Plants of Malaysia & Borneo

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.

The center of diversity for the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, is the Indo-Malayan region with approximately 160 species occurring in Peninsular Malaysia. Borneo is still insufficiently known and under explored for gingers but may have more species than Peninsular Malaysia.

Carnivorous plants are fascinating in that they capture and digest various prey in order to accumulate nutrients for growth. The habitats where they normally occur are nutrient poor.

The group of plants commonly known as “ginger” is a prominent component of tropical floras throughout the world. They are used as ornamental plants for gardens, for traditional medicine, and in culinary preparations as a spice.