Natural History Notes

Sea Hibiscus flowers just last a dawn-to-dusk. The Sea Hibiscus ( Hibiscus tiliaceus ) is a small flowering tree commonly found along beaches and mangroves. It can grow to heights exceeding 10 meters and is characterized by its heart-shaped leaves that are arranged alternately along the branches. The tree produces striking flowers, approximately 10 cm in diameter, which start as yellow with a darker base and gradually transition to a pinkish-orange hue. The fruit is a capsule with a persistent calyx that splits into several parts when ripe. Sea Hibiscus fruits change from green to brown as they mature. With a geographic range spanning the Indo-Pacific region and the Pacific Islands, this tree is known by various names, such as Waru in the Philippines and Bebaru in Malaysia. In parts of the Americas, where it is considered an invasive species, this member of the Malvaceae family is referred to as Mahoe . Sea Hibiscus growing along mangroves. The Sea Hibiscus can be used in landscaping...

A stingless bee collecting resin. Stingless bees are widely distributed in tropical regions, but they are most diverse in Southeast Asia partly due to the high numbers of resinous trees. They collect resins, such as those from dipterocarps trees in the rainforest, to be used as construction material for their nest which are built inside tree trunks. Resins also serve as protective material that deters predators including ants and wasps from attacking their colony. A stingless bee visiting Asystasia flower. Like honeybees, stingless bees feed primarily on nectar, but they are also known to opportunistically take honeydew, fruit juice, and carrion, among many others. When visiting tubular flowers, they habitually cut a hole near the base of the flower using their mandible, for easier access to nectar source. Locally, stingless bees are known as lukut (Philippines), kelulut (Malaysia) and emmu (Sulawesi). Locals have been rearing these social bees for honey usi...

Blooming Rafflesia keithii Rafflesia is a remarkable plant not only because of its huge flower but also due to its unusual life history. Found in forested areas across southeast Asia, this parasitic plant lacks leaves and stem. As such, it is incapable to produce its own food via photosynthesis. Instead, it fully relies on its host, a ground rooted woody vine also called lianas. It penetrates its host using specialized root-like structure known as houstoria, spreading into the host’s vascular tissue to gain access to nutrients and water. Rafflesia flower bud The unisexual flower grows up to 3 feet wide and weighs up to 10 kilograms or so. Blooming occurs for less than a week, and like most flowers, Rafflesia flowers produce smell to attract insects. But unlike most flowers, the smell is unpleasant and often likened to the smell of carrion. Reportedly, this foul smell attracts its pollinator, a type of flies that travel over large distance and live for a few days, making...

Flowers of Lantana camara . Originally brought from South America to this region for decorative purposes, Lantana camara has escaped into the wild where it thrived at clearings around villages, cultivation and forested areas. Owing to its toxicity, this shrubby plant belonging to the verbena family has become a cause of concern to the extent that it is categorized as an invasive species in some countries. Some ripe and unripe fruits of Lantana camara . The fruits, for instance, although appear edible, can cause serious implication if consumed. Indeed, fatal cases have been recorded especially among children. Ingestion of the leaves by ruminants such as cows and goats will lead to liver damage followed by death in a few days. Arrangement of leaves and flower clusters of Lantana camara . The unmistakable flower clusters are held on erect stalk from the leaf axil near the top. Most of the flowers are orange and yellow, but variations occur in which the flowers ...

Because pollination requires suitable pollinator to be successful, animal pollinated flowers have developed a variety of colors, scent and sizes; thus, restricting the kind of animals that visit them. Consequently, only animals with the right characteristics can feed on the nectar, and in return pollinate the flowers. A butterfly uses its proboscis to feed on nectar. Insects generally has keen sense of sight, hence they tend to visit colorful flowers. Butterflies, for example, often visit red, orange and yellow flowers, including those with long tubular tube for they can easily reach the nectar using their long sucking mouthparts .  In contrast, bees cannot see red but they can see blue. This explains why many bee flowers are blue or violet. Bees are attracted to blue, purple and violet flowers. Time of opening also played a crucial part in attracting the right pollinators. Some flowers open at night like those of durian , which are pollinated by bats. Strongly...

