The Limestone Flora of Sarawak.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
The Limestone Flora of Sarawak. |
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Author :
Ruth Kiew |
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Abstract:
Compared with Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, until recently the limestone flora of Sarawak was poorly known. Although recent inventories have been conducted on Gunung Api in the Gunung Mulu National Park and the Subis limestone in the Niah National Park, the results are still unpublished. The recent survey of the limestone hills around Bau has added greatly to knowledge of the Sarawak limestone flora and confirms the earlier impression that (a) there are four phytogeographically distinct areas (Mulu, Niah, Bau, and the Padawan-Serian limestone), (b) each of these limestone areas has high biodiversity and harbours endemic as well as undescribed species, and that (c) the limestone flora of Sarawak, while showing some similarities to that of Sabah, e.g. in the Dipterocarpaceae, Begoniaceae and the Urticaceae being well represented, is distinct in the presence of the calcifuge element, the larger number of epiphytes particularly orchids, and in the submontane vegetation on Gunung Api, at 1,700m the tallest limestone mountain in Malaysia. Some areas still remain botanically unexplored, e.g. the Padawan-Serian area, the Gunung Sarang and Ulu Kukus area, and the limestone hills in the Baram and Limbang areas.
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Ruth Kiew. (2004). The Limestone Flora of Sarawak. The Sarawak Museum Journal, LIX (80): 79-90 |
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References
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