Simpoh Malesia

Key to Dillenia species in Peninsular Malaysia

2010-12-19T06:52:00.000-08:00

There are many diagnostic characters where one can use to distinguish Dillenia species in Peninsular Malaysia. Many taxonomists uses the characteristics of the reproductive (flower/fruit) parts to create their key. Therefore, it is dificult when such parts are unavailable due to the season during collections that were being carried out. In order to have a friendly user key, i had created a new key which combines both vegetative and reproductive characteristics as below. I hope this key will be useful for those who needs to key out Dillenia species in Peninsular Malaysia. I had presented this key in the Flora Malesiana Symposium (FM8) in Singapore Botanic Gardens on August 2010.

Key to Dillenia species in Peninsular Malaysia

1.Petiole amplexicaul, winged…………………………..........2
Petiole non-amplexicaul, not winged………………...........3
2.Tree; wing constricted at leaf base; flower white……………...D. albiflos
Shrub; wing not constricted at leaf base; flower yellow...D. suffruticosa
3.Petiole with gutter; half-rounded, glabrous to sparse to moderately hirsute…....4
Petiole without gutter; rounded, moderate to densely hirsute……………7
4.Margin entire and smooth; apex rounded to emarginate; secondary veins

glabrous on both surfaces……………………………….D. pulchella
Margin not entire and coarse; apex acute to obtuse; secondary veins

> 9 pairs; pubescent on both surfaces……………5
5. Inflorescence-raceme; stamens purple; fruit dehiscent…......D. excelsa
Solitary flower; stamens not purple; fruit indehiscent……………………….6
6.Petiole smooth; petal white; stamens yellow in 2 less conspicuous rings................D. indica
Petiole slightly winged (decurrent leaf); petal yellow; stamens yellow to

pale yellow in 2 conspicuous rings.....................................D. obovata
7.Leaf apex acuminate to acute; base cuneate to acute…….D. sumatrana
Leaf apex acute to obtuse; base acute to obtuse…………………….............8
8.Small buttress; leaf base asymmetric; solitary flower…………D. ovata
Stilt roots; leaf base not asymmetric; inflorescence-raceme………………9
9.Dry leaf (underside) red to purplish brown; tertiary veinlets

inconspicuous and not raised; without petal…….....D. grandifolia
Dry leaf (underside) golden brown; tertiary veinlets conspicuous and

raised; with petal…….....................................................D. reticulata

Happy botanizing Dillenia! I'm currently involved in another genus (Melastoma) also in the Subclass of Dilleniidae . So, it's Melastoma hunting for this year which is why i did't got the chance to update much on Dillenia.

Discovery of Dillenia albiflos

2010-12-17T06:20:00.002-08:00

It's good to know that there are still some viewers for my blog. I'm sorry it took me a long time to update my blog. A little bit restricted by time due to heavy schedule in work this year.

I would like to share my discovery of D. albiflos (photo above) that i encountered during my fieldtrips in Taman Negara Endau-Rompin, Johor. Although it's not a new record, it's good to know that their populations there are surviving pretty well in the National Park. A lot of the seedlings can be observed on the trails.

D. albiflos is endemic in Johor. The key diagnostic of this species is by looking at the petiolar wing that is restricted at the basal of the leaf (photo above). Apart from that, take note that the inflorescence of this species is unusually very long and complex (photo below) compared to other species of Dillenia in Peninsular Malaysia. This is the only tree that i managed to spot the reproductive part i.e. the budding stage.

Apart from D. albiflos, Endau Rompin National Park also houses several other endemic species suah as Phyllanthus watsonii (photo below) that can be found on the sand bank of Endau River on the way towards Kuala Menarong (Taman Negara Endau Rompin (PETA), Johor) and also the giant palm fan Livistona endauensis that can be found at Padang Tujuh (Taman Negara Endau Rompin, Pahang)

Dillenia albiflos in flower

2009-08-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time since i updated my blog. Sorry about the delay though i wasn't really sure who often visited my blog anyway. On my recent fieldtrip to Johore, i manage t capture the bloom of Dillenia albiflos or more well known as 'simpoh puteh'. This is my first time witnessing the fresh flower. The flower is small in size and white in colour (photo as below).

Well, the interesting fact about this species is that it is restricted in certain part of Johore. My first encounter with this species is in Panti Forest Reserve and i also noted this species in my recent visit to Hutan Lipur Gunung Berlumut. The inflorescence of this species are slightly different compared to other species of Dillenia in Peninsuar Malaysia as the racemes are more complex and seems to be dangling down from the terminal end of the twig. Another thing that i noted is that the flower of this species faces downwards (photo as below).

Below is the photo on the habit of D. albiflos. Although this tree is captured during flowering season, the inflorescence and flowers are hardly visible. This is mainly because the flowers are small and white in colour, therefore much paler and not as striking and big as flowers of other Dillenia species in Peninsular Malaysia that are yellow orangey.

