Snakes in NTU, Singapore

My nephew's recount of the python in Australia reminded me of the NTU Python. One Sunday morning, I woke up early and went for my walkabout when I saw police cars, secirity guards in their scooters and cars, and some soldiers and dogs.

My nosy parker nature told me that something was exciting. My two friends A. and C. told me that there was a big snake which had slithered from one end of C.'s basement to the other.

We, three brave Amazons followed the uniformed personnels and we were just in time to see them catch a big python into a barlap sack. The size of the python was as thick of my upper arm and it was very long.

A. snapped photographs of the python to show the rest of NTU who were still in their slumber. I bet when A. went back to live in Great Britian, her people there would be surprised that there were snakes in Singapore.

We often have snakes, poisonious ones like cobras, and non poisonous ones like grass snakes and pythons. My friend B. sprinkles sulphur and installs transparent plastic sheeting on her balcony. A Taiwanese friend freaked out when she saw snakes three storeys up the building.

sanderiana,ribbon plant

This plant is also known as the Goddess of Mercy plant. Worshippers of Goddess of mercy will have a vase of this plant to worship her.

I just like plants.

In Singapore, I experimented with this plant, I cut about two feet long stems of this plant, I had about twenty of them, and grew them in a vase in side my house. Soon shoots grew, and this is the result. There was no need to fertilise the plant.

As it was dengue infestation time, I had to cover the vase with netting to prevent the aedes mosquitoes from laying eggs in the still water. Dengue fever was very serious, and I as the secretary of the gardening club had to set examples of keeping our plants stagnant water free. In NTU, they regularly fogged the campus.

Japanese Bamboo

These are the Japanese bamboo. The flower is a rare occurance.

When I left NTU, I invited people to buy my plants and donate to my favourite charity, the Deaf in Kenya. A. and C. came and bought many of my bushy plants. C. said she felt terrible that she was taking so many plants. I said though they were my children, I was glad that they were going to a good home. I gave them a big ficus tree that I have picked up from some one who had abandoned it because he thought it was diseased. A. & C. nursed it to the pink of health. A. took a lot of big plants to his office in the university.

This Japanese Bamboo in the pix is almost ten feet tall. It grew this tall because I grew them in the ground in the allotment.

These are two different kinds of bamboo. One has single leaves, and the other had four prong leaves.

Spider plants

Chlorophytum comosum, the Spider Plant, is a species of Chlorophytum native to South Africa.

The spider plant is a very popular plants, and grows even in temperate countries. I have grown it in New Zealand. If grown in a hanging basket, the baby plantlets flows downwards, hence giving it the name spiders. It also has branched stolons which produces little white flowers. It is a small beautiful plant that makes a good gift.

There are two types, a more popular ones are the variegated ones have streaks of white bands along the leaf. I also have the all green ones.

It is easy to propagate. You snip plantlets already with roots from the stolons and pot them separately. It is a popular plant with beginners and thrives well in any condition.

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The spider plant is among the NASA studies that it is effective in absorbing formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air in homes or offices.
Each plant type was placed in sealed, plexiglass chambers in which chemicals were injected. Philodendron, Spider plant and the Golden pothos were labeled as the most effective in removing formaldehyde.
The above text was reprinted directly from the NASA site.

9/26/89: STUDY SHOWS COMMON PLANTS HELP REDUCE INDOOR AIR POLLUTION. RELEASE: 89-149 /
http://www.denverplants.com/Plantscape/html/cleanair_2.htm

*****the Spider plant - One can buy the dried spider roots which look like light brown beads from the medical shop in Malaysia. Brew with dry chrysanthemum,to make tea. The tea can give a soothing effect to bad sore throat. Chinese call this plant mak tong. S.L.****

Peace Lily

I had a big patch of peace lily in my allotment in NTU. I also have some growing in pots. The flower is white and I guess that is why it is called Peace Lily.

In New Zealand, it is grown as a pot plant. There are two pots in my staff room.

For those of you who never liked plants, may be this NASA article will change your mind.

Peace lily, Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa'

Regarding this NASA article, many of the plants are quite common, and I have many of them, eg. spider plant, mother-in-law tongue plant,Dracaena etc.


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Houseplants That Help Purify The Air

Houseplants are not only beautiful in the home, they
also help cleanse the air. Bamboo palm, Spider plant;
flowering Mums; Peace lily plant and
Mother-in-laws-tongue, are just a few of the best
houseplants for purifying air in the home, according
to an ongoing two-year study by NASA and the
Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA).

