Agnes Joaquim (b. 7 April 1854, Singapore - d. 2 July 1899, Singapore) a. k. a. Ashkhen Hovakimian, an Armenian, is best known for breeding the hybrid orchid Vanda Miss Joaquim, in 1893. The flower was selected as Singapore's national flower in 1981.

Angsana trees (Pterocarpus indicus), introduced into Singapore in the early 19th century, belong to the family Leguminosae (Papilonaceae). A common wayside tree that can grow well within a short period of time and with a wide-spreading crown that provides shade, ...

Bedok Reservoir, located north of Bedok New Town, was one of two reservoirs built by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) as part of its Sungei Seletar/Bedok Water Scheme. Construction work on the scheme began in 1983 and was completed in 1986 at a cost of S$277 million. ...

The Bird's Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus) is a large leafy fern, commonly found on wayside trees, particularly the Rain Tree in Singapore. The fern grows at the base of large branches and can grow in this soilless condition as it has a unique ability to trap water ...

The Black-naped Oriole (scientific name: Oriolus chinensis) has a yellow-and-black plumage that has often led to it being mistakenly called the Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus), another species found in India and China. It was featured on the S$500 notes of the ...

The Black-naped Tern (scientific name: Sterna sumatrana) is a slender white bird found in rocky islets near the Singapore coast. It was one of 34 bird species identified and named by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1822. Its species name sumatrana describes where Raffles ...

The Blue-throated Bee-eater (scientific name: Merops viridis) is an attractive, brightly-coloured bird that is a favourite among nature photographers. It was featured on the S$100 notes of the “Bird Series” currency notes released by the Monetary Authority of Singapore ...

Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea sp.), a popular tropical and sub-tropical ornamental flower, belongs to the family Nyctaginaceae. The plant family Nyctaginaceae family consists of 28 genera and 250 species. Spectacular bougainvillea of different varieties have been ...

This is an article about the Brahminy kite, a medium-sized raptor or bird of prey. It is one of the commonest raptors in Singapore and is often seen hunting along the coast or reservoirs. While it commonly hunts fish, it will also feed on carrion.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus Altilis) is believed to be a native of a vast area that stretches from New Guinea through the Indo Malayan Archipelago and Western Micronesia. It is said to have travelled to Polynesian Marquesas Islands via Malaya on board Polynesian ships ...

Brinjal (Solanum melongena), is an easily cultivated plant belonging to the family Solanaceae. Its fruit is high in nutrition and commonly consumed as a vegetable. The fruit and other parts of the plant are used in traditional medicine.

Constructed from a disused granite quarry, Bukit Batok Town Park is commonly known as "Little Guilin" or "Xiao Guilin", after the scenic spot in China. Comprising 42 ha of land, it is located at Bukit Batok East Avenue 5. The name "Bukit Batok" has been suggested ...

The Bukit Timah Reserve, Upper Bukit Timah Road, 1019 ha., is part of a limited area of primary rainforest left on Singapore island. The Reserve is part of Singapore's highest hill, the Bukit Timah Hill, which stands 162.5 m above sea-level and is composed of ancient ...

The flower of the Butterfly Pea plant is used particularly amongst the Peranakans as a food-colouring in confectionaries. For example, it is used in savoury Nonya bak chang or "rice dumplings" where it adds a tinge of blue to the rice.

Camias (Averrhoa Bilimbi), a tropical fruit native to Malaysia and Indonesia, belongs to the family Oxalidaceae. The fruit is important locally for its many medicinal uses and as an ingredient in Malay cooking.

Cempedak (Artocarpus champedan), a tropical fruit native to Malaya and Thailand, belongs to the family Moraceae. It is similar to the Jackfruit in appearance and in the way the fruit is used. It is the pulpy flesh of the seeds within the fruit that is sought after ...

Chilli (Capsicum annuum L and Capsicum frutescens L) is a hot tasting tropical berry belonging to the family Solanaceae. They were first discovered by Christopher Columbus in tropical America. Their use spread rapidly throughout the world because of its pungent ...

Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis), an edible tuber that belongs to the sedge family of Cyperaceae. This is not to be confused with the horned water chestnut or water caltrop (Trapa spp.) or with the tree chestnut that is usually roasted and eaten (Castanea ...

Christmas Island's flora and fauna is unique to the island because of its isolation and limited habitation by humans until the late 19th century.

Ciku (Manilkara sp.), a tropical fruit also known as sapodilla, belongs to the family Sapotaceae. Various species of Manilkara are grown and used worldwide for different purposes. The species most popular for its fruit in Singapore and Southeast Asia is the Manilkara ...

The City Biodiversity Index, also known as the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity, measures biodiversity in cities and highlights how biodiversity conservation efforts can be improved. The idea was proposed by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan at the ...