Dillenia suffruticosa in Kuching, Sarawak

2008-12-22T06:31:00.000-08:00

On my previous trip to Kuching, Sarawak lately, i found out that there are abundance of 'simpoh ayer' that can be found growing wild there. It can be found almost everywhere, by the roadside, at the bushes and even on the island on rocks formation in Bako National Park. Pretty amazing plant and they are pretty well known to the natives too. My tour guide, Stephen (Kelabit tribe) told us that they use the leaves from this simpoh to wrap food inside the jungle as they help to avoid the food from going bad and the leaves are very fragrance.

Below, is the flower of Dillenia suffruticosa which i captured during my trip to Semengoh Rehabilitation Centre. The flower and leaves characters are consistant with the one found in Peninsular Malaysia.

I noticed that they are often planted as ornamental plant here in Sarawak too. On my trip to Bako National Forest, i managed to catch a glimpse of a rather poisonous snake resting on the simpoh branch after its lunch, waiting for digestion (photo below). See whether you have a good eye sight to spot it!

Ethnobotany usage of 'simpoh' & their identification

2008-12-13T04:30:00.000-08:00

It had been a long time since i updated this blog. I was rather buzy with work and family affairs lately. However, i would like to share a poster that i had presented lately at Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Seminar at Legend Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. This seminar was organized by FRIM. For those who are interested in the ethnobotany of 'simpoh' and would like to get some tips to identify them can do so by browsing through my poster. I had presented only 5 species of 'simpoh' (Dillenia) that occur in Peninsular Malaysia that were used by certain ethnic in not only Malaysia but also Southeast Asia. Furthermore, i had included the latest distribution of Dillenia species in Peninsular Malaysia.

High time for Dillenia excelsa blooms

2008-06-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

It's high time for Dillenia excelsa at FRIM in blooms now. It is really an amazing view to witness espeially in the morning as the flowers are still fresh and the bright yellow petals are still intact. The contrast colour of the stamens which are purplish highlighted the flower even more. There are 2 types of stamen that can be witnessed on the flower, the inner stamens which are introse at the tip while the outer stamens are shorter and spreading. Note that all the flowers of 'simpoh ungu' are facing the upwards position.

Blooms of Dillenia sumatrana

2008-05-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

The photo above is the blooming flower of Dillenia sumatrana Miq. I'd bumped into this species in my recent trip to Pasoh Forest Reserve. According to Encik Abu, this species is very common in Pasoh. I'm fortunate to have a sighting of this blooming flower. The tree is about 2-2.5 metre tall with greyish-brown bark. It's a pity that i didn't have time to capture the habit of this tree. I noticed that the flower of this species faces upwards when bloom.

The flower of simpoh bukit is quite small about 2.5-3 cm diameter. One of the diagnostic characters for this species is the inflorescence of this species are usually available in pairs or triplets at the terminal of twig. Besides that, the sepals and pedicels of this species are very densely hirsute (yellowish-white) and the indumentum will turn more golden in colour when dried. The petals are obovate, golden or egg-yolk yellow and are caducuous in the evening. As this is my first sighting of the bloom of this species, i managed to notice that the stamens are divided into two distinct parts. The inner stamens are longer and the tips are slightly bended outwards while the outer stamens are shorter (photo below). Both stamens are yellow in colour. Meanwhile, from top the style are pearl white and forming star-like shape. Besides that, the carpel are cylindrical in shape (photo below).

Usage of 'Simpoh' in Peninsular Malaysia

2008-03-09T05:24:00.000-07:00

There are very minimum usage of Dillenia in Peninsular Malaysia. Simpoh timber are usually being treated with preservatives before being used in various medium-heavy construction. Simpoh timbers are suitable for posts, beams, joints, doors, windows, furniture and other decorative works (Kochummen 1972). Two main species that contributed as simpoh timber are D. reticulata and D. grandifolia. Besides being used in construction, a few simpoh species that have showy flower and attractive foliage are being used as ornamental plants and being planted along highways, housing areas and gardens. Those species are D. suffruticosa and D. indica. However, D. excelsa sometimes is also being planted as ornamental plants. Furthemore, fruits of Dillenia that are indehiscence in certain species are eaten in the form of curry or jelly (Hoogland 1951).

What's Dillenia?

2008-03-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

Dillenia or much known as 'simpoh' or 'chimpoh' by the locals has very large and attractive flowers with huge leaves that are toothed. Besides that, fallen leaves of 'simpoh' will leave horse-shoe scars on it's twig. The bark of the tree are usually red to pinkish red or brown-orangey though the dead outer bark may be greyish in colour (Ridley 1922). The name 'simpoh' that had been given by the locals is believed being obtained through the hissing sound made by the tree trunk when being slashed using 'parang'. Please take note that the sound can only be heard when one stuck his or her ear at the area that is being slashed. The hissing sound is obtained due to the process of air being sucked through the empty spaces in the wood when water is being sent from the trunk to the leaves.

Introduction of Dilleniaceae

2008-01-22T04:49:00.000-08:00

Dilleniaceae is a small tropical family which consists of 10 genera with about 200 species that can be found in the Old World and New World (Kochummen 1972). This family consists of tree, shrub and climber. In Peninsular Malaysia, there are only 3 genera that had been found which includes Dillenia, Tetracera and Acrotrema. Till today, only a number of 20 species from these 3 genera that have been found in Peninsular Malaysia (Turner 1995).

