An assessment of orchids’ diversity in Penang Hill, Penang, Malaysia after 115 years

Abstract

A comprehensive study on the orchid diversity in Penang Hill, Penang, Malaysia was conducted from 2004 to 2008 with the objective to evaluate the presence of orchid species listed by Curtis (J Strait Br R Asiat Soc 25:67-173, 1894) after more than 100 years. A total of 85 species were identified during this study, of which 52 are epiphytic or lithophytic and 33 are terrestrial orchids. This study identified 57 species or 64.8% were the same as those recorded by Curtis (1894), and 78 species or 66.1% of Turner's (Gardens' Bull Singap 47(2):599-620, 1995) checklist of 118 species for the state of Penang including 18 species which were not recorded by Curtis (1894) and the current study but are actually collected from Penang Hill. A comparison table of the current findings against Curtis (1894) and Turner (1995) is provided which shows only 56 species were the same in all three studies. The preferred account for comparison was Curtis' (1894) list as his report was specifically for the areas around Penang Island especially Penang Hill, Georgetown and Ayer Itam areas. Our study reveals that about 50% of Curtis' collection localities have been converted to residential areas and agricultural land, and this probably explains the decreasing numbers of species found in the current study especially for the terrestrial species as epiphytic species have better adaptation capabilities towards environmental

Orchid diversity in antropogenic-induced degraded tropical rainforest, an extrapolation towards conservation

“…Cypripedioideae is mostly terrestrial, with a few epiphytes and lithophytes; in our area, species belonging to this subfamily are highland species with coriaceous or leathery leaves, without pseudobulbs and only adapted to wet and cool conditions (Seidenfaden & Wood 1992). Meanwhile, Vanilloideae has both warm and cool growing species, yet, have always had been recorded with lower occurrence in Peninsular Malaysia, except for Vanilla griffithii Rchb.f., a commonly found species in lowland and swamp forests (Go & Hamzah 2008, Go et al 2011.…”

“…Sample processing and identification.-Identifiable samples (with floral structures) were preserved using standard herbarium technique after Bridson and Forman (2000) and the non-flowering ones were transplanted into the ex-situ nursery, as living collections, where they were nurtured until flowering usually within five to six months, depending on the species (Go et al 2011). Reliable references and online databases were used in the identification process and evaluation of each species' distribution status: Seidenfaden & Wood (1992), Turner (1995), Comber (2001), Ong et al (2017), the Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz.…”

Five New Records of Terrestrial and Lithophytic Orchids (Orchidaceae) from Penang Hill, Malaysia

“…Surprisingly a new record to Penang Hill, this species is common and widespread in other parts of Peninsular Malaysia, distributed from lowlands to hills up to lower montane forests. Based on Curtis (1894), Turner (1995), and Rusea et al (2011), another species of Podochilus was recorded from Penang Hill, which is P. tenuis. In a glance, both P. microphyllus and P. tenuis look almost similar in vegetative size, habits, flower colour, and shape but the former differs in having elliptic leaves of about 2 mm wide while the latter is narrower (1 mm wide) and the leaves are more closely-arranged.…”

“…Botanical surveys in Pulau Pinang have started since colonial time the 1790s, thus assessment on the diversity of orchids in Penang Hill is not a new topic. Two prominent studies on the orchid flora of Penang Hill had been done previously by Curtis in 1894 and later after 115 years, Curtis's account was re-evaluated by Rusea et al (2011) through a series of comprehensive field assessments in [2004][2005][2006][2007][2008]. Their work resulted in a total of 136 species of orchids known to Penang Hill, with 44 species being terrestrial or lithophytic.…”

Anggrek Dataran Tinggi Habema di Distrik Nanggo Trikora, Jayawijaya, Papua

“…Langkah-langkah penting seperti perencanaan konservasi ex situ, bank biji "anggrek" dan orchid seed stores for sustainable use (OSSSU), teknik pertumbuhan anggrek dari biji dan mikropropagasi lain, serta koleksi hidup merupakan beberapa cara yang patut dilakukan untuk kepentingan itu. Go et al (2011) dan Vrbek & Fiedler (1998) juga menambahkan bahwa untuk melihat tingkat keberhasilan konservasi diperlukan pula monitoring untuk melihat kembali keberadaan dan keberhasilan dalam setiap periode tertentu. Jenis anggrek Dendrobium khususnya D. officinale, merupakan salah satu tanaman anggrek yang dimanfaatkan sebagai tumbuhan obat di China (Zhang et al, (2012).…”