The Changi Tree, also known as The Time Tree, was a 76-meter legendary tree of Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

. The species of the tree is unclear, but it was either Hopea sangal

Hopea sangal

Hopea sangal is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. This tree is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and is threatened by ongoing timber harvesting.-Source:...

or Sindora wallichii

Sindora

Sindora is a genus of legume in the Fabaceae family.It contains the following species:* Sindora affinis* Sindora beccariana* Sindora bruggemanii* Sindora coriacea* Sindora echinocalyx* Sindora galedupa* Sindora glabra...

. It has been said that Changi

Changi

Changi is an area at the eastern end of Singapore. It is now the site of Singapore Changi Airport/Changi Air Base, Changi Naval Base and is also home to Changi Prison, site of the former Japanese Prisoner of War Camp during World War II which held Allied prisoners captured in Singapore and Malaysia...

 was named after this tree. It has been recorded that Changi was named after Neobalanocarpus heimii

Neobalanocarpus heimii

Neobalanocarpus heimii is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is found in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.-Source:* Chua, L.S.L. 1998. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....

by the legendary botanist H.N. Ridley. However, there has been no evidence that the tree had ever been in Changi.

History

The Changi Tree started appearing on maps at around 1888. The tree was a major landmark due to its height.

In February 1942, during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the tree was cut in order to prevent the Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese from using the tree as a ranging point. According to folklore, the fall the tree would cause the fall of Singapore itself. Now, that the tree has been cut, Singapore is still maintaining a strong economy

Economy of Singapore

Singapore has a highly developed state capitalist mixed economy; the state owns stakes in firms that comprise perhaps 60% of the GDP through entities such as the sovereign wealth fund Temasek...

. Singapore continued to fight for the Battle of Singapore

Battle of Singapore

The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...

 shortly after the tree had fallen.

In February 2001, the Singapore Tourism Board

Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore, tasked to promote the country's tourism industry.-History:...

 planted a new "Changi tree" at the Changi Museum

Changi Museum

The Changi Museum is a museum dedicated to Singapore's history during the Second World War.In 1988, Singapore built a replica Chapel and Museum next to the Changi Prison. When Changi Prison was expanded in 2001, the Chapel and Museum was relocated to a new site 1 km away and the Changi Chapel and...

.

In December 2010, there is a new discovery of a special sacred tree located in Eunos. The name of the tree is named after the founder "XM".