Dillenia is a genus that consists the most species; 10 species found in Peninsular Malaysia followed by Tetracera (9 species) and Acrotrema (1 species). Dillenia is a group that belongs to either tree or shrub. Most of Dillenia species can be found in lowland dipterocarp forest in almost all states in Peninsular Malaysia. However, there are three species of Dillenia that can be found in open forest and secondary forest, such as D. ovata and D. obovata distributed throughout the states of Kedah, Perak and Pahang while D. suffruticosa is usually found in the southern of Peninsular Malaysia (Turner 1955).

A little botanizing in UKM campus

2007-08-21T00:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a little information that i would like to share on the family of Lecythidaceae. I did a little botanizing earlier last week in the middle of settling my convocation stuff. I'd taken a few photographs of three species of Barringtonia that are planted around UKM campus. Below are the photos of the flower and fruits of Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz. This species is also known as 'putat laut'.

Besides this species, i also retrace another species of Barringtonia along the riverbank of 'Alur Ilmu', B. fusiformis King that are fruiting (below). Unfortunately all the flowers had fallen.

Last but not least is the common 'putat kampung', also known as B. racemosa Roxb. Below were two photos of it's fruits and flowers that i managed to capture that day.

Fruits of Simpoh

2007-07-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

There are 2 types of fruits that occur in the genus of Dillenia. There are the indehiscent fruits as well as the dehiscent fruits. However, it is still hard to determine which evolves first. Logically, the dehiscent fruits are assumed to be more primitive compared to those indehiscent ones. The arillate seeds as compared to ex-arillate seeds also tells us a different story on this genus. Almost all of the dehiscent fruits are covered by the red aril or soft red membrane; however i didn't get the chance to check all of them in field yet. Somehow, it is true for D. suffruticosa (below) and D. excelsa. Four species of Dillenia consists of D. suffruticosa, D. excelsa, D. pulchella & D. albiflos in Peninsular Malaysia have dehiscent fruits while the rest of the six species have indehiscent fruits. The arillate membrane are unnoticeable under herbarium specimens as they dried off as a thin transparent sheet of membrane.

Meanwhile, in the indehiscent fruits, i managed to find two types of seeds which are arillate as well as exarillate. Till now, i had only few chances to disect a few species of fruits for inspections. I found out that D. indica have soft white membrane covering its seeds meanwhile D. ovata and D. reticulata has ex-arillate seeds. A little contradictory to what literature reviews written that D. reticulata have arillate seeds. Below are photos of the fruit of D. reticulata that i disected recently for inspection in field. I found out that the fruits of simpoh when being freshly cut had a tinge smell of guava. The young fruits of simpoh are green in colour and will turn yellowish-green to orangey when ripe. The rotten fruit will turn brown and later on black. The seed on the other hand are white when young and turning into brown to black when matured. According to Corner that had done the study on the infloresences of Dillenia, he found out that the evolutionary of the flowers and fruits are reticulate and both flowers and fruits evolves separately. For me, i think much characters still needed to be inspected before one can determine the phylogenetic relationships of the species in this genus.

D. ovata in bloom!

2007-07-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

On my recent trip to Taman Negara, i was delighted to be able to witness a bloom of Dillenia ovata. The stamens are as what i had expected. They are hardly differentiated into two rows. The stamens are yellowish while the carpels are white. There are abundance of this species in the area. Much of them are fruiting and some flowering or still in bud stage. I also managed to bump into other 'simpoh' species that are fruiting such as D. reticulata and D. grandifolia besides D. ovata on the new trail being built that link the hind of intepretive room towards Bumbun Hide that link through the swamp loop. Below is the photo of D. ovata on the new trail.

Flowers of simpoh

2007-07-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Basically, the most powerful source of recognizing Dillenia to its' species is through its flower. However, when you are in a hurry, you might not be lucky enough to bump into a flower no matter how frequent your visits are. That's what i went through in my crazy venture looking for Dillenia. This is because simpoh tree have odd flowering period and sometimes you will only find one tree flowering or fruiting while the rest are in a sterile state.

However, don't be too frustrated though. I found out from my analyses lately that we can actually differentiate the species of Dillenia through it's vegetative organ such as petiole, type of venation, the indumentum on the leaves as well as the colour of dried leaves. So far, i'm positive that this is enough to help to determine Dillenia species in Peninsular Malaysia.

As far as i'm concerned, i found out that generally Dillenia flowers are found in two forms. The two forms are:

1) The anther are approximately almost the same length and not clearly divided

2) The anther are divided into two groups where the inner stamen are longer with its' apex a little bit curved outwards while the outer stamens are shorter

If you noticed, you'll found out from the photo above that the sepals of simpoh are divided into tow types where the Dillenia species with dehiscent fruits have thin sepals while the species with indehiscent fruits are of thick sepals. Guess you can figure out from the picture which belong to which right? From top view, we can see that the carpel look like a spreading star (D. indica; top). The purple colour of the stamens is a very distinctive character only occur in D. excelsa that differentiate it from other species in Peninsular Malaysia.

Latest discovery!

