Calophyllum’s posterous

Here is a short introduction to the plant Calophyllum ferrugineum.

Kingdom – Plantae

Phylum – Tracheophyta

Class -Magnoliopsida

Order – Hyperricales

Family –Clusiaceae

Genus – Calophyllum ferrugineum

source: http://zzforkids.com/Plants/C/Calophyllum_ferrugineum/default.asp

Scientific/Botanical name – Calophyllum ferrugineum

Common name – (none)

characteristics of plant

-          drip tip

-          many fine veins that run parallel to the midrib

-          waxy, shiny

-          parallel leaf

-          opposite arrangement

-          sap in the leaves (to prevent insects or animals from eating the leaves)

The isolated 4ha forest in the Singapore Botanic Gardens is one of the oldest and mainly untouched rainforest in Singapore. However, the tree Calophyllum ferrugineum is now one of the predominant species in Singapore Botanic Gardens. Constituting a quarter of all woody stems, the default quota should be 1 out of 25-30 trees compared to other rainforests.

            This sudden increase in the population of the Calophyllum ferrugineum plants might have side effects on the other tree population. Thriving in our rainforest, they might cause other species like the shade-tolerant understory shrubs which are particularly prone to extinction. Thus, we think that it is critical and crucial that we find out what are the possible factors that causes this plant to be thriving in abundance and the method of dispersal so as to manage the growth of the Calophyllum ferrugineum in order to preserve the loss of diversity in Singapore Botanic Gardens. Also, the rate of growth and how fast the plants are spreading help to piece the puzzle together.

            In order to find out the exact places where the Calophyllum ferrugineum concentrate at the Singapore Botanic Gardens so that we would have an idea on the type of environment what the Calophyllum ferrugineum thrive in, we will mark out the locations of the Calophyllum ferrugineum trees on a map of the forest. This would help the authorities to locate the Calophyllum ferrugineum trees in the forest and perhaps even track the growth of the Calophyllum ferrugineum plants. The map of the forest with the locations of the Calophyllum ferrugineum plants marked out would provide an overview of the locations of all the Calophyllum ferrugineum plants. the map will thus give the authorities an idea on the Calophyllum ferrugineum population in the forest. By adopting the transect method, we can see if the Calophyllum ferrugineum plants cluster in a certain part of the forest. By drawing 3 lines in a east-west direction, we would measure the length of the lines with a measuring tape. Then, we would walk along the imaginary line and count the number of Calophyllum ferrugineum plants on the lines. Only the plants that are on the line itself will be counted (i.e. if the plant is very near but not touching the line, they will not be counted.). The number will then be tallied and we would plot the locations of the trees. 

Here are some pictures of our first expedition to SINGAPORE BOTANICAL GARDENS to check out the Calophyllum Ferrugineum:

From this picture, you can see the waxy leaves and drip tips.

The opposite alignment of the leaves and the leaf veins run parallel to each other and perpendicular to the midrib.

The baby Calophyllum ferrugineum in the sun!

Footnote: Our final report would include the the external factors affecting the growth rate of the Calophyllum ferrugineum plants. The report would also include a map marked with the locations of the Calophyllum ferrugineum plants. This would show the general trend of the growth of the Calophyllum ferrugineum plants. They would be able to see where the Calophyllum ferrugineum plants cluster and identify the parts of the forest with more Calophyllum ferrugineum plants. Also, a new entry will be created for the popular search engine Wikipedia under http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calophyllum_ferrugineum so as to educate the public and those who are interested in Calophyllum ferrugineum.