SINGAPORE - Missing out on the sakura season in Japan? You can still enjoy the sight of blooming pink flowers without leaving the country.

Trumpet trees, which are peppered across the island, are starting to flower in areas like Kembangan, Old Holland Road, Singapore River, Jurong Lake Gardens and Whampoa Market.

The flowering of these 15,000 trees is triggered by a dry spell, usually in April and August, according to the National Parks Board (NParks) website.

Singapore had thundery showers in the first half of March, with the Meteorological Service Singapore forecasting warm and dry weather for the rest of the month.

Trumpet trees, which can grow up to 35m tall, have broad, conical and shady crowns. Their trumpet-shaped flowers are pink or white.

A 20-year-old woman, who gave only her first name, Sara, said she walks past them on the way to the school she works at in Kembangan.

“It’s intriguing to see them. It makes me feel like I’m not in Singapore,” she said.

Ms Hsu Wai, 36, who also works at the school, said the flowers look like cherry blossoms.

“They make my journey to work more pleasant,” she added.

The blooms last several days before they wilt. The fruits are elongated pods that release winged seeds when split open. The seeds are dispersed by wind, spinning in a twirling motion as they fall to the ground.

The trumpet tree is native to tropical America but was introduced here between 1983 and 1985, along with more than 300 species of plants to beautify Singapore’s roads and parks.

NParks has created a hashtag #SGBlooms2024 for people to share photos that they have taken on social media.

Besides trumpet trees, here are some other blooms spotted this flowering season:

Red saraca (Saraca declinata)

Native to South-east Asia, this bee-attracting plant’s bark is covered in numerous circular lenticels (corky structures that allow oxygen to pass into the trunk).

The tree, which is also known as sorrowless tree, has flowers with four roundish petals and long stamens (pollen-producing part of a flower).

It is often found in primary and secondary rainforests at low altitude between zero and 900m.

Its fruits are flattened woody pods that are initially bright reddish-pink before becoming dark reddish purple.

Golden bells (Tecoma stans)

Unlike the trumpet tree blooms, the yellow trumpet flowers on the golden bell trees can be seen blooming for long periods or even all year round.

The tree is native to places such as the West Indies, Mexico and Peru.

Its bright yellow flowers not only attract birds, butterflies and bees but are also used in traditional medicine as a remedy for digestive problems, stomach pain, intestinal worms and snake bites.

Lantana (Lantana camara ‘Mutabilis’)

This evergreen multi-branched shrub has brightly coloured and fragrant flowers with petals that fuse to form a tube, spreading out at the end.

The shrubs, once established, thrive even under poor growing conditions such as drought.

They are commonly found along roadsides, degraded lands and forest edges, and can grow up to 1.2m.

Red-butterfly-tree (Bauhinia galpinii)

A semi-deciduous climbing shrub with leaves resembling a butterfly, it has flowers that can range from red to orange and are borne in clusters near the ends of its branches. Its fruit is a narrow brown pod.

The shrub, which can grow up to about 3m, is native to countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

A medium shrub that can grow up to 10m, it produces white, pink, purple or red flowers with a crepe-like texture.

Native to certain countries in Asia such as India and Japan, the shrub bears fruits that look like brown, dry capsules.

Queen’s wreath (Petrea volubilis)

A woody climber that can grow up to 6m with support, it produces pale blue to violet star-shaped flowers.

The upper surface of the leaves has a rough texture.

• Additional reporting by Azmi Athni

Sources: National Parks Board, The Straits Times.