Coconut Palms and Other Palm Trees In Singapore

Singapore's Changi airport has delightful palm trees.











But there's more than one type of palm tree.














My favourite is the colourful Lipstick or Red Palm tree.











If you see a coconut tree, don't sit underneath.  I was sitting by the swimming pool in Singapore when one of the staff rushed over to tell me not to sit under the coconut palm in case it dropped a coconut. Every now and then you read in the Singapore or Malaysian newspapers or online about a fatality. The staff at condominiums carefully move the loungers and tables and chairs out from under the trees into the sunshine. Along come the expat visitors and move the chairs back into the shade.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

More pictures of palm trees

In this picture taken in Singapore the Coconut palms are the tall ones either side of the smaller fan shape Traveller's palms.

Identifying Palm Trees: Traveller's Palm and lipstick Palm

You probably can identify at least ten types of tree including a palm tree. (Palm, holly, oak, horse chestnut or conker tree, weeping willow, silver birch, leaning Scots pine, Norwegian 'Christmas' tree), the Canadian maple with its red leaves, the cherry or prunus with its plum colour leaves and pink blossom in spring, the Monkey Puzzle Tree.)

With not much effort you can identify four or five palm trees.

Walking along a street you may wish to identify the palm trees, especially when you see two or more types of palm.

1 The Lipstick Palm (in Singapore)
The thin trunk palm with the bright red trunk is called the lipstick palm.

2 The Traveller's or Fan Palm (from Singapore)
This palm tree looks like a semi circular fan with a semi see-through spoked centre and frilly outside.

3 The Cement Palm (from Florida)
A solid grey trunk is the distinguishing feature.

4 Coconut Palm
Don't sit underneath coconuts. When ripe they drop.

5 The Royal or Roystonea Palm
Named after Roy Stone, a US engineer, this palm has straight grey or brownish trunk and a green top of the trunk.

6 Date Palm

7 Oil Palms
Forests of them all over Malaysia.

The dead giveaway is the large soft dates lying on the ground under your feet.

Palm tree in Singapore.

We also have palm trees in England, in warm locations such as Torquay, Devon on the South Coast. Increasingly palm are becoming a decorative feature of gardens in London, especially in sunny locations and sheltered corners.

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer, photojournalist, author, speaker, tutor and teacher.