Urgent need to protect our flora heritage
Published on: Saturday, May 09, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah is again in the spotlight of the world with the launch of a 300-page book entitled 'A Guide to Begonias of Borneo' published by Sabah's Natural Publications (Borneo) which received overwhelming response by participants at the recent International Symposium on Asian Begonias and Limestone Flora held in Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan.The case for the urgent need to protect our flora heritage was demonstrated when a collector from Taiwan smuggled the flower specie Begonia darthvaderiana out from Borneo, naming it after a fictional Star War character Darth Vader that is now available for sale on the Internet to be ordered and sent out from Hong Kong for USD80 per plant.This shows that there is an urgent need to conserve our flora heritage from being smuggled out of its natural habitat to overseas market to be commercialised despite laws are in place to prevent such occurrence. Borneo has already lost out in its orchid flower commercialisation industry exploited by other countries, as forests are being destroyed in Borneo.
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Begonia is one of the largest genera of flowering plants in the world with a variety of leaf shapes, colours and patterns. They grow in the deeply shaded forest understorey from the lowlands to mountain tops and on all rock types including granite, limestone, sandstone and ultramafic rocks.The plants are monoecious, with unisexual male and female flowers occurring separately on the same plant; the male contains numerous stamens, and the female has a large inferior ovary and two to four branched or twisted stigmas. In most species, the fruit is a winged capsule containing numerous minute seeds, although baccate fruits are also known. The leaves, which are often large and variously marked or variegated, are usually asymmetric (unequal-sided).The genus name Begonia, coined by Charles Plumier, a French patron of botany to honour Michel Begon, a former governor of the French colony of Haiti."A Guide to Begonias of Borneo" authored by Dr Ruth Kiew, Julia Sang, Rimi Repin and Joffre Ali Ahmad was launched Friday by publisher Datuk Chan Chew Lun at the Hyatt Regency here and the event was officiated by a generous financier of the book, Tan Jiew Hoe who is the President of the Singapore Gardening Society and a Board Member of the Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.
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"Today is a special day as this is the first book ever written about the Begonias of Borneo is being presented to the world. Borneo is home to 194 species – most of them endermic (only found in its location habitat)."This enchanting genus of great horticultural interest is popular as garden plants in the West and the tropics. The Project Begonias of Borneo is spearheaded by Tan," Chan acknowledged in his address.
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Tan exhorted: "Do not allow Begonias to be 'Be Gone La'."We must hurry; we can't stop any country developing their jungle into plantations or mines. I would like to plead that they allow scientists to go in and study."The researchers may start nurseries to grow all these delicate plants, mainly Begonias, Gesneriads, ginger and many other understorey plants."All Borneo begonias are endemic and so are found nowhere else in the world. Many are found in just one or two localities.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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