2007-07-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

I'd currently completed my write-up and throughout my analysis, i found out that i had misidentified two species that i'd formerly collected on field. This causes me to go into havoc in search for that species; D. sumatrana as time is scarce and i had to repeat my anatomy work. In order to do things fast, i am lucky to be able to set foot on the nearest forest in UKM itself (Bangi FR) in search of the species. It took me two trips into the forest before i manage to bump into this tree. On the left is the photo of me and two of my helpful friends that i'm indebted for their willingness to accompany me to the forest and they even help me climbed up the tree to get some leaves as my voucher speciments. For acknowledgement, the species that i'd collected in Kuala Lompat that i referred as D. sumatrana earlier is actually D. excelsa while the tree i thought to be D. excelsa which i bumped into on my first trip in search of Dillenia in Ayer Keroh, Malacca had turn out to be other species and not Dillenia. What an experience! That is why it is quoted by previous taxonomist who deal in Dilleniaceae that it is hard to identify Dillenia species without reproductive structure and it is almost worthless if we have only sterile speciments. I agree with him pretty much. Bravo to all taxonomists!

D. indica with its' petals still intact

2007-05-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Just want to add in a few photos of D. indica with its' petals still intact. The photos are not in a high resolution as the photos of these flowers are cropped and the flowers were high up in the tree. A freshly fallen petal captured under the tree. It has a faint smell of jasmine.

Close up for D. excelsa

2007-05-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

That's the close up for D. excelsa (left). Notice that this species is easy to identify based on the purple contrast of stamens and carpels compared to the golden yellowish petals. There are seven carpels in this flower and there are two distinct groups of stamens (below), the inner group longer which curved slightly inside while the outer group stamens are shorter. The below of the outer stamens are yellowish in colour. Note that the pollen are yellowish at the tips. The carpels are cylindrical in shape (below).

Blooming week for Dillenia!

2007-05-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

Hooray! After the long waiting, i got the opportunity to witness the full bloom of D. indica (photo below) and D. excelsa (photo left and below) in FRIM last week. I was very excited to see this. The flower of D. excelsa that are claimed to be fragrant is indeed true when you actually smell the stamen. The petals are odourless. However, i got a small surprise when i took a freshly petal of D. indica that fell down to smell as i was photographing under the tree. Although it was predicted to be odourless, it surprised me with as the white petal gave me a faint smell like jasmine. However, there's only one regret that i didn't bring along my tripod last week to capture the bloomings. As the tree are high, not much can be done about it as we know the petals of Dillenia will fall off in a day. Therefore, the petals won't look fresh even when being photograph at noon. Morning is the best timing to take photographs of it but surely there will be the lighting problem. I'm still learning to improve my photo capturing skills.

Dillenia pulchella

2007-05-07T04:15:00.000-07:00

Previously on my trip in search of Dillenia albiflos, i had taken this opportunity to go hunting for Dillenia pulchella likewise. On the left is the photo of D. pulchella, the tree is almost leafless. It is far to high for me to get a sample and the habit in the swampy area causing more difficulties exploring the jungle. Therefore, i just managed to collect a few dried leaves for my anatomical studies. The results weren't that good either. The leaves of this species has entire margin compared to the rest of other species in Peninsular Malaysia that has toothed and serrate margin. The leaves' reticulation are clear on both sides. I'm longing to see this species again to get a baucher of it if possible as my searched for it at KL Lake Garden (Taman Tasik Titiwangsa) failed to give me a result although being recorded a few times.

Pollen of Dillenia reticulata King

2007-05-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Things had been tough recently as it's time for all the analysis part dealing with my morphological study on the herbarium speciments. I'm still stumbling on it. At the same time, i'm involving myself with my study of Dillenias' pollen under SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). The waiting during the process is really a hectic one. Till now, i only had 4 samples of the pollen. I got an interesting result last Saturday regarding my pollen structure of D. indica. It consists of both porus (Monoporate) and colpus (Tricolpate) aperture forms. This give me a hint that i might be able to build a key out of my SEM study on pollen. However, i'm still not certain on that but it will surely be an additional information made available. Below is the pollen of D. reticulata King under SEM that shows the polar view indicating tricolpate; 3 aperture in the colpus form. The flower without the petals are taken from my last trip to Panti, Johor (photo below). I'm in the waiting for transportation right now to go to Kedah to search for my species of D. obovata that is restricted in the northern of Peninsular Malaysia. Hopefully i'll manage to settle everything by mid May to enable me to settle my thesis early.

Cannon ball

2007-04-12T23:44:00.000-07:00

This is an attractive flower of cannon ball, Couroupita guianensis Aubl. from the family of Lecythidaceae. This family is also a member of subclass Dilleniidae. The flower exude a strong fragrance that attracts insects for pollination. One interesting feature about this plant is the unusual inflorescens that grow directly out of the main trunk. The name of this plant derived from the large brownish fruit. This tree is native of South America.

A rare species of fern at Tanjung Selantai

2007-04-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

From my latest fieldwork in Johore, i was given the opportunity to encounter with this rare species of fern at Tanjung Selantai. It belongs to the genus of Breynia. The distribution of this species is very limited in Peninsular Malaysia but is abundantly found at Tanjung Selantai. However, none of the plants found there contained sorus. All the fronds are still young. It is located at a very steep hill with loose soil. It is really a hard climbed and very slippery with lots of ants or termites. I like the view very much.