The Clean Rivers Education Programme was started by the government in 1987. The main aim of the programme was to raise awareness of the negative effects of dumping waste into our waterways, and to encourage that all our waterways be kept pollution free. In 1987, ...

Bats belong to an order of mammals known as Chiroptera, a term which comes from the Greek words cheiro (“hand”) and ptera (“wing”), aptly describing their most distinctive feature. There are about 1,100 species of bats in the world and 30 have been documented in ...

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus), a tropical fruit popular in Southeast Asia, belongs to the climbing cacti (Cactaceae) family. Vietnam is the main commercial producer of dragon fruits in this region. The fruit, apart from being refreshing and tasty, has loads ...

The Dugong is a large marine mammal that belongs to the same mammalian order as manatees. The species in this order, known as Sirenia, are sometimes called sea cows and are thought to have evolved from an ancestor related to elephants. Found in the Indo-West Pacific ...

The durian is most commonly cultivated in Malaysia and Thailand and holds the distinction of being the most highly-prized fruit in the region with some aficionados hailing it as the "King of Fruits".

Squirrels belong to an order of mammals known as Rodentia, or rodents. They are characterised by enlarged incisors which are used for gnawing and long bushy tails. Flying squirrels have membranes attached to their limbs that are used for gliding through the air. ...

Flame of the Forest (Delonix regia), introduced into Singapore during the first half of the 19th century, belongs to the family Leguminosae (Caesalpinaceae). It is planted as a shade tree in parks and open spaces due to its broadly-spreading crown. However, it ...

Flamingo lily (Anthurium andraeanum) is a tropical flower popular for its beauty. It belongs to the family Araceae. The flower has a spadix called the rat's tail that tapers off from the flower, giving it its characteristic appearance.

Gambier a.k.a catechu, a common ingredient used by Asians in chewing betel nut, is prepared from parts of the shrub Uncaria gambier (Uncaria gambir) of the family Rubiaceae. There are two varieties of catechu -- pale and black. Gambier is the pale variety, while ...

The Gardens by the Bay are three public gardens with a total land area of 1,010,000 m2 in Marina Bay. Built on reclaimed land, the three gardens of Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central are managed by the National Parks Board (NParks). The Gardens include cooled ...

Gutta percha, a resin obtained from the Isonandra gutta tree of the order Sapotaceae, has its origins in the Malay Peninsula. It was widely applied in the industrial and medical fields the 19th century until substitutes were found, contributing to its declined ...

Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), a tropical flower, belongs to the family Malvaceae. It gets its name from the Greek words Hibiscus meaning "mallow" and rosa-sinensis meaning "rose of China". In Singapore, the plant is found in the wild but is often cultivated ...

The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), an indigenous fruit tree of South India, is popular in the Southeast Asian region where not only is the fruit consumed but also its seeds are cooked.

The Leopard cat is a small, carnivorous mammal that looks like a domestic cat with a leopard-like coat. It is widely distributed in various parts of Asia but is considered a rare animal in Singapore, where it is believed to be the only remaining wild cat. It is ...

Lychee tree (Litchi chinensis) is popular for its sweet fruits, lychee. A lychee tree was chosen by the National Parks Board for preservation under the Heritage Trees Scheme. Located at Mt. Rosie Road (opposite house number 11B and beside the Lamp post, LP12), ...

MacRitchie Reservoir, located off Lornie Road and completed in the late 1860s, was the first water supply system implemented in Singapore. The Impounding Reservoir, as it was then called, came about through the donation of S$13,000 by philanthropist Tan Kim Seng ...

Mandai Orchid Gardens is Singapore's largest commercial orchid garden. It features an entire hillside covered with flowering orchids including Singapore's National Flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, as well as a landscaped Water Garden. Approved by the Tourist Promotion ...

Mandarin Orange (Citrus reticulata), tropical and sub-tropical tree belonging to the family Rutaceae whose fruit is popular. Associated with good fortune by the Chinese, it is a significant feature of local Chinese New Year celebrations. The fruit is high in Vitamin ...

The mango is a common fruit in Asia. Dozens of mango varieties exist, with the more popular ones being the Indonesian Harum Manis, Indian Alphonso and the Thai Tong Dum. Apart from being sliced and eaten fresh, they are also used in desserts, salads and preser ...

The Mangosteen is an evergreen tree native to the Malay Peninsula. The crop is also found in certain parts of India, Thailand and the Philippines, where conditions are favourable. Its dark purple fruit with sweet, white edible segments is considered a delicacy ...