The NASA/ALCA tests 'Interior Landscape Plants for
Indoor Air Pollution Abatement' concentrated on
solving the very important question: 'Indoor air
pollution is a realistic threat to human health, so
how can the problem be solved?' A promising,
economical solution to indoor air pollution was to
take a look at nature's life support system, plants.
The initial testing has been for the indoor
purification of the air from the chemicals, Benzene,
Trichloroethylene and Formaldehyde.

Benzene is a commonly used solvent in such items as
gasoline, inks, oils, paint, plastic and rubber.
Furthermore, it is used in the manufacture of
detergents, explosives, pharmaceuticals and dyes.

Formaldehyde is found in virtually all indoor
environments. Its major sources include
urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, particle board or
pressed-wood products. Consumer paper products,
including grocery bags, waxed paper, facial tissue and
paper towels, are treated with urea formaldehyde
resins. Many household cleaning agents contain
formaldehyde.

Trichloroethylene is a commercial product that has a
wide variety of industrial uses. It is used in some
printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes and
adhesives.

In the NASA/ALCA research it was determined that some
plants are better than others for purifying the air
indoors. The twelve plants tested were:

Bamboo palm, Chamaedorea seifritzii
Chinese evergreen, Aglaonema modestum
English ivy
Fiscus, Benjamina
Gerbera daisy, Transvaal daisy
Dracaena 'Janet Craig'
Dracaena 'Marginata'
Corn cane, Dracaena massangeana
Mother-in-law's tongue, Sansevieria laurentii
Peace lily, Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa'
Pot mum, Chrysanthemum
Dracaena 'Warneckei'

All plants were tested in a sealed experimental
chamber during a 24 hour exposure period. Here are the
results of the studies:

Gerbera daisy, Dracaena Marginata, Peace lily
(Spathiphyllum), Dracaena 'Janet Craig' and Bamboo
palm in order were the five most effective plants in
removing Trichloroethylene concentrations from the
air.

Gerbera Daisy, pot Mum, Peace lily, Bamboo palm,
Dracaena Warneckei, English ivy and Mother-in-law's
tongue are the seven top houseplants for removing
Benzene concentrations in the air.

Bamboo palm, Dracaena 'Janet Craig', Mother-in-law's
tongue, Dracaena Marginata, Peace lily, green Spider
plant, and golden pathos are seven of the top plants
for removing concentrations of Formaldehyde in the
air.

It is estimated, as a result of this research, that 15
to 20 of these test houseplants can purify the
interior of a typical house of 1,800 square feet.

In our homes and in space, it looks like we can count
on these houseplants to help remove harmful pollutants
from the air we breathe. At the same time, these are
some of the easiest plants to grow and most attractive
to use for interior decorating.

Citronella plant

In Singapore and Malaysia, the hot humid weather induces mosquitoes to grow profusely.

After searching on the internet, I found that Citronella oil is good as a repellent. So of I went to my other favourite place in Singapore, not far from NTU along Jalan Bahar, the Khoon Lee garden centre. I know the owners and workers very well, because I go there a lot to get my plants, seedlings and potting mix and other knick knacks and also to take my foreign friends.

The local name for this plant is the mosquito plant. My garden centre owner tells me it really works.

I used to have 3 plants, they didn't grow very well. I tried to help my big sister Rose smuggle into Sarawak a plant. She was caught by the customs and she kissed goodbye to the plant. They gave her an option of paying big bucks to have the plant under quarantine.

My big sis doesn't think they work. She actually saw mosquitoes swarming round my plants, so I gave up when the plants died. The plant itself is a very attractive plant and makes a good house plant.

My neighbour M. downstairs says it works against the mosquitoes, but the plant doesn't grow well.

The news paper reported that Singaporeons swamped to the garden centres and snapped up the plants when there was a dengue fever scare. You can't blame them, you see, people can die from Dengue.

chinese glory bower

In NTU, Singapore, my friend J gave me the original plant. Her friends brought them specially from India. I dub it as Indian Jasmine. It's common name is Chinese Glory Bower. Scientific Name: Clerodendrum chinense.

Origin: China, Japan; naturalized in southern United States and throughout tropics.


Growth Habits: Shrub, up to 8 feet tall (2.4 m); heart shaped leaves, up to 10 inches long (25 cm)

These plants have very fragrant flowers, cluster of flowers forming a ball. The flowers are pinkish purple and are more beautiful than the ordinary jasmine. They are bigger and have multiple layers of petals.

