Saw this very tall tree on Pulau Ubin in Singapore. I can only guess at its height but it was well over 200 feet and I'd guess closer to 300 but I could be wrong. See attached
Could be any one of many tropical hardwoods; without seeing a leaf closeup it's going to be a tough ID. From the branch arrangement in the second pic, I'd venture that it might be a Ceiba of some description. Did it have massive buttress roots, or did the trunk just kind of go into the ground fairly straight? Were there visible red roots on the forest floor? Was there anything colonizing it?
Thank you for your answer on my unidentified tree in Singapore. I include another photo of the base of the tree with it's roots you mentioned. I looked at some Ceiba examples but notice some differences in the base of the tree. I wish I had a photo of the trees top as it was somewhat flattened instead of rounded. My presence will give it some scale. Look forward to your response.
Ok, now I know it's not a Ceiba. Their buttress roots are much bigger. It's also not a Matapalo (see below, the butresses are comparable to Ceiba.) I'd go with Luann or one of the other old-world Mahogany family trees. You didn't happen to nick the trunk and have a sniff?
Sorry, don't know what it is, but likely to be a species in the family Dipterocarpaceae (A substantial majority of SE Asia's large trees belong to this family). On the size of the tree, your new pic shows it to be about 1.5-1.8m d.b.h. (diameter at breast height). A tree of that diameter growing in forest conditions would typically be about 50-60m tall. That's actually very tall for a tropical rainforest tree; they do not get anything as tall as temperate rainforest conifers like Sequoias.
I didn't smell the tree but next time I'm there I will. Sounds like I was off on the height of the tree. It did stand noticeably out from the surrounding trees on the island. You both are wise in the ways of trees....great help thx.
Most wild plant species are tropical. Really need to get some parts like leaves, flowers etc. to name this one. May need to make use of local resources like botanical garden, botanical library.
If you can send your photos to a Singapore authority mentioning the exact site, they may answer this riddle. Any members from Singapore?
Good idea. I emailed the Singapore Botanical Gardens (which I have previously visited) and will post their response here if and when they reply.
