Environment- Part 2 :Endangered Plants in Malaysia

1. Durio Kutejensis

Durio kutejensis, commonly known as durian pulu, durian merah, nyekak, or lai, is a primary rainforest substorey fruit tree from Borneo. It is a very attractive small- to medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall. It has large, glossy leaves, numerous large red flowers that emit a strong carrion smell at anthesis . It has been reported that this species is pollinated by giant honey bees and birds as well as bats. The large durian fruit it bears has thick, yellow flesh with a mild, sweet taste and creamy texture similar to that of Durio zibethinus. It bears fruit late in the season. It is cultivated in East Kalimantan and has been introduced to Queensland. In Brunei, the fruit of D. kutejensis is preferred by local consumers over that of D.zibethinus, even though the latter is the only durian species available in the international market.


2. Pitcher Plants

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over evolutionary time. However, some pitcher plant genara (such as Nepenthes) are placed within clades consisting mostly of flypaper traps: this indicates that this view may be too simplistic, and some pitchers may have evolved from the common ancestors of today's flypaper traps by loss of mucilage.






3. Shorea


Shorea is a genus of about 196 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the Governor-General of the British East India Company\, 1793-1798. They are native to southeast Asia, from Northern India to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines . In west Malesia and the Philippines this genus dominates the skyline of the tropical forest. The tallest documented tropical angiosperm is a 88.3-metre-tall Shorea faguetiana in the Tawau Hill National Park, in Sabah on the island of Borneo, and in that park at least five other species of the genus have been measured to be over 80 m tall: S.argentifolia, S.gibbosa, S.johorensis, S.smithiana and S.superba. Borneo is also the hotspot of Shorea diversity with 138 species, of which 91 are endemic to the island.


4. Rafflesia Kerrii

Rafflesia kerrii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is found in the rainforest of southern Thailand and peninsular Malaysia, with the most famous population in the Khao Sok National Park. The local Thai names are Bua Phut (บัวผุด) and Bua Tum (บัวตูม). The red flowers have a diameter of 50–90 cm and smell awfully of rotten meat to attract flies for pollination. The plant is a parasite to the wild grapes of the genus Tetrastigma (T. leucostaphylum, T. papillosum and T. quadrangulum). , but only the flowers are visible. Small buds appear along the trunk and roots of the host, which after 9 months open the giant flowers. After just one week the flower dies. The species seems to be flowering seasonally, as flowers are only reported during the dry season, from January to March, and more rarely till July.The flower is endangered. Though already naturally rare, tourists trying to get close to the flower for photos easily trample the host plant or young buds. Also the locals collect both buds and flowers both as a delicacy as well as for its claimed medical powers. A concoction of cooked buds or flowers is used as a general tonic, to help for fever or backache or even as a sexual stimulant. However western medicine doesn't recognize any medical power of the flower.


4. Dipterocarpus gracili


Dipterocarpus gracilis is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The species is found in Bangladesh, India( The Andaman and Nicobar Island, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Tripure), Indonesia( Java, Kalimantan, Sumatra), Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines. This large tree is found in lowland seasonal semi-evergreen and evergreen dipterocarp forest. Often used as a commercial grade plywood, it is one of the most important sources of keruing timber.








We live in this wonderful world which is fulfillled with trees, jungles and forest. We live together harmony. We can't live without one another. Why must human beings destroy mother nature? Floras and faunas are going to extinct. Why should we suffer like this ? Our next generations should be experiencing the beauty of nature through their senses but not by pictures. Hence, human beings must be responsible to save the earth, for a better future.


Ways to overcome this problem:

• Stop wasting paper. (Use more recycle paper and use both pages)
• Practicing concept 3R. ( Recycle, reuse and reduce)
• Stop using tissue paper.

Have you done it ?