Mulberry Tree

 
.......Photos taken at Sengkang Park
The Mulberry Tree is called silk worms plant too. The leaves is the food of silk worms.  I am told that the leaves, fruit and bark of the Mulberry Tree all have been used for medicinal purposes.
Mulberry trees are quite adaptable to many gardening zones and conditions. They can grow in partial shade or in full sun with moist well-drained soil,  I have one plant growing in pot which is placed at the corridor, it grows well with many fruits, although the fruits are smaller and lesser than those growing in full sun. But it is a handsome bonsai as a potted fruit tree.  I have been thinking about experimenting with growing a Mulberry tree in a bonsai style...

Hoya

Hoya is a genus of 200-230 species of tropical climbing plants in the family Apocynaceae, Native to southern Asia, Australia, and Polynesia. The Common names are waxplant, waxvine, waxflower or simply hoya.
 
Hoya Macgillivrayi
Hoya is one kind of  beautiful veining houseplants. This easy and fast growing plants have a wide variety of leaf shape and color. Most of them have thick waxy leaves and clusters of beautiful star shaped flowers with very strong fragrance.
Hoya can grow up to  15 feet long, so it can be either a hanging plant or a trailing plant. The older the plant the more magnificent the blooms.
     

Hoya pubicalyx. Silver

A hoya plant likes to be root bound so do not repot a hoya until it is absolutely necessary.
  

Hoya Rubra
  Hoya Carnosa
Hoyas like bright light, not direct sun. They require average humidity but the foliage (when the plant is not in bloom) can be misted with water if the humidity is low. The leaves will become wrinkled when there is not enough water. Fertilize during the growing season every month.
Propagate Hoya through stem cuttings is one of the easy ways. It will take a few years however for the plant to produce flowers. Sometimes people have difficulty in getting their hoya to bloom. Lack of light can also prevent a hoya from blooming. Once in bud do not disturb the plant by moving it. After it has finished blooming do not remove the dead flowers because it will re-bloom on the same spurs as before and also do not prune off any leafless vine extensions. This is my hoya plant in its 3rd years, I grow it from one short stem with two leaves only. It bloomed once before.
When a hoya is growing the new growth is a leafless vine and then the leaves will appear later.
If you want to groom your plant you can prune it by cutting just above the last set of leaves so that you are not leaving a stump. You could use the discarded vine for a cutting if it is mature. Cuttings should be cut just below where the leaves join the stem, removing the bottom leaves. Place this part in the soil and have the next set of leaves be above the soil. You only want one set of leaves above the soil so clip the cutting just above the second set of leaves.
Hoya Kerrii in one of my favorites, it is a beautiful climber with heart shaped green and varigated (hybrid) leaves. It belongs to the Asclepiadace plant family. I was told the flowers are very pretty but I have never seen it before. The species is found in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. This plant is the perfect plant gift for Valentine’s Day.
By the way Hoya Kerrii is very slow growing unlike the other types of hoya. I have one Hoya Kerrii planted for 3 years already, it only grow 4 pieces of leaves, I almost want to give up…

Bottle Tree

 A bottle tree which is located in between Kyushu and Hattie MRT
A typical “bottle tree” has attracting shapes that are lovely to see. One of the most common species of the bottle tree is ‘Branchy Rupestris’ belongs to the “Malacca” family like the other bottle trees. It is also known commonly as the ‘narrow leaf bottle tree’.
The fantastic swollen trunk of the Bottle Tree is used for water storage and can reach 2 in diameter - its remarkable appearance gives rise to its name.
One of the hardiest plants around, this succulent, drought-deciduous tree is tolerant of a range of various soils and temperatures. The leaves are variable from narrow and elliptic to deeply divided. I have read article this bottle tree and was told they have clusters of yellowy bell shaped flowers in Oct-DEC are followed by woody boat-shaped fruits.
People and animals have used the seeds, roots, stems, and bark for food. The fibrous inner bark can also be used to make twine or rope and even woven together to make fishing nets.

Henna Plants

Misai Kucing

 

• Orthosiphon aristatus /stamineus benth (Misai Kucing)

Another common name of Misai Kuching are: Kumis Kuching. This plant been    classify as wild plant but becoming popular as a home plant because of beautiful flowers.It can easily growth by a cut of branch and need a moisture soil to stay fresh. This plant is not a season plant, it capable to live long and rich with Callium. The plant start getting attention of researches when it been exposed to European as a tea.
Whole tree excepts the roots can been use as medicine. It well known long ago to cure several types of deceases and benefits. This plan is use to clean up a toxic in our blood.

Pitcher Plant

nepenthes gracilis pitcher

The Pitcher plant is a carnivorous plant, a meat eater. The inside of the tubular shaped leaf is lined with downward pointing hairs. These hairs block an insect from climbing up the tube and escaping. The fluid in the bottom of the tube contains digestive juices that will consume the insect prey. The families Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniaceae are the best-known  species groups of pitcher plants.

