Grace Chua, Straits Times 9 Jun 09;
YOU could walk right under the world's largest tree-growing orchid and never know it.
Singapore's tiger orchid, with its distinctive cream-and-maroon flowers and growth height of 4m, is among five species thought to have disappeared forever. But it was re-introduced across the island in a Singapore Botanic Gardens programme which came to fruition in 1999.
Once, 226 native species of wild orchids grew here but 178 of these are now extinct locally. The only specimens are at the Botanic Gardens. A further 40 species remain critically endangered.
There are more than 3,000 orchid plants of various species growing on trees in neighbourhood parks, nature areas and along Orchard Boulevard. -- PHOTO: DR YAM TIM WING, NPARKSWhen asked why the programme was started, Botanic Gardens director Chin See Chung said it was part of an ongoing effort to make Singapore's roadside vegetation more interesting.
Planting orchids also adds to the variety of plant life, which prevents the streetscape from being wiped out by disease.
But do not expect to see giant blossoms all over the island. Orchids do not flower year-round, and some of the species need environmental triggers, such as heavy rain, to bloom, added Dr Chin.
The programme has rescued some species from the brink of extinction. For example, the slender-petalled Cymbidium bicolour was thought to be lost from Singapore, but a single plant was found within the wetlands at Sungei Buloh.
Researchers rushed there to pollinate it and get it to produce fruit and seeds. Now, there are about 150 plants - alive and well - at Sungei Buloh, Dairy Farm, Pulau Ubin and other areas.
The orchids are planted on pieces of bark to simulate their natural growing conditions.
About three-quarters of orchid species are epiphytes - meaning they are anchored to other trees and shrubs - while the rest are free-standing.
Once the young plants are large enough to survive on their own, the pieces of bark they grow on are simply nailed to a suitable tree.
There are now more than 3,000 orchid plants of various species growing on trees in neighbourhood parks, nature areas and even along bustling Orchard Boulevard.
The planting programme aims to reintroduce two species annually from this year onwards.
Besides the reintroduction, NParks' Botanic Gardens has other conservation initiatives, such as a resource centre for Asian ginger species and an orchid seed bank.
But conservation goes beyond simply preserving species, said Dr Chin.
It involves documenting, preserving and using plant species, educating people, and training them in the skills needed to protect species and habitats, he said.
Dr Chin was speaking last Thursday after moderating an open forum at the Botanic Gardens, which featured a talk on conservation issues by primatologist Jane Goodall.