Mangrove, a highly adaptive plant in tropical intertidal forest communities. Before the rapid post-war development of Singapore, mangroves were found to be growing freely along Singapore's coast, especially in the north and west. The plant's existence is now limited ...

Marina Barrage is a government-commissioned dam built across the mouth of Marina Channel to create Singapore’s 15th reservoir, Marina Reservoir. Officially opened on 31 October 2008, it separates the water in Marina Basin from the seawater. It has been considered ...

Marina Reservoir was officially opened on 31 October 2008. It was created with the completion of Marina Barrage, a low-level dam built across Marina Channel to separate the water in Marina Basin from the seawater. Managed by the Public Utilities Board (PUB), it ...

This is an article on the Marine Fisheries Research Department (MFRD) which was established in 1969. MFRD was located at the Changi Fisheries Complex at Changi Point until it moved to its current premises in the Lim Chu Kang Agri-Bio Park in October 1999. It is ...

Mousedeer form the Tragulidae family of small even-toed ungulates in the mammalian order Artiodactyla. Other artiodactyl families include the deer, the pigs and the cattle. There are reportedly two species existing in Singapore: the lesser mousedeer (Tragulus kanchil) ...

The National Orchid Garden (NOG) is located in the Central Core of the Singapore Botanic Gardens at 1 Cluny Road. Officially opened on 20 October 1995 by Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, it has one of the largest and most comprehensive orchid displays in Asia. Its ...

The Singapore Zoological Gardens, now known as the Singapore Zoo, was officially opened on 27 June 1973 by former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Dr Goh Keng Swee (The Straits Times, 27 Jun 1973, p. 19). It occupies a 28ha site at 80

The Olive-backed Sunbird (scientific name: Nectarinia jugularis) was one of two new species of sunbirds from Hainan Island in South China first described by Robert Swinhoe, a naturalist who served as the British Consul in China between 1854 and 1873. It is very ...

Opium (Papaver somniferum), contributed significantly to the general trade in Singapore's pioneering years. Encouraged by the British colonial government, it reaped heavy profits from opium licenses although many Chinese coolies succumbed to this vice as they tried ...

Pak Choi (Brasica rapa var chinensis), a leafy vegetable often served as a basic dish in the Chinese banquet or meal. It is stir-fried or steamed, with both leaves and stems cooked and consumed.

The papaya (Carica papaya) is widely distributed in most tropical countries and islands, where it thrives in the warm climate. Papaya plants are extremely common in Singapore and are often cultivated in private gardens. In 1993, special stamps featuring the papaya, ...

This article traces the history and development of the Peirce Reservoir, located at the lower portion of Kallang Valley. It was commissioned in 1912 and was originally known as the Kallang River Reservoir. It was renamed Peirce Reservoir in 1922 after Robert Peirce, ...

Pineapple (Ananas comosus). The common name is derived from the Spanish word Pina, which means "pine cone". The pineapple's scaly exterior was said to bear vague similarity to pine cones by early travellers. The scientific name came from the Gaurani-Tupi Indians ...

Pomelo (Citrus grandis), the largest of citrus fruits, belongs to the family Rutaceae. It is also known as Shaddock. Pomelo derives its name from a word of unknown origin 'pampelmoose'. The tasty fruit is popular locally for its taste and features significantly ...

The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research serves as a public museum and a research centre. Located at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Biological Sciences, it houses a significant zoological collection, and conducts research and public education ...

The Raffles’ Banded Langur (Presbytis femoralis femoralis) is one of only two types of monkeys that are native to Singapore. However, this black-and-white monkey is on the verge of extinction in Singapore as there are less than 30 individuals left. In the 2008 ...

Rafflesia, among the world's largest flowers, belong to the family Rafflesiaceae. The plant family Rafflesiaceae has eight genera which includes the genus Rafflesia. Rafflesia arnoldi, that grows up to 150 cm in diameter, is the largest flower in the world. It ...

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), a tropical fruit native to the Malayan archipelago belongs to the family Sapindaceae. The word rambutan is derived from the Malay word rambut meaning 'hair', a reference to the numerous hairy protuberances of the fruit. The hairy ...

The red junglefowl, formally known as Gallus gallus, is one of four species in the genus Gallus. Its significance arises from the fact that it is the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken. This species is found in Singapore only on the island of Pulau Ubin.

The Red-whiskered Bulbul (scientific name: Pycnonotus jocosus) is easily recognisable by the black upright crest on its head and the crimson patches on its cheeks and under its tail. It was featured on the S$5 notes of the “Bird Series” currency notes released ...

For about a week in early June 1990, Singaporeans were captivated by media reports of runaway elephants on Pulau Tekong. This was the first time that elephants had been known to swim across the Johor Straits onto Tekong in recent history. The island is used by ...