The rainforest ecosystem in Southeast Asia is home to many species of gingers (family Zingiberaceae), each with distinctive flowers that may greatly aid identification. The most famous because of its value as a garden plant is the Torch Ginger ( Etlingera elatior ), which has a large flower borne on a rather long stem that grows vertically from the soil. Etlingera littoralis flower A lesser known ginger of the genus Etlingera is E. littoralis . In contrast to E. elatior , it has red flower that grows directly on the ground. Some forms of this ginger have yellow-bordered flower petals particularly those found around southern Thailand. Both species is beneficial as food and medication. For instance, the flower of E. elatior and the fruit of E. littoralis are edible. The former is also helpful in treating headache and stomachache. Inflorescence of Costus speciosus More conspicuous than those species mentioned earlier is Costus specious , because of its ability to grow ...

Banana flowers The banana tree ( Musa sp.) is essentially a large herb most notable for its fruits. The large flowers are in many cases dioecious, that is the female and male flowers are present in the same plant. The inflorescence initially starts out at the tip of the plant. In the beginning, it is erect but eventually bends downwards. At first, only the female banana flowers develop in cluster around the thick long stalk. They are often referred as hands, and each finger will eventually become the fruit. As the fruits develop, the stalk continues to grow, and the male flowers will appear near the end, at the axil of the conspicuous bracts.

Despite its name, the Madagascar periwinkle ( Catharanthus roseus madagascariensis ) is believed to be native to Central America, specifically the Caribbean. A widely used garden plant, the Madagascar periwinkle is especially useful as covering plant by growing them in large numbers around other plants, particularly those with larger flowers. Periwinkle flowers However, it is in medicine that the Madagascar periwinkle as been proven highly beneficial.  In many tropical countries including those in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, this plant is utilized in traditional medicine to cure various ailments like heart condition, diabetes, indigestion and toothache. More importantly, modern medicine has been using the alkaloids extracted from the Madagascar periwinkle to treat certain types of cancer. It is so effective to the extent that the chance of surviving some form of cancer such as pediatric leukemia has increased dramatically. The Madagascar periwinkle...

Passion Flower Vine A plant genus consisting of more than 400 species, passion flower vine ( Passiflora sp.)  is a climbing plant originated in South America. Reaching up to 90 feet in length, this climber uses tendrils to climb trees, but the flowers are borne in lower level because many of its pollinators tend to be found in the lower storey. The flower of passion vine is unmistakable, and easily identified by the corona that consists of numerous thread-like spikes.  Passion flower comes in various colours including blue, purple and red. The spectacular passion flowers are borne singly, each with 5 petals and sepals. At the center of the flower is the stamen, the female organs, with three stigmas where the pollens land at the initial stage of fertilization.  Just below them are the male organs or stamens. There are typically five stamens in each flower.  Depending of species, passion vine flowers are pollinated by butterflies, bees, bats and ...

Melastoma malabathricum is a very common shrub in open places including forest edge, wasteland and rural road. Also known as Indian Rhododendron, its distribution includes the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Polynesia and Hawaii. The flowers and leaves of Melastoma malabathricum . It resembles Clidemia hirta in certain characteristics for both of them are members of the Melastomataceae family. For example, the leaves are opposite in arrangement with 3-5 parallel veins. M. malabathricum , however, has brownish red stems covered with tiny scales. The 5 petalled, purple flowers are very showy, and they are held at the end of the twigs. Ten yellow stamens are present on each flower; 5 of those are longer with the upper half are purple and curved. The black berry of Melastoma malabathricum contains numerous tiny seeds. The evergreen Melastoma  malabathricum does not seem to have any definite flowering and fruiting season. Since the flowers and fruits are used a...

Although its name suggests that it is a member of the Tulip family (Liliaceae), the fact is the African Tulip Tree ( Spathodea campanulata ) is classified into the Bignoniaceae family. Also known as the Fountain Tree, it is a fast growing, evergreen tree whose origin is in the tropical African rainforest. Mature trees can reach up to 30m and grow buttresses at the base.  African Tulip Tree flowers and unripe pods The African Tulip Tree has been introduced in many part of the tropical region because of its horticultural value. It makes a good shade tree, and it will produce spectacular orange or yellow flowers. Because the flowers are borne on the terminal branches, so naturally one can only fully appreciates their beauty when the plant is still small or when looking down from a high rise building. Like so many non-native species, the African Tulip Tree can be detrimental to the natural environment. In Hawaii, it is an invasive tree species and listed as one of the most ...

