Tuesday 24 January 2017

Tembusu Chopping Boards @ Seremban2


The Tembusu wood is a very hard wood, normally used to make chopping boards.  The wood is resistant to termites and weevils, thus can last very long, some over 100 years.


Tembusu is Fagraea fragrans, a large slow-growing evergreen tree in the family Gentianaceae.  







Mr Chin can be reachable via 6-012-350 2257


Sunday 22 January 2017

Garcinia parvifolia - kundong


Kundong ( Sarawak Iban ) is Garcinia parvifolia, a member of the Clusiaceae family.  The specific name, parvifolia, refers to its small leaf; while Garcinia is named after a French botanist Laurent Garcin.

Native to the Malesia ecozone, the fruit is highly esteemed in Sarawak.  Naturally grown in primary and secondary rainforest, it can be propagated by seeds.  The tree is sometimes planted as ornamental in parks and gardens.

The fruit is round to elliptic, up to 40mm in diameter.  Brilliant red in colour, with 1-8 seeds covered in white, succulent, sweet pulp. 

The fruit is consumed raw or cooked.  It has a juicy, white pulp with a delicious sweet-tart flavor, almost similar of its cousin mangosteen ( Garcinia mangostana ). 




Monday 9 January 2017

Landscape : Curbing the Curbs 3

If the main role of road curbs are to keep vehicles on the road, and preventing them off the green area and especially walkway, then it can be easily replaced with guardrails. 

In Malaysian environment, weather is a nuisance. There are times when it rains so heavily, causing flash floods ; and there are also times when there is not a single drop of rain for weeks. 

Cambered asphaltic concrete road (A) allows fast flow of water off the road surface.  If the surface water are directed straight to the drain (C), there will be minimal water seepage through the green area.

However, if the green areas are designed conclave to trap water (B), not too much of course, just enough for some water to seep into the ground and thus more water available for trees and shrubs. 


The water from watering tank during dry spell too will be more effectively seep into the soil, mineral soils especially. In addition, it also trap the fertilizer from being easily washed away.