the angsana
 | ||
| Samanea saman (syn. Albizia saman), (Photo:James J. Ludemann) |
 |
| Angsana by Francisco Manuel Blanco (O.S.A.) |
Thus, the angsana or sena tree (Pterocarpus indicus) is a different species of trees compared to the rain tree (Samanea saman or Albizzia saman). The only thing that is common to both trees is that they belong to the same legume, pea or bean family of Fabaceae or Leguminoseae.
It is also incorrect to say that the rain trees there are called "golden rain trees" because I have not seen any rain tree in the Taiping Lake Gardens that is golden or yellow - all of them is green.
Golden Rain Tree or Yellow Rain Tree
A golden colored rain tree was first discovered in Singapore during the early 1950s as reported by Professor Joseph
Arditti. It is called the Golden Rain Tree or the Yellow Rain Tree and this golden or yellow
form is due to genetically recessive gene.
Both refer to the same variety of Rain Tree.
" The difference in appearance is due to differences between young and old leaves. Young leaves are apple green in color initially but as they mature their color changes first to yellow and then to golden. During hot weather and dry periods the golden color appears to be more brilliant." Maryland Nursery, Singapore
You can see many Golden or Yellow Rain Trees in Singapore because these unique trees are very popular in large gardens and roadsides landscaping there. But you won't find any of them in the Taiping Lake Gardens. The rain trees that surround the Taiping Lake Gardens are the common green form.
This looks like a golden raintree but the colour is not as intense as
the golden raintree of Singapore. This tree is located beside the main gate
of KE School along Station Road, Taiping (photo taken 20 October 2012).
the golden raintree of Singapore. This tree is located beside the main gate
of KE School along Station Road, Taiping (photo taken 20 October 2012).
See how yellowish are the leaves compared to the greenish leaves
of the raintree in the background on the left.
Rain Trees In The Taiping Lake Gardens
Scientific or Binomial Name
The rain tree is a species of flowering tree in the legume, pea or bean family of Fabaceae or Leguminoseae.
There are two schools of thought regarding the preferred scientific or binomial name of the rain tree.
Scientists from ASEAN countries and the Pacific Islands refer to it as Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr. (reference ASEAN Tropical Plant Database) while those from South Asia call it Albizzia saman (Jacq.) Merr. (orth.var) (reference Wikipedia).
While Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr. and Albizzia saman (Jacq.) Merr. (orth.var) are now generally accepted by most people, the rain tree has been called by other obsolete names such as:
Calliandra saman (Jacq.) Griseb.
Enterolobium saman (Jacq.) Prain
Feuilleea saman (Jacq.) Kuntze
Inga cinerea Willd.
Inga salutaris Kunth
Inga saman (Jacq.) Willd.
Mimosa pubifera Poir.
Mimosa saman Jacq.
Pithecellobium cinereum Benth.
Pithecellobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.
Pithecellobium saman var. saman (Jacq.) Benth.
Pithecolobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.
Zygia saman (Jacq.) A.Lyons
Taiping Lake Gardens Rain Trees in front of the jetty
(photo taken in Dec. 2008)
(photo taken in Dec. 2008)
Same location but see the numbers of cars parked
have increased significantly (photo taken 21 Oct. 2012)
Rain trees hate cars parked over their delicate roots.
Result - trees bear fewer leaves and not as green and lush as before.
 |
| Rain-tree cross section probably more than 20 years-old tree |
Common Names
Its origin is in the North tropical regions of South America and its range extends from Mexico, south to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It has been widely introduced and naturalized in South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii.
Common local names in the Asean countries:
| * Philippines | rain tree, akasya |
| * Indonesia | trembesi, kayudan, ki hujan |
| * Malaysia | hujan-hujan, pukul lima |
| * Cambodia | ‘âmpül barang’ |
| * Laos | sa:m sa: |
| * Thailand | kampu chamchuri, chamcha |
| * Vietnam | me t[aa]y |
Common English names include rain tree, saman, monkey pod, giant thibet, inga saman, cow tamarind, and East Indian walnut.
Common Malay names are pokok hujan-hujan and pokok pukul lima and these two names aptly described the rain trees.
Do you know why they are called rain tree?
Even though the shape or silhouette of the rain tree is like an opened umbrella and generally remind you of rain, it is not how it gets its name. The name rain tree has been generally attributed to:
• The leaflets are light-sensitive and fold together on rainy or cloudy days allowing rain to fall through the canopy to the ground below. Thus, the grass is often much greener under a rain tree than the surrounding grass.
Leaflets fold during an afternoon shower
• Being light-sensitive, the leaflets also fold together from dusk to dawn. Dusk at 5.00 pm (pukul lima)? Well, probably this was true during the old days. Japan Standard Time is set 9 hours ahead of GMT. Territories occupied by Japan during World War II, including Singapore and Malaya, adopted Japan Standard Time for the duration of their occupation, but reverted after Japan's surrender. We have changed the local time on several occasions and the latest one was on 1 January 1982, when Peninsular Malaysia changed it's local time from Greenish Mean Time+7:30 to GMT+8:00 or UTC+8 i.e. 8 hours ahead of the Coordinated Universal Time .
Leaflets fold during rain and at about 7.15pm in the evening.
Inset: opened leaflets during bright sunshine
Inset: opened leaflets during bright sunshine
• Nectaries on the leaf petioles excrete sugary juice that collects on the leaf surface. During a strong breeze, this sugary juice sometimes falls from the tree like rain.
• A steady drizzle of honeydew is often created by sap-sucking insects such as cicadas.
• During heavy flowering, stamens can drop from the canopy like rain.
Flowers pink and white, in dense subcapitate heads in corymbs,
2-5 together in axils of distal leaves.
=========================================
Oldest Rain Tree In The World
One of the oldest rain tree in the world was known as Samán del Guère located near Maracay, a city in north-central Venezuela. This giant rain tree was first described in 1799 by Alexander von Humboldt, a Prussian geographer, naturalist and explorer.
Samán del Guère, a true beauty as described in1799 by Alexander von Humboldt
Its umbrella-shaped crown had a circumference of 576 ft (about 180.8 m). The trunk measured 9 ft (about 2.8 m) in diameter. The tree was 60 ft (nearly 19 m) tall.
"Samán del Guère" now stood as a national monument of Venezuela.
See "Samán del Guère" on YouTube
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