Coral Swirl ( Wrigthia antidysenterica )

Red Bougainvillea inflorescence Bougainvillea is a popular ornamental plant cultivated in many parts of the world. It originated from South America, where it was found by a French explorer Louis De Bougainville in the 18th century. This plant has a beautiful inflorescence which comprises of the colourful bracts that can be purple, white or red, among others. The flower has no petals, but a tubular calyx surrounded by the bracts. It is quite easy to maintain especially in the tropics since it requires a lot of sunlight and well drained soil.

Cat's Whiskers is a widely used plant in traditional medicine in South-east Asia where the dried leaves are used to make a tea with diuretic properties that helps get rid of uric acid, as well as kidney and urinary stones. The flowers are white or pale lilac in color, sprouting long filaments resembling whiskers, hence its name.

The white flowers of Clidemia hirta Clidemia hirta or also known as Koster's Curse is a locally widespread invasive species that originated from the Central and South Americas. A number of factors contributed to its successful dispersion. For example, the fruits of Clidemia hirta contain numerous tiny seeds and they are produced throughout the year; it also has broad habitat preference from edges of the rainforest to plantations. Besides that, there are many dispersal agents which feed on its fruits and then disperse the seeds including birds such as bulbuls and flowerpeckers. Ripe fruits of Clidemia hirta Clidemia hirta usually grows not more than 2 meters tall. It is a hairy shrub - the stems, leaves and fruits are covered with fine hairs. Like many members of the Melastomataceae family, the leaves are opposite in arrangement, and the veins arise from the base of the leaves, running parallel with each other toward the apex. The white flowers, with five pe...

Orchid is one of the species rich families of plant, with more that 19,000 species identified. They are generally epiphyte - growing on other plants, but some are terrestrial plants like the ground orchid Spathoglottis plicata . Somewhat unique among orchids, Spthoglottis plicata is a terrestial plant This ground orchid has a wide geographical distribution. Spathoglottis plicata is found in India to peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, and ultimately reaches as far as the pacific islands. Its success is partly attributed to its ability to self pollinated. In other words, a single individual is able to reproduce a viable offspring, without the need of cross pollinating with plant of the opposite sex. Spathoglottis plicata is also a tough plant, capable of adapting in various type of habitat ranging from the edge of the rainforest to plantations and rocky shores. I found this ground orchid rather common along roads that cut through the palm oil plantations, growing among th...

Note the large and thick leaves of Shrubby Simpoh Shrubby Simpoh ( Dillenia suffruticosa ) is an ubiquitous plants usually found in wasteland and forest edge, where its presence is impossible to miss. The stout leaves are massive for a plants of its size, oblong in shape with prominent veins. They are arranged spirally, confined more or less at the end of the twigs. The showy yellow flower of Shrubby Simpoh The yellow flowers are equally large, with a tendency to point downwards. It has five petals, and numerous stamens clumped at the center. They are frequently visited by ants and bumblebees. The follicular fruits splits open when ripe, exposing the seeds which are covered with red arils. I have seen birds such as bulbuls and flowerpeckers feeding on those seeds. A ripe fruit of Shrubby Simpoh

Orchid-like flower of Beehive Ginger The Beehive Ginger ( Zingiber spectabile ) have a spectacular flowerhead which actually comprises of numerous bracts, arranged closely together so as to produce a beehive like structure. It springs directly from the ground, initially yellow in color, but turns to red when mature. Beehive Gingers at the same site bloom almost synchronously, but still it takes a bit effort to see them since the flowerheads are usually hidden by the dense undergrowth and the flowers are small. Only a few flowers emerge from the bracts at the same time. They are attractive with brown-purple, yellow spotted petals. Related Post Wild Gingers in the Rainforest