Seletar Reservoir, managed by the Public Utilities Board, is located within Singapore's Central Water Catchment area, bound by Mandai Road and Seletar Expressway. Built in 1920, soon after the First World War, it is Singapore's third impounding reservoir to be ...

The Sembawang Hot Spring lies off Gambas Avenue near the junction of Sembawang Road and Gambas Avenue, along Jalan Ulu Sembawang. It is the mainland's only natural hot spring and is popular for its apparent curative properties. The waters had been used for F&N's ...

Sir Stamford Raffles established the first Botanic Gardens in Singapore in 1822 along the slopes of Fort Canning Hill. With Nathaniel Wallich as the first superintendent of the gardens, plants indigenous to Singapore were cultivated and their suitability as cash ...

The Singapore Green Plan is Singapore’s environmental blueprint for the future. Its objective is to ensure that Singapore, through sound environmental management, achieves economic development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising ...

The first of its kind in the world, the Singapore Night Safari was opened on 26 May 1994. It attracts more than a million visitors a year.

The Singapore Zoo, located at 80 Mandai Lake Road, is also known as Mandai Zoo or Singapore Zoological Garden. Popular for its Night Safari attraction, the Zoo has a reaped a long list of awards, both local and international.

The Singapura cat a.k.a. Kucinta (Kuchinta) is regarded as Singapore's Tourism Board's mascot, although claims of it having originated from Singapore remain questionable. The Cat Fanciers Association in the US gave the Singapura cat pedigree status in 1988.

Starfruit (Averrhoa carambola), a tropical fruit native to the Malayan archipelago also called Carambola, belongs to the family Oxalidaceae. The fruit, with its sweet-sour taste is a popular delicacy here, most often eaten raw. The fruit displays an attractive ...

The Sunda pangolin (scientific name: Manis javanica) is a scaly anteater that is found in Singapore and various other parts of Southeast Asia. It is a land mammal but has often been mistaken to be a reptile because of its scale-covered body. A shy and solitary ...

The Sunda Slow Loris (scientific name: Nycticebus coucang) is a small monkey-like primate found in Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia. It is one of several species of slow lorises, all of which are found in Asia. Slow lorises are among the few mammals ...

Sungei Buloh Nature Park located at 301 Neo Tiew Crescent, Northwest of Singapore. It was designated a wild bird reserve and nature park for mangrove flora and fauna in 1989. The 87 hectare site is the first of its kind to be established in Singapore, and lies ...

A majestic tree which can be found in parts of Singapore. The hardwood tree is also native to many countries in Southeast Asia and can grow up to 30 m to 40 m tall.

Claiming its origins to the Singapore Natural History Society that was formed in 1921, the Nature Society (Singapore) is the leading non-government organisation (NGO) concerned with nature conservation in Singapore. It supported the preservation of the zoological ...

Tigers used to be found in the wild in Singapore. They were sighted mostly in the areas of Bukit Timah, Choa Chu Kang and Pulau Ubin. They were a menace when large areas of Singapore forests were cleared for roads and plantations. The intensive hunt for tigers ...

The Vanda Miss Joaquim var. Agnes, a climbing orchid, was picked as the Singapore National Flower on 15 April 1981. This inaugurated the first National Flower Week in Singapore. The plant is named after Agnes Joaquim who had grown it in her garden at 2 Narcis Street, ...

Water Chestnut (Trapa natans), an aquatic plant, belongs to the family Trapaceae. It is not to be confused with another aquatic plant of tather similar name, Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) of the family Cyperaceae, which is a popular ingredient in Southeast ...

Watermelon (Citrullus sp.or Cucumis melo), a tropical fruit, belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. The flesh is in shades of either red or yellow. Popular for their taste, the plant has been in cultivation in Malaya since the 1940s.

The white-bellied sea eagle or Haliaeetus leucogaster is the largest common raptor or bird of prey in Singapore. It is usually sighted soaring above reservoirs or off the coast hunting fish. The nests can be seen in large emergent trees. The highest denomination ...

The White-collared Kingfisher (scientific name: Todirhamphus chloris) is one of eight documented species of kingfishers in Singapore. This blue-and-white bird is commonly spotted in mangrove and coastal areas, gardens and parks. It was featured on the S$10 notes ...

The White-rumped Shama (scientific name: Copsychus malabaricus) is a slender, predominantly black bird that has become one of the most popular caged birds in Singapore because of its beautiful song. This species was previously classified as being part of the Thrush ...

The Jurong Bird Park was officially opened on 3 January 1971. The idea for a bird park to be built in Singapore was first conceived by then Minister for Finance Dr Goh Keng Swee during a visit to Brazil's Rio de Janeiro Aviary in 1967 (Jurong