Rafflesia: Magnificent flower of Sabah - Softcover

Kamarudin Mat Salleh

9789839724004: Rafflesia: Magnificent flower of Sabah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9839724002 ISBN 13: 9789839724004

Publisher: Natural History Publications, 1991

There are seven species of Rafflesia in Malaysia. R. cantleyi and R. kerrii are found in Peninsular Malaysia and R. arnoldii, R. pricei, R. keithii, R. tuan-mudae and R. tengku-adlinii in Sarawak and Sabah. The only known host of Rafflesia is Tetrastigma(Vitaceae). Most species are highly localised and are therefore vulnerable to extinction because of habitat disturbance and host cutting from activites such as land clearing, logging, and ethnobotanical collecting. The first two activities are important in threatening the Bornean species, while in the Peninsula over-collecting by local people who sell the buds for medicine is apparently the greatest threat. In-situ conservation is only possible in gazetted National Parks, State Parks and Virgin Jungle Reserves. Ex-situ conservation either through introduction to botanic gardens or tissue culture remains very remote.

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