Singapore's Rain Trees
When I was a child, my favourite tree was the flame of the forest tree (Delonix regia). With its feathery compound leaves and striking scarlet flowers, it is a true head-turner. You could not pass a flowering flame of the forest without being taken by its incandescent beauty. The rain tree (Samanea saman) was probably a close second. Its leaves had not the delicacy of the flame of the forest’s, nor were its pink flowers as showy, but it had height and the most glorious and elegant umbrella-shaped crown. Its branches spread out as if they intended to embrace all the earth. There is something immensely welcoming about the rain tree, though perhaps I am conflating my overall sense of it with my youthful memories of seeing one after another lining the East Coast Parkway on my way home from Changi airport. They have become indelibly connected with my thoughts of homecoming.
