The other colourful event on the roads that never fails to lift my spirits every evening on my drive home, is the florid coloration of that line of shrubs alongside the Bukit Timah canal directly opposite Hwa Chong Jr College.
It took me quite a bit of effort to track down the identity of this beautiful shrub, but I finally found it!! It is apparently the Syzygium campanulatum (variously known as Eugenia oleina and Kelat paya)
The shrub is particularly beautiful as its new leaves are orangey red. The National Parks people did a fantastic job in planting a dense row of these lovely shrubs opposite HCJC. The new leaves are all out and that short drive is so delightful because there is this tall wall of autumny colours flanking you. It's one of the rare occasions that I actually enjoy being caught in the traffic there!
There is a nice blog post about this shrub here...go check it out.
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Since posting this, I have realized these syzygiums are far more ubiquitous than I had realized. The NP had actually planted them everywhere, and I have admit they are quite attractive shrubs...no, more than shrubs. Some of them do have the chance to grow into stately attractive trees.
There is a wonderful stretch of these trees before and after the Eunos exit on the PIE. Not as brilliant as opposite HCJC as they had not been pruned back, but just as spectacular because of their abundance.
National Junior College
The Grandstand Shopping Mall
Bukit Timah Residential Area
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Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
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