Emergent canopy tree as viewed from below
Buttress roots of a giant rainforest canopy tree
Rain forest tree with cotton-like seed pods
Rainforest tree with cotton-like seed pods
Buttress roots of rain forest tree
Cauliflorous fruit growing out of the trunk of a canopy tree in the Malaysian rainforest
Long buttress root
Long buttress root of rainforest tree
Brownish-green cauliflorous fruit growing out of the trunk of a rain forest tree
Tangled lianas (vines) hanging from a canopy tree with buttress roots
Buttress roots and tangled lianas
Giant canopy tree
Buttress roots of a rain forest canopy tree
Endangered Plants in Malaysia
Malaysia is home to 15,000 flowering plants. However, the nation's flora and fauna are under severe threat and have experienced a 70 percent depletion of original growth. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, Malaysia has 686 endangered plant species as of 2007. Malaysian laws protect birds, mammals and insects. Flora and fauna are only protected if they grow within a national park or reserve.
Giam Kanching (Hopea subalata)
The main forest types in Malaysia are Giam Kanching or rare dipterocarp forest, mangrove forest, peat swamp forest, and montane ericaceous forest, according to the Worldwide Wildlife Fund. The dipterocarp tree, known for its fruit with two-winged seeds, grows on land that is just above sea level to an altitude of approximately 900 meters. Lowland dipterocarp forests, which are found up to 300 meters above sea level, have been decimated due to agriculture and other land-intensive activities. While a pocket of dipterocarp trees are protected in the Kanching Forest Reserve, this species is considered critically endangered---on the verge of extinction---on the Red List.
Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes Macrophylla)
This carnivorous tropical plant grows only in mossy forests at a 2,000 to 2,600 meter altitude on Mount Trus Madi in Borneo. The Nepenthes macrophylla has pitcher-shaped leaves that dangle from ten meter-long vines. Insects slide from the waxy top of the flower into a pool of acid secreted by glands in the lower part of the flower, according to the ASEAN Review of Biodiversity & Environmental Conservation. The IUCN's Red List has categorized the Nepenthes macrophylla as critically endangered.
Moss (Taxitheliella richardsii)
Considered critically endangered on Red List, Taxitheliella richardsii is a moss in the Sematophyllaceae family and native to Malaysia. The only known area (less than 10 km²) where the moss has been found is in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on northwest Borneo. Taxitheliella richardsii grows on woody vines and rotted logs in subtropical forests, a habitat that is disappearing due to wood harvesting and logging.
Alocacia Melo
This rare member of the Keladi family, or Araceae, is found only in the Sabah region of Malaysia. It was discovered in 1997 in an area where logging has caused much deforestation--only about 40 percent of Malaysia's native forests remain. Alocacia species plants can resemble anthuriums, which are commonly grown as ornamental flowers. Alocacia melo has heart-shaped leaves, as does the anthurium.
Refflesia, the World's Largest Flower
Occasionally, newspapers around the world will report on the rare blooming of this endangered plant at a botanical garden. According to the Rainforest Alliance, several species of this plant grow in Southeast Asian jungles: all are classified as endangered. In Malaysia, it is found only in forests of Mount Kinabalu, in the Sabah region. The plant is unusual because it grows without roots, leaves or stems: it is a parasite that has only filaments that attach to its host plant. The plant itself is not normally seen until its rare, orange-red bloom appears. The flower can be 3 feet across and is said to smell like rotting flesh. The unusual flower can take 10 months to develop but after blooming it survives only several days.
Beautiful Leaf
Known botanically as Calophyllum havilandii, this endangered plant is one of up to 200 species in its genus. Malaysians call this plant the Bintagor tree. It grows to up to 90 feet tall. The wood is a lightweight hardwood, making it useful in former times for boat building. The wood has been valued in more recent years for furniture and flooring, which have contributed to excessive logging of this desirable plant.
Mind Map
Considered critically endangered on Red List, Taxitheliella richardsii is a moss in the Sematophyllaceae family and native to Malaysia. The only known area (less than 10 km²) where the moss has been found is in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on northwest Borneo. Taxitheliella richardsii grows on woody vines and rotted logs in subtropical forests, a habitat that is disappearing due to wood harvesting and logging.
Alocacia Melo
This rare member of the Keladi family, or Araceae, is found only in the Sabah region of Malaysia. It was discovered in 1997 in an area where logging has caused much deforestation--only about 40 percent of Malaysia's native forests remain. Alocacia species plants can resemble anthuriums, which are commonly grown as ornamental flowers. Alocacia melo has heart-shaped leaves, as does the anthurium.
Refflesia, the World's Largest Flower
Occasionally, newspapers around the world will report on the rare blooming of this endangered plant at a botanical garden. According to the Rainforest Alliance, several species of this plant grow in Southeast Asian jungles: all are classified as endangered. In Malaysia, it is found only in forests of Mount Kinabalu, in the Sabah region. The plant is unusual because it grows without roots, leaves or stems: it is a parasite that has only filaments that attach to its host plant. The plant itself is not normally seen until its rare, orange-red bloom appears. The flower can be 3 feet across and is said to smell like rotting flesh. The unusual flower can take 10 months to develop but after blooming it survives only several days.
Beautiful Leaf
Known botanically as Calophyllum havilandii, this endangered plant is one of up to 200 species in its genus. Malaysians call this plant the Bintagor tree. It grows to up to 90 feet tall. The wood is a lightweight hardwood, making it useful in former times for boat building. The wood has been valued in more recent years for furniture and flooring, which have contributed to excessive logging of this desirable plant.
Mind Map
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