The Sea Teak is an evergreen conifer native to Singapore. This attractive coastal tree can reach heights of 20 m. The crown is dense, broadly conical to irregular or dome-like, often with long, horizontally straggling branches that curve up at the ends.
The leaves are dark green, tough and leathery. They are narrow, linear and taper to a point at the apex. Leaves on juvenile trees tend to be larger and longer than those on mature individuals.
This species has male and female cones on separate trees (dioecious). A tree would bear either male cones or female cones. Female cones consist of a single seed seated on a fleshy receptacle (seed stalk) that birds feed on.
This species is popularly planted as landscape trees.
Native species. Endangered.
This Sea Teak is located next to The Beaulieu House, which was built in the 1910s as a seaside home. This tree may well have existed here before or when the Beaulieu house was built and likely before the Sembawang Naval Base construction began in 1923.
As a slow growing species with a girth of 2.2 m, this Heritage Tree was estimated to be around 100 years of age when it was endorsed as a Heritage Tree in 2017.