It is ironic as some one who grows plants and love flowers, I can't have flowers. Actually I would love receiving flowers, but I can't keep them at home. WE has a terrible allergy reaction from pollen grains. If I bring flowers home, the moment he comes home, he will ask,"What's the stinky smell?" and I would have to throw out my flowers.

This has been a blessing in disguise. I made many friends through my flowers. My bushes of Chinese Glory Bower had bloomed lots of flowers. My friend A.'s husband had been very sick for a long time. Every morning, I leave this Chinese Glory Bower at her door. She knows it is from me and I don't want to disturb her. "It cheered him a lot to see you stalk of Chinese Glory Bower."

***Sadly to say, he died after a few surgeries.***

Medicinal Plant: Mimosa

Don't expect this Mimosa to be the Mimosa which is a cocktail-like drink composed of three parts champagne or other sparkling wine and two parts thoroughly chilled orange juice. Though the effects may be similar.

This mimosa grows wild in lawns and fields in Malaysia and Singapore. It has thorns and is a gardener's nightmare. It can spread like a carpet and is very difficult to get rid of. At the neglected allotment of the NTU gardening club, once they establish themselves, they evade the neighbouring plots, and is a nuisance. The flower is pink and soft and fluffy. As a kid, we used to take a stick, and induce the leaves to "sleep."

The Malaysia stuff this into pillows for babies and adults alike to help give them a peaceful sleep to cure insomnia.

This plant is also called a sensitive plant. The leaves close when you touch it. At dusk, the leaves also close until the next morning. This is probably why the Malays think that they will give tranquil sleep.

So if your baby doesn't sleep through the night, next time you go to Malaysia or Singapore, go and look for some.

Medicinal Plants: Blue Ginger

My mum had big bushes of this rhizome, and I knew it as the Blue ginger or lam keong. Whenever she braised ducks or belly of pork, she would tell be to dig a sliver of it. It is very difficult to dig the rhizome in the dirt. Your hands get all muddy and the rhizome is very tough to cut. You have to be careful not to dig too much, otherwise you injure the plant. We kept our own ducks, and we slaughtered a lot of them. So there was a lot of digging and muddied hands. Mum She says it helps to remove the gamey smell of the duck.

I too, grew a big bush in the NTU gardening club allotment. It is more than eight feet long. I don't use it because my husband didn't like it's flavour. So well did I grow it? It was for nostalgia.

In Singapore, it is called Galangal , But it has different names in the different South East region. It is grown for culinary and medicinal uses. The Malays and Indonesian use it for their fried rice Nasi Goreng, it is a must in the Thai Tom Yum soups. The Vietnamese use it in their braised pork like my mum did. You can buy them as a whole root, or cut or powdered.

As a medicinal use, in the Southeast area, mix with lime juice and drink it as a tonic. In man’s quest for youth, some drink it claiming its prowess as an aphrodisiac, and a stimulant. Galangal oil is also used regularly in various forms of oils for anointing.
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Medicinal Plants: King of Bitters

King of Bitters : Andrographis Paniculata or Chuan Xin Lian in Chinese. Chuan Xin Lian (穿心蓮) ...

No, it is not the kind you buy in the pub or bar, but a small Chinese medicinal herb.
As the name implies, a tea made from the leaves is very very bitter. Used in Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic medicine.

It contains ingredients which possess astringent, anodyne, tonic,and alexipharmic properties.

It has been traditionally used in healing dysentery, cholera, and diabetes. Influenza, bronchitis, piles, gonorrhea, hepatomegaly, skin disorders, fever and worm infestation. Useful in healing wounds, ulcers,leprosy, and diarrhea. For red eyes, sore throat, tooth ache.

This little herb has been in my great grand mother's garden as long as I remember. I used to dread to take the concoction, and now, in turn my kids won't touch it.

The Chinese SING SAY or doctor says, according to the herb grower, you must use, 3, 5, 7 leaves, always in single form. I don't really believe, I just use some when I feel heaty or general unwell. It keeps your mouth fresh and rids the flurry feeling.

My friend B says, " It is very good for sore eyes , Just make a tea, and wash your eyes.
Most Chinese say it is good as a gargle for sore throat.

My younger sister Margaret. who is a professor in plant pathology remembers, “ Whenever we complained about headache, Mother would ask us to go downstairs and pick a few leaves of the bitter leaves. Then we said, "No more headache" But Mother would prepare for us and we took with a spoonful of sugar after that. “

Rubber Tree

More than a century ago, an Englishman went to Brazil and stole some rubber seeds aka Hevea brasiliensi. He germinated them and grew them in the Kew Gardens in London.