My latest fieldtrip at Panti, Johore

2007-04-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had taken my opportunity to SING herbarium to drop by Panti Forest Reserve, Johore in search for Dillenia albiflos (photo left). This species is endemic in the middle and southwest of Johore. The name of this species derived from the flower which meant 'white flower'. It is different from other species that occur in Peninsular Malaysia by having petiolar wings (photo below).

Somehow, there is another species in Peninsular Malaysia that has petiolar wings that is D. suffruticosa. However, it is easy to recognise this species as the habit of this species is shrub. It has elliptic leaves that are coriaceous with slight serrate margin. This species is usually found at secondary forests or planted at the roadside as ornamental plants.

Flower of Dillenia indica

2007-04-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

That's the flower of Dillenia indica that i managed to capture in FRIM a few months ago. The fallen petals are white in colour. The stamens are claimed to be almost all the same length. However, from my disection i found outherwise. I notice that there are two types of stamen occuring in this flower. There is another one ring stamen that curve outwards situated around the carpel.

Cucurbitaceae 3

2007-03-05T07:50:00.000-08:00

Well, i guess i'd nearly covered all of the vegetables found in the market survey under Cucurbitaceae. Here, i would like to include two more genus which are Cucumis and Citrullus.

Below are a few photos of cucumber belong to the genus of Cucumis. All of them are of the same species, Cucumis sativus L. although there are in different forms. They taste different too!

Name: Cucumis sativus L.

Common name: Cucumber, Mentimun (upper), Timun Cameron (middle), Timun tua (lower)

Uses: Mentimun and Timun Cameron are usually eaten raw while Timun tua is usually used to cook as soup

Availability: Pasar Siti Khatijah and Kea Farm market, Cameron Highlands (Timun Cameron)

Last but not least, i would like to introduce the melon which belong to the Citrullus genus. Does all the photos below looks almost the same? Well, i'm sure of the first one. That's our watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsun & Nakai. Somehow, i'm not sure about the small version of melon (middle) and i think it might belong to the Cucumis genus. The last photo is another unique fruit that i discovered in Cameron being called as Sharkfins gourd. Didn't know what the name derived from and as i don't have the cross-section of it, i'm not sure which genus does it belong either Citrullus or Lagenaria. Anyone?

Cucurbitaceae 2

2007-03-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

Besides Momordica and Cucurbita species, other genus available from the market survey from the pumpkin family are Lagenaria, Benincasa, Trichosanthes, Luffa and Sechium.

Below are the photos of some water gourds available in the market survey.

Name: Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.
Common name: Water gourd, labu air, labu kendi, labu siam
Uses: Can be eaten as vegetables and some bottle gourd are being dried and used as display
Availability: Pasar Siti Khatijah

Another common product being sold in the market is the angled loofah. Loofah belongs to the genus of Luffa.

Name: Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.

Common name: Sponge gourd, ketola segi, si gua

Uses: Eaten as vegetables. Some drink the water to help in blood circulation

Availability: Pasar Siti Khatijah

Below is the photo of snake gourd that i capture at Teluk Intan market. It is usually sold by Indian vegetable seller. Somehow, it is also available at Pasar Siti Khatijah although it was sold out by the vendor when i reached the stall.

Name: Trichosanthes cucumerina L.

Common name: Snake gourd, Petola ular

Uses: Eaten as vegetables

Availability: Pasar Siti Khatijah

The wax gourd is another poduct usually being sold in the market by Chinese seller. It is famous among Chinese as it has cooling effect. It is usually being cooked as soup or dessert.

Name: Benincasa cerifera Savi

Common name: Wax gourd, Kundur, Tang gua

Uses: Eaten as vegetables or being made as dessert for its cooling effect

Availability: Pasar Siti Khatijah

Another product of Cucurbitaceae being sold in the market is Chayote.

Name: Sechium edule Sw.

Common name: Chayote, labu siam

Uses: Eaten as vegetables

Availability: Kea Farm market, Cameron Highlands

Cucurbitaceae

2007-02-28T22:23:00.000-08:00

Cucurbitaceae is the family of pumpkin and squashes. Lately, i'd been to Kota Bharu and Cameron Highland to do market survey on vegetables. One of the common family being eaten and used is Cucurbitaceae. Here are some of the photos of those pumpkins members for all to enjoy. For starters, i display two species from the genus of Momordica followed by some Cucurbita spp.

Name: Momordica charantia L.
Common name: Bitter gourd, peria
Uses: Being eaten as vegetable and is believed can help to lower the blood pressure and cure diabetic.
Note: Available in Pasar Siti Khatijah but not found in Cameron Highlands.

Name: Momordica subangulata Blume
Common name: Bitter gourd, peria katak, kambas
Uses: Being eaten as vegetable and is believed can help to lower the blood pressure and cure diabetic.
Note: Available in Cameron Highlands

Above is the photo of pumpkin's shoots that are being sold in Cameron and it can be considered as one of the delicacies to the villagers there. Below are a few photos of Cucurbita or pumpkin being sold in Pasar Siti Khatijah and Cameron.

