|
The
Mulu Pinnacles viewed from Gunung Api in Gunung Mulu National Park,
Sarawak, Malaysia. |
For millions
of years while the rest of the world went through cooling and warming
periods, the equatorial rainforests of Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra have
provided a warm and sheltered environment for plant and animal life. This
geographic-zoological-botanical region was actually a single land mass
during the last ice age when the sea level dropped 100 feet. Because the
climate on the equator doesn't change much and the surrounding oceans
provide plenty of moisture in the form of rain, the region’s forests
have remained consistent over very long periods of time allowing for an
unprecedented number of endemic species of plants and animals to evolve.
|
Etlingera
elatior in Teman Negara, Peninsular Malaysia. |
The highest
amounts of rainfall in the world are found in this region, ranging from
2000 mm per year to 3500 mm. Rain generally falls evenly throughout the
year with of course certain areas being exceptional and having seasonal
variations. These seasonal variations in rainfall along with distinct
types of topography, including peat swamps, limestone and granite terrain,
have created very distinct vegetation zones. The highest mountain between
the Himalayas and New Guinea, Mount Kinabalu at 4,095 meters in Sabah,
is one of the most outstanding centers for plant diversity in the world.
There is even an alpine zone at the top of this world heritage site.
A
soon to open bud of Rafflesia tuan-mudae in Gunung Gading, Sarawak,
Malaysia. This is believed to be an endothermic flower, where heat
is generated inside the flower to volatize chemicals to attract
pollinators. |
My desire
to travel to Malaysia and Borneo was first inspired by the book “The
Malay Archipelago” written by Alfred Russel Wallace. This groundbreaking
volume was first published in 1869 and described in great detail the natural
history of the chain of islands that start at (and include) the Malay
Peninsula and extend from Sumatra to the west to beyond New Guinea in
the east. Wallace divided this Archipelago into five groups of islands.
The group that he called the Indo-Malay Island was comprised of the Malay
Peninsula and Singapore, Borneo, Sumatra, and Java. This section of the
Tropical Designs website documents a few of the fascinating species of
plants that I have seen as I traveled through this region in the countries
of Peninsular Malaysia and the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah on
the island of Borneo.
The complex
tropical ecosystems found in this equatorial region provide great insight
into the study of tropical horticulture. Indeed, experiencing and understanding
the native habitat of a particular species of plant (or animal) is a great
step toward its successful cultivation and exhibition. For more information on Malaysia and Borneo please visit www.MalaysiaFlora.com
Jeff Shimonski
2006
|
|
An
Amomum species from Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malayasia |
Two male cones of Cycas rumphii. This cycad was photographed close
to the shoreline in Bako, Sarawak, Malaysia. |
|
|
Etlingera
velutina from Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. |
Nepenthes
gracilis in the kerangas forest at Bako National Park, Sarawak,
Malaysia. |
|
Nepenthes
rafflesiana from
Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. |
|
