Highlights today at the park - 16 May

Stick inset , at Botanic Island Four (Zone I)_

Bromheadia finlaysoniana

 When they fly past,  you can see their reddish wings against the light.  There are many of these stick insects in the park and they look fragile in flight.  Wild orchids can be found too but the most common terrestrial orchid is the Bromheadia finlaysoniana (see inset).  Below is shown a clump that is about 1 meter tall.  The beautiful white flowers are fragrant.

Bromheadia finlaysoniana orchid clump, Zone G

Lengkan (Iban) - Ficus grossularioides

 The Lengkan (Iban) is a small tree that is found in many places at the park, preferring open secondary areas and unfertile soils.  The young leaves are edible so are the young fruits.  It is rich in protein and manganese.  The 'Senduduk' ( Melastoma malabathricum) has soft berry-like fruits consisting  numerous seeds that are attractive to many wildlife especially birds.  More interesting plants here are the Rabbit's Foot Fern and the  'Akar Riwet' (Flagellaria indica) of which the latter is used to cure erectile dysfunction as used by the Berawans of Sarawak.

Lengkan (Iban) - Ficus grossularioides

Rabbit's Foot Fern - Davallia denticulata hugging to the oil palm trunk.  The leaves are used for floral arrangement.

Senduduk (Malay) - Melastoma malabathricum

Senduduk (Malay) - Melastoma malabathricum

Akar Riwet ( Berawan) - Flagellaria indica
It is a climber and looking similar to the rattan.  Among the Berawan people of Sarawak it is used as a remedy for erectile dysfunction and to chase away evil spirits.
Location : Zone B

Red young leaves of a jungle climber
Location : Botanic Island Two

Under the green umbrella

Oil palm trunk with a wide sampling of ferns, and seed plants taking advantage of the fertile fibrous growing medium found between the cut leaf bases and the trunk.

Fungi on rotten leaf bases

 The Oil palm trees (Elaies guineensis) or Sawit in Malay are the main identity of the Kambatik park.  They help sustain the park's operation.  When harvesting the fresh fruit bunches, the leaf bases that are cut leave a space between the cut branches and the trunk.  The leaf bases are constantly moist and they trap small insects, birds and other small animals' droppings, dead organic matter like fungi or mushrooms etc.. They provide ideal conditions for many plants to thrive on.  Chiefly among them are the epiphytic ferns, and plants that produce seeds and are eaten by birds and other animals and are later discharged in their droppings and got trapped in the fibrous and fertile growing medium between the leaf bases and the trunk.  It would not be surprising in future also to see orchids growing from these leaf bases.

Bird's nest fern (Asplenium nidus)

Climber

Ficus benjamina

Miding (Stenochlaena palustris) - at the centerr of the picture

Rabbit's foot fern ( Davallia denticulata)

Broad leaves of the Simpoh ( Dillenia suffructicosa)

Paku Uban (Iban) - Nephrolepsis acutifolia