From those stolen seeds, they grew to supply the rubber gardens in Malaysia and Borneo.
The original rubber trees were very good, but took too long to reach a productive age. Then the good old scientist developed a smaller tree but produced more and called it high yielding tree.

My plant is a miniature tree. It's a tribute to both sets of my ancestry. It was rubber that brought them to Borneo.In 1907, my Great Grand father was scouted to lead a developing company to grow this important cash crop.

I often go on a walk-a-about on the university campus. I found a cluster of five rubber trees. Some one wanted to do an article on the trees of the bygone era. I told them where to find them. I even got Sam to do an experiment on tapping rubber to get latex like his fore fathers before him. We didn't get any latex because it poured that day.

This species is different from a decorative Indian Rubber tree aka Ficus elastica.

***A bonzai is a tree manipulated to form a miniature tree, originally from Japan.***

Mickey Mouse bush, Ochna serrulata,

I have good memories of two persons when I see the Mickey Mouse bush or Ochna serrulata. The first involves my UK/NZ friend A.

A group of gardening enthusiasts requested and requested the university to give us a plot of land. Eventually they did, and we were glad to have allotments.

One of the rule was, we could only grow small shrubs, veges, flowers but not a tree. We agreed, beggars can't be choosers. Alas, the garden was built near a bellowing dragon furness. The soil has been baked hard that plants won't grow. Besides, the garden was covered by overhead rain forest trees and blocked the sun.

Most gave up their allotment, and I was the die heart secretary. You see, if I didn't take care of the garden, the university would revert it back to lawn.

One day, A. came and asked if she could grow her avocado tree in the allotment. As it was against the rule about planting trees, I told her she could plant it at the edge.

As I have no idea what an avocado tree was like when I saw the tree slowly grow more and more like a Mickey Mouse bush, I didn't query A.

A. was certain it was an avocado tree as she had personally planted the tree from a seed after she had eaten the avocado.

Soon, it was evident that it is a Mickey Mouse tree because it started flowering. Apparently, a little bird decided to help A.'s in her garden in her house. It is like a cockoo bird laying her egg in other people's nest.

Both A and I have left Singapore for New Zealand. The Mickey Mouse shrub is still there. People might be wondering why any one would grow a wild shrub.

NTU was once a jungle. On both sides of the road to the campus, there are a line of Mickey Mouse shrubs.

Why do you think it is called Mickey Mouse tree? It's because the big leaves look like the ears of Mickey Mouse.

***We happen to call a plant which looks like yours, mickey mouse plant. It has yellow & red tiny flowers with black bean eyes. CP likes this plant. Chinese call it tea plant for its leaves look like tea leaves. Though the leaves are much bigger than the tea leaves. Comment by a reader in Malaysia***

Mother-in-law's tongue

Who ever named this plant long Mother-in-law tongue and short Mother-in-law tongue must be a vicious person.The Scientific name is Sansevieria trifasciata.It is also commonly called the snake plant, because of the shape of its leaves, or mother-in-law's tongue because of their sharpness.

The Chinese have a saying, "A kitchen can't have two women."

A friend from China refused to take this plant. She felt it was disrespectful. She said, if it was anything, the long tongue should be aptly called daughter-in-law.

I never lived with my Mother-in-law who lives in Malaysia. If I have, my tongue will probably grow longer than Pinocchio's nose.

***This is actually a good plant, it helps obsorb dangerous rays from your TV and Computer***

***Reader's comment: also known as sun sin kim ( God's sword).***

Makes me think twice before I use my tongue for behold the Sun Sin Kim will do justice.

Lady of the night

This plant has tiny white flowers, and little orangy fruits. You can smell the scent miles away. The Chinese name is seven mile flower. The flowers will start blooming only at mid night.

The lady of the night isn't a good name. It is given with the connotation of a woman with the oldest profession in the world. She smells nice and comes out only at night.

Usually in Malaysia and Singapore, this is grown as a hedge, as it provides good privacy. I stole cuttings from the road side. We had a good discussion among gardeners and non gardeners alike. A friend joked that the plant can be used as a signboard advertising the madam inside.

