The Saga Daun Tajam seed sculpture is in the outdoor Seed Dispersal Garden at Singapore Botanic Gardens. It is a brass work by Chua Boon Kee, installed in 2019, and shows the pod and seeds of Adenanthera malayana. From Botanic Gardens MRT, enter through Bukit Timah Gate and follow signs to the Seed Bank.
This sculpture helps explain how a plant can scatter seeds using its own pod. As the long pods mature, they twist. The pod can then split and release the red and black seeds.
- Where Seed Dispersal Garden around the Seed Bank.
- What to look for A brass sculpture of a seedpod and its seeds.
- Starting point Bukit Timah Gate from Botanic Gardens MRT.
Find the sculpture on the Seed Bank grounds
Set the Seed Bank as your destination on the Gardens map. Look on the outdoor paths once you reach the building. The NParks sculpture guide lists the piece in the Bukit Timah Core and provides a route map that starts at Bukit Timah Gate.
See how the seedpod opens
Look for the curve of the pod and the position of the seeds. Ask children which part changes shape as the pod matures and where the seeds can go when it splits. Scientists call this kind of dispersal autochory, or self-dispersal.
Compare it with the water and wind sculptures
Look for Sea Pong-Pong Seeds and Javan Cucumber Seed in the same outdoor garden. Draw one arrow for what moves each seed. In one example the pod opens and releases the seed, in another water carries the fruit, and in the third air helps the seed glide.
Frequently asked questions
Who made the sculpture?
Chua Boon Kee made it in brass.
Do I go inside the Seed Bank to see it?
The sculpture is in the outdoor Seed Dispersal Garden.
What is the plant’s scientific name?
Adenanthera malayana.