Name: Cucurbita maxima Duchesne

Common name: Pumpkin, labu manis, labu merah

Uses: Being eaten as vegetables

Note: Found in Pasar Siti Khatijah

I found two types of pumpkin that are sold in Cameron and Kota Bharu which are uneatable. They are usually being used by the Chinese community in Malaysia for prayers. Notice that there are very obvious lobes that are extended from one type of the pumpkin sold in Cameron. That pumpkin is only available during Chinese New Year especially for the occasion of prayer to the "Sky God" at midnight of the eight day of Chinese New Year by Hokkien people.

Below is another type of pumpkin used for prayers by Chinese citizens in Malaysia.

Bintang Hijau Expedition

2007-02-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

My first expedition of Bintang Hijau in search of Dillenia proved to be quite unsuccessful. I only manage to record two species that are very common. They are D. indica and D. reticulata. Somehow, there are none that are flowering and fruiting. The photo on the left is D. indica taken at Lata Kekabu. Most of this species is found at the riverside. Both species are also sighted at Ulu Kenas and VJR Bubu. Somehow, there are also another species of Dillenia, Dillenia grandifolia that had been recorded at VJR Bubu from FRIM lists of record. I didn't manage to bump into this species due to limited of time. Overall, my expedition is quite exciting and i learn a lot from experties like Abang Din (Kamarudin Salleh), Cikgu Nasir, Dr. Nazre and many other foresters.

Luffa aegyptiaca

2007-02-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of the pumpkin and squashes family, Cucurbitaceae. I had promised to post this photo to our Ethnobotany class members. This is Luffa aegyptiaca or also known as 'petola bantal' or smooth loofah. It is usually dried and use as sponge.

Dillenia excelsa in fruiting

2007-02-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of Dillenia excelsa var. pubescens in fruiting. It is located near UKM on the way to Bangi Lama. The tree of this variety is smaller in size and the fruits are in stellate form and white in colour. The seeds, blackish-brown are coated with red membrane. The leaves are coriaceous and the margin are undulate and toothed, rarely hairy.

Below is the close-up photo of the fruit.

Exploring Kuala Tahan, National Park

2006-12-31T06:25:00.001-08:00

Recently, i'd taken the oppurtunity to stop by Taman Negara to check out the species of Dillenia at the surrounding area of Kuala Tahan. I managed to discover 3 species namely D. ovata, D. reticulata and D. grandifolia. There are a great abundance of D. ovata and D. reticulata near the camp site as well as along the route to the canopy walkway. Somehow, i didn't bump much of D. grandifolia. In fact i only found one on the way up to Teresek Hill. Although there are abundance of Dillenia there, i only manage to find one tree, D. ovata that are fruiting and at the same time at the end of flowering time which left only a few buds (picture left).

One thing that i won't forget in this trip was i was being attacked by wild boar. It actually attacked my backpack while i ran away with my camera while capturing some of D. ovata trees at the camp site. Sad to say that i missed the opportunity to see it bloom as i had to go back KL to meet my friends from Kuala Lompat the next morning. Well, i believed there are more than 3 species occuring in Taman Negara but i still haven't had the opportunity to discover thoroughly the whole area. From my herbarium work, i found out recently that there are 2 more species collected from Taman Negara. D. indica was discovered in Sepia river while D. obovata was discovered at Kuala Juram. Picture on the right with stilt root is part of the bole of D. grandifolia.

My 2nd Trip To Kuala Lompat

2006-12-30T18:49:00.000-08:00

My second trip to Kuala Lompat on can be counted as a success although i didn't manage to find 2 species that were recorded there in the book "Plants of Krau Wildlife Reserve" namely Dillenia excelsa and Dillenia pulchella. Somehow, i was delighted that i was lucky to find Dillenia sumatrana on the first day of my exploration (picture on right). There were about 6 trees located nearby each other near a small pond. I had allocated 4 days of my time during my stay at Kuala Lompat exploring thoroughly all the tracks nearby the area in Kuala Lompat and a track at Perlok. I revisited the site where i collected Dillenia ovata to try my luck to bump into the flowers but to my dissapointment again it was fruiting without any flower. Somehow, on my way there, i discovered another location that consist this species nearby the quarter which was also fruiting. Overall, it's still another record for me as the book didn't mention any discovery of D. ovata at Kuala Lompat. I was unable to find any new species on my next day of exploration.

My third day of exploration was at Perlok. The habitat there didn't give me a promising chance to discover a new species that i intended to find. Somehow, i still venture in the area looking for my species. One can't assume only but also look for it thoroughly. As i expected, i didn't manage to find any species there. Somehow, during my lunch break near a stream, i discovered D. indica that was fruiting which was another new record for plants in Kuala Krau Wildlife Reserve. The photo on the left is the juvenile of D. reticulata. As we can notice here, the leaves are huge compared to the matured ones. On my last day there, i ventured back in Kuala Lompat trails and manage to discover D. grandifolia with the help of Pak Man (the orang asli that was my guide). This species look quite similar to the juvenile of D. reticulata and i nearly miss it without being pinpoint by my guide. After careful inspection, i'm sure it's D.grandifolia. Overall, my 2nd trip to Kuala Lompat is a beneficial one. Bravo... ;0>

My Fieldwork In Kuala Lompat

2006-10-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

My last fieldwork that i did recently was at Kuala Lompat, Krau, Pahang. This trip was being held on 21 and 22 of September 2006. The first species that i found here is Dillenia reticulata, which is also known as 'simpoh gajah'. The juvenil leaves are indeed very huge and can measure more than a metre long and are very hairy. Unlike the matured leaves, their surface are lack of hairs, much shorter and usually has slighly emarginate apex. The tree is sure very high and huge and it has stilt roots.