Nepenthes are native primarily to the Malaysian region, India and Australia. They form wonderful hanging pitchers that are sure to attract attention.
The nepenthes gracilis pitcher, containing about 100 species and numerous hybrids and cultivars.
It is not difficult to grow potted pitcher plants in Singapore, Many of us, who live in HDB flats, are always worry that our plants can't get enough sunlight. For pitcher plants, The windowsill is one regular area, other areas include the balcony, garden and even a brightly-lit washroom! Water the soil and always maintain the wetness for pitcher plants.
At present, the tropical pitcher plants retailed locally are lowland pitcher plants that can do well in Singapore’s climate. These plants are available at a lot of flower shop and nursery. But you may interest in looking for Pitcher Plants in Singapore growing in the Wild, like the Lower Peirce Trail, Tanjong Rimau Beach on Sentosa Island...Here is the link with the details and pretty images.
http://www.etour-singapore.com/pitcher-plants-in-singapore.html

Chat Sim Chan-Qi Xing Zhen

PS, New update photos 13 Mar 2015:

This is one kind of easy growing plant, it belongs to cactus family. It is grown in Malaysia and Singapore for for medicinal purposes. It is also
known as Bintang Tujuh, Cancer Plant and Chat Sim Chan. The Chinese name is 七星针 (Qi Xing Zhen).
Contrarily to other cacti, this plant is not succulent, and the cuttings should be planted in a moist soil mixture immediately instead of being left to dry out a couple of days. I got one cut brunch from friend, I planted in a plastic pot filled with moist soil, it grows pretty fast.  First few months, it grows a lot of leaves, thick and dark green leaves, it looks like vegetable...I plug off a lot of leaves, it starts to have flowers soon...Clusters of broad orange flowers, about 7 cm in diameter, bright pretty flowers only last for one day, followed by round fruit in yellow colour about 4 cm long with bracts...
I was told it is one type of herbal plants, the dark green leaves can use to cook soup with meats, but I haven't tried yet.

(Picture was taken in Malaysia many years ago, there is a field for this herbal plants. )
(A view of the young shoot. Sharp thorns arise from the base of the leaves and numbers up to seven in mature parts of the plant. That is where the Chinese name 七星针 coming out)
Some information I could find below: 

Pereskia Saccnarosa: Chinese  name 七星针: This plant is from a cactus family which probably one of cactus species with leaf. It was a primitive genus in cactus family. Pereskia is originated from Korea but can be easily found in Singapore. This plant can live almost any type of condition except cold area. Pereskia is one type of herb good for detoxification and can prevent cancer. It is used to cure cancer especially Colon cancer, Nose cancer and several others deceases. I was told by old people, the leaves can cook with meat to make soup, it is good to prevent cancer, high blood and diabetes.

Where you can purchase this herb plants in Singapore?

Here

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera plant is one of the most famous plants in the world, and is used widely for its medicinal properties. It also makes for an attractive houseplant. While there are many claims as to Aloe Vera benefits and its uses, I would like to share with you some of the facts and information that we can use it in our daily life.

1. Aloe Vera is famous for the healing power in its succulent leaves. You can use it on your skin for any kind of healing, Just break off a piece and squeeze the juice onto blisters, sunburn and stings. The jelly inside the plant is great for cooling down burns.
2. In industrialized areas, the moisture form the Aloe leaves are extracted and made into the popular gel most people are familiar with. For the house plant Aloe Vera, you can use it to beauty your hair. The thick leaves can be snapped open, and the moist open ends of the leave can be rubbed onto your hair. It helps with deterring hair loss and also with dandruff problems.
3. Aloe Vera Juice contains lots of minerals, vitamins and also amino acids. It also helps to detoxify the body and get rid of harmful toxins. To enjoy Aloe Vera, you can cut off the big and thick leaf, peel off the skin, cut the Aloe Vera into small square cute, boil in hot water for a few minutes, take out the Aloe Vera to cool it down, chill it and mix with honey water. It tastes good. 
4. Aloe Vera is also good for keeping the skin moist, smooth and clear looking. It gives the skin a healthier look of radiance and youthfulness. The minerals in the Aloe Vera Plant provide very clean skin. You can break off a piece and squeeze the juice, Apply the raw Aloe Vera to your face, leave it on for a few minutes then wash away, it is more  affective than using ready made Aloe Vera skin care products.    

Caution
Before you use this aloe vera gel it is recommended that you test your skin against any kind of sensitivity.

Aloe Vera can be purchased at any local store, but it is more effective when you indulge in the care of Aloe Vera plants in your home so that you get the most out of its freshness.

Aloe Vera is a kind of easy growing house plant, Place pots of Aloe Vera in front of any sunny window and water once every two weeks. Growing Aloe Vera plant indoors is usually what most people do.

Dragon Fruits

The Pitaya is more commonly referred to as the dragon fruit.

Pitahaya-producing cacti of the genus Hylocereus are originally native to Mexico. They were transplanted to Central America and to other parts of the world.

They are cultivated in East Asian, South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, and become one of the most popular fruits trees.

 

The red colour fruits are extremely beautiful, the dazzling flowers added the charm to this cactus type fruit trees. The dragon fruit is usually a dark red colour, but some types of this fruit are pink or yellow. The skin of the dragon fruit is a thin rind. The skin is usually covered in scales, and the center of the fruit is made up of a red or white, sweet tasting pulp.

 

 

 



The flowers of Dragon fruits (Hylocereus) blooms only at night; the large white fragrant flowers of the typical cactus flower shape are among those called "moonflower" or "Queen of the Night."

Flower Image From wikipedia