***From a reader: I like the ad., about the 7 mile flower.***

Yummy Food in Singapore

It was the water engineer's big 50. I haven't made a cake for a long time. Sam and I made this. The icing was a rich butter and the cake a mud chocolate cake. My Dad's best friend K's wife taught me to weave a basket. The cake is not perfect to look at, but it was made by his favourite persons.

You can see the red rice I posted about in my post on rice. I cooked Sarawak black pepper prawns, Thai Tom Yum Khuong soup, and lots of veges.

The Bert and Ernie plate is a souvenir we bought from a road side store in Bangkok.

***The green bits in the prawns are fried curry leaves. They are from my tree. They are crispy and very fragrant.***

Sam and Miss Fries

Sam was born 7 years after Andrew died. He is my pride and joy. God made me whole again.

Sam started reading very early, and here he is at two years old reading to my American teacher. She was so impressed that she made a recording of him reading to take back to America.

Medicinal Plants: Neem

My dad was always planting trees. We used to move house a lot because dad was a Senior Government Officer. Besides planting papaya and banana trees, he planted a lot of non fruiting trees.

Mum used to query him why he did it, since we would move in a matter of years. he answered, it didn't matter, some one in future would enjoy the shade. I asked why he didn't plant fruit trees. The houses in Sarawak then were not fenced in, and he didn't like people come and steal the fruits and cause trouble.

He is the first tree arbor lover I know.

I wasn't to know that I too would become a tree arbor lover. I might have left Singapore, but I have left my legacy. I have planted two neem trees and my friend A goes from New Zealand to Singapore and checks on the trees for me.

I have 2 trees which the Malays ask for their leaves to relieve chicken pox itch. The Indians say it is a wonder tree. My Indian friends say in India, pregnant women brush their swollen tummy to relieve itch. They also use the twigs as tooth brushes and tooth picks.

I gave those trees tender loving care. When they were saplings, after a heavy thunder storm, they would topple, and I would pain stakefully go and support them with timber poles.

I have bought Neem toothpaste.

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Neem or Margosa is a botanical cousin of mahogany. It belongs to the family Meliaceae. The latinized name of Neem - Azadirachta indica is derived from the persian
:

Azad = Free,
dirakht = Tree,
i - Hind = of Indian Origin

which literally means: 'The Free Tree of India'.


Baldness:-applying margosa oil on the bald portion,
preferably at night and washing the head in the
morning stops the falling of other hair and helps
in their growth.
Other hair disorders :washing the hair with water
boiled with margosa leaves stops falling of hair and
helps to grow, be black and lustrous.

This is also useful to kill lice in the hair.
(Precaution to be taken that this water should not
enter the eyes).

Dental disorders
Using fresh margosa twig piece as brush for
cleaning the teeth makes the gums strong, eliminates
foul smell and cures pyorrhoea.

Drinking and gurgling with margosa water (in which
fresh new leaves are boiled) stops dental decay and
pain in the teeth.

Gargling with margosa decoction (made with boiling
of leaves, flowers, fruit, root and branches equal
portion) gives relief to toothache by eliminating
infection in gums.

Cough :-gargles with lukewarm margosa juice mixed
with a few drops of honey cures cough trouble.

Please do not take my word for the above, I have NOT
use the neem. But I am not telling where my trees are.

However, it must be good because there were a few
international court cases regarding this plant. It is
used in a big way in USA for pest repellent.

http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/pir-ch.htm

cooking curry?

Two main ingredients necessary for cooking curry.

These are from my garden in Singapore: lemon grass and curry leaf.

My curry leaf plant is ten feet tall, and supplies free of charge curry leaves for the NTU neighbourhood. You can cook butter prawns with them, many Thai recipes call for them

My neighbour downstairs wanted to inherit my plant when I left for Auckland. I told her yes, on the condition that my friends are allowed to continue to pick them.

I just love my herb abd flower garden. i do not use a lot of them. WE thinks I have a jungle. I just love to see them grow and grow and be the envy of many who don't seem to make them grow. You see, Singapore is in the tropics, and these are tropical plants. Friends from America or UK don't seem to get the hang of it except for my friend A & M.

Beach at NTU

More fun at Nanyang View "Beach."

A popular Tourist place in Singapore

Sam's sand pit had visitors from kids from all over the world. This was also our home school. The lovely white sand comes from Australia. We had a big balcony facing giant rain forest trees. We also have a special swing that the water engineer made from an old tyre.

My poor husband had to carry sacks and sack of the heavy sand up. In the end, I told him, I had enough.

Here the sun birds and the Hill Minahs come to sing. Humming bird come and get the nectar from my flowers.