The photos that i took wasn't that clear as it's a huge tree and i haven't figure out how to capture a nice photo yet in that condition. I even hired an aborigine there to help me pluck the leaves to be made as voucher specimen. On the top is the photo of juvenil D. reticulata.

The next species that i encountered was Dillenia ovata. Actually, it's the aborigine (Pak Man) that pinpoint that species to me. He saw it at the roadside to our quarters. This tree is fruiting at that moment and i manage to collect this specimen with Pak Man's help. Gladly enough this time the tree isn't that high and is pretty easy to reach. I noticed that the bark of this tree is rather flaky and the fruits are much smaller compare to D. indica. Although the outer fruit are alike in features but the inner part of the fruits are a bit different (picture below). The based of the leaves of D. ovata are unequal.

Doing taxonomic work

2006-10-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

Dealing in taxonomic work is not an easy task. One have to familiarize oneself with the botanical terms being used in the taxon one is working on. Besides, different authors use different terms to describe the features that they think best suited the specimens that they examined. Therefore, one will be easily confused on what to term to use and what actually differentiate this situation. In my case, i encountered the term 'hairy, tomentose, hispid and hirsute' being used to describe the petiol as well as the abaxial of the leaf surface of Dillenia species. One really have to scrutinized the specimens to know what the other author is talking about. This take time and experience to understand. One can't determine how it is by just reading the terms.

Secondly, it's the matter of sitting for hours in a herbarium observing dry, dull, brownish specimens. Can you imagine that it took me 4-5 hours work a day in the herbarium and being able to examined only 4-5 specimens. Each specimens took me almost an hour! Of course it doesn't mean starring on the herbarium sheet. It's the work of measuring and describing all the characteristic that we observed and touch. Well, i even question myself before that 'How could i cope by looking at this dull specimens?' and 'What will i actually learnhrough this dry material?'. Well, things aren't that bad actually. Not all specimens are dull.

Below is a specimen of Dillenia ovata that capture my eyes and help to boost my interest and energy to do my herbarium work in UKMB on 5 August 2006. A neat and perfect specimens with fruits and flowers will give you all the characteristic that will help you to determine the species better. It is nice when one already master the skill in the taxon that one is working on. By then, one can determine the species in the genus or family just like snapping the fingers by just looking at simply a dry leaf of that species. As usual, nothing comes without hardwork.

Bravo and good luck to all taxonomists and new practitioners like me.

Is it Dillenia excelsa?

2006-10-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

My first ever fieldwork during my master was carried out in Ayer Keroh Forest Reserve, Malacca. I went there with my best friend who was on her way back to her hometown. Upon reaching the place, we went to the ranger office to ask for the permission to gather the leaves and inflorescence of Dillenia as boucher. He said that there aren’t any of the species that have been labeled so far and we might have to rumble through the inner forest to find the Dillenia species. He was not that sure where to find it too. My instinct also told me that he is not that familiar with this genus either, although he tried hard to help us by showing us some references on that genus. He told us that the trees of ‘simpoh’ are always stilt-rooted which of course I don’t agree but I just abide him.

With that, we venture into the forest in search of Dillenia. True to what the ranger said, we didn’t manage to find any species nearby, so we wandered inner the jungle. We stopped quite often to take a look at the leaves on the top canopy trying to scrutinized whether the leaves description tally with any of the Dillenia species that are expected to occur in Malacca. Most of the leaves that we thought are of some resemblance turned out to be far from it when we got nearer to the tree. After much trial and error and being stung with dozens of mosquitoes, we were really exhausted and almost gave up. Without our realization, almost 3 hours had slipped away. On our way out, a tree caught my eye and my instinct tell me that this might be a tree I’m looking for.

We approached the tree and I started to look at the fallen leaves. The shape, colour, apex, base, petiol, veins and size are very close with the description of Dillenia excelsa. The only thing that doesn’t fit is that the abaxial of the leaves are not really sparsely to densely hairy as described. You can only manage to see few hairs standing apart from each other if scrutinizing the abaxial of the leaves with magnifying glass. To further clarify this species, I tried by comparing the description of the bark. After much consideration, I think it does fit the description. With this comfirmation, I decided to capture the photographs of it. It is really a hard work to capture a nice photo of tall trees with the presence of sunlight glimpses. I can’t even focused on the nearest fresh leaves to capture its’ morphological structure.

Later on, we tried to pluck the nearest leaves to be my boucher specimen. Unfortunately, it’s too high for us to reach (picture above) and we’re unable to find much longer stem to be our pole. After trying for about half an hour, we quit. We only brought back a few dried leaves and manage to find 2 to 3 yellowish green leaves for my anatomical sample. Somehow, I’m still doubtful of this species that I gather as it differs with the herbarium leaves that I observed in UKMB especially the leaf surface. I’m not sure whether it’s due to natural drying leaves with oven dried leaves. I guess I’ll consult En. Shamsul for his opinion as he has better experienced and might be able to settle my doubt.

My First Encounter With Dillenia

2006-10-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

My first encounter on Dillenia was during my degree programme. My group had chosen the subclass of Dillenidae as the project assignment of the course “Families Of Seed Plants”. Although I dealt mostly on the families of Begoniaceae and Cucurbitaceae at that moment, I also help others to search high and low all the species of Dillenidae in our campus surrounding. We really had quite a tough time as all of us are not really familiar with these plants. Somehow, we manage to finish the assignments with much hardwork and sleepless night.

From this assignment, I got the opportunity to get to know two species of Dillenia that are very commonly found. The first species is the shrubby simpoh or Dillenia suffruticosa. It is also known as “Simpoh Ayer” by local. I was attracted to it because it had large showy yellow petals (picture below). Besides that, another structure that caught my attention at that time is the reddish seeds from the indehiscent fruits that have a star-like shape. Even till now, I was still fascinated to see it. Although it flowers throughout the year, it is not easy to bump into its’ fruit that is still intact with seeds. Both fruits and petals of flowers of this species fell off by noon. I even found out from an article that the flowers and fruits started to expand early before dawn around 3 a.m and the flowers are in full bloom an hour before sunrise.

The second species of Dillenia that I encounter is Dillenia indica or much famously known as the elephant apple tree. Yes, you’re right! I was fascinated with the fruits of that tree. It’s huge and the first resemblance that flashes in my mind at that moment was the coconut fruit. The fruit is hard and heavy. The ripen fruits are yellowish in colour while the unripen fruits are apple green. Somehow, I didn’t get the chance to cut the fruit at that time but recently, I did it to satisfy my curiosity as well as part of understanding my genus much more. I’m still hunting for its’ flower somehow. My hunger to touch and capture the flower of this species will not be satisfied by just looking at other people photographs. Besides, I’ll only understand the structure of the flower part much better with a specimen on hand. Moreover, the petals are white in colour. Therefore, it’ll be highlighting the tree which has dark green leaves. Below right is my photo with the elephant apple tree taken on 28 August 2006.

Knowing the author of "simpoh"

2006-10-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

In 1983, on 11th October, I was born in Ipoh. Somehow, I was only in Ipoh for a couple of weeks before being moved to Teluk Intan (Diamond Bay) where my father, Tan Cheng Hock worked. I was raised by my father and my mother, Neoh Cheng Ten in an oil palm estate, quite isolated from the Teluk Intan town. Teluk Intan is a town famous for its’ own PISA tower in Malaysia. My education started since kindergarden where I only opt to study for a year at Tadika Intan Methodist. I proceed my education to SRK Convent, TI and SM Convent, TI, which were one of the top listed school in Hilir Perak then. After my SPM examination, I continued my education to STPM level at St. Anthony, TI which was opposite my ex-school.

My father is the breadwinner of my family. He worked as a chief clerk and I honour him very much as he is a very dedicated and trustworthy person. He is a peaceful and caring person. Although he seldom expressed his love directly, we can feel it through his preliminary preparations when we went back home and showers of gifts. My father just retired recently but he still continues his work at his company (Sime Darby) in Sabrang Estate. On the other hand, my mother is a housewife. She is the best cook ever that I known of as she can cook Chinese, Malay, Indian and some western food too. She never gets tired of trying to improve and create new recipes in her cooking. Therefore, it’s surely always a feast when one visited my house. My mother is also a very caring and sweet person and able to handle household chores perfectly.

I left my hometown in 2003 to pursue my degree in UKM under the course of Biology for three years. I never thought that I will be able to make it to this far. Somehow by luck, I was given a chance to enroll in the course which is my second choice. In the second year of my degree year, I opted to major in Botany. This is based on my interest on getting to know plants as I enjoy their presence a lot. I did my degree project on ‘The Biology of Rafflesiaceae in Melantai, Taman Negara’ under the supervision of Prof. Madya Dr. Kamarudin Mat-Salleh. The discovery of the presence of Rafflesia and Rhizanthes in Melantai, National Park during my practical there had attracted me to continue to study about them at that moment. I grew to be fond of jungle trekking and enjoy the wilderness in the forest. Everything in the forest is really magnificent and has caught my heart. Although the track to my site is pretty tough, I have always cherished the journey and experienced. Besides, the satisfaction when I get to see Rafflesia in bloom will cast away all the tiredness.

Currently, I’m pursuing my master in UKM on Plant Systematics. I’m working on my master project, ‘A Taxonomic Revision on the Genus of Dillenia in Peninsular Malaysia’ under the supervision of Prof. Dato’ Dr. Abdul Latiff Mohamad. This is something new to me and I’m still in the process of learning about this genus which is much known as ‘simpoh’ by the locals. Fundamentally, it is not easy to recognize this genus in the forest unless there are inflorescences or one already familiar with trees in the forest. Somehow, I’m very satisfied that I’d encountered five species out of ten species on my fieldworks recently.