The strangler fig

绞杀無花果属植物

Like many other tropical rain forest, Sungai Tiang of the Royal Belum State Park is home to many species of strangler trees. 

When I encountered this strangler fig, I was curious to find out the condition of the host tree being strangled. 

When I encountered this strangler fig (photo above), I was curious to find out the condition of the host tree being strangled. 

So I walked away from the tree far enough to look at its top, and found that most of the leaves of the host tree have dropped, indicating it is dying (Photo below).

The host tree at the center is dying due to the strangler tree.  The leaves at the top have dropped.

Another wrangler fig species at Royal Belum.

This wrangler tree at Royal Belum has successfully killed a host tree and continue to grow strong.

But a strangler fig tree is not just a murderer tree in the forest as it seems. Many studies have shown that figs sustain more species of birds and mammals than any other trees, making them vital to rainforests.

As Wikipedia describes strangler figs….”These plants begin life as hemiepiphytes, when their seeds, often bird-dispersed, germinate in crevices atop other trees. These seedlings grow their roots downward and envelop the host tree while also growing upward to reach into the sunlight zone above the canopy.

An original support tree can sometimes die, so that the strangler fig becomes a "columnar tree" with a hollow central core. However, it is also believed that the strangler fig can help the support tree survive storms.”

Wikipedia 对这种物种如此叙述：

绞杀植物，又名殺手樹，指一种植物以附生来开始它的生长，然后通过根茎的成长成为独立生活的植物，并采用挤压、攀抱、缠绕等方式盘剥寄树营养，剥夺寄树的生存空间，从而杀死寄树。

绞杀植物介于藤本植物和附生植物之间，主要生活在热带雨林中。其主要种属有桑科的榕属、五加科的鸭脚木属、漆树科的某些种属等。在其它区域如亚热带和温带森林中绞杀植物的种类和个体数量，均远远少于热带雨林。

Mimicry of Leaf

Mimicry of Leaf
树叶的模仿技巧

In our young days, we used to go into the wild bushes and among the green leaves in search of a champion fighter spider after school as our pastime hobby. Quite often, we would encounter abnormal looking leaves such as those in the photos. Instinctively, we would avoid touching or getting close to the leaves for fear of being stung by the “bugs” on the leaves.

Today, botanists have found that some plants mimic the presence of insect eggs, beetles or other bugs on their leaves, dissuading insect species from laying their eggs or landing there. This is because insects are less likely to lay their eggs on plants that already have eggs, or forage a leaf seeing other bugs are already there.


Photos 1 to 4 of one species of plant mimics hairy bugs of red and yellow colors and it even mimics rotting “scars” on the leaf.

Photos 5 to 8 of another species of plant mimics a type of insect eggs or a type of beetles that even
include details of legs of the beetles.

This is obviously a good defensive or protective strategy to avoid harmful encounters by deceiving enemies by dissuading them to somewhere else. Those enemies include fighter spider hunting school boys like us.


(Photos taken June 2016, Sg Sedim, Kedah)

Air Hitam Dalam - Putat Nasi

Air Hitam Dalam - Putat Nasi

玉蕊

Barringtonia conoidea Griff.

 

Air Hitam Dalam is a low lying marshy area that is crisscrossed by concrete elevated boardwalks, making it much safer and convenient for visitors and birders alike to explore.  Walking from the inside carpark, the boardwalk passes through an area of tall fig trees and emerges from the shady canopies into a bright open area of well-maintained “pusat nasi” shrubs.

The shrubs are often cut and kept at about the height of a human, and are therefore always seen sprouting with young shoots.  A farmer is often seen harvesting the abundant “putat nasi” shoots, which are edible as “ulam”, a tasty and appetizing salad usually eaten with sambal belacan.  It is one of my favorites whenever I eat in Malay stalls.

(June 2016, Air Hitam Dalam)

Malaysian Wild Fruits

Malaysian Wild Fruits

野果

These delicious looking wild fruits immediately caught my eyes when we walked along a jungle trek at Sungai Sedim. Each pink fruit has the size of about a 20 sen coin, they looked very much like a bunch of real grapes.  An inexperienced jungle trekker who is thirsty and hungry may be tempted to eat them and will very likely get intoxicated.

(June 2016, Sg Sedim, Kedah)

Fraser's Hill -- Flora (3)
福隆港 -- 花卉 (3)

May, 2016

Fraser’s Hill – Flora

Fraser’s Hill – Flora

福隆港 – 花卉

 

With altitudes between 1,220 and 1,524 meters above sea level，its cool and wet climate provide ideal conditions for a high level of biodiversity. 

Just like those found in the Cameron Highlands (1,070 to 2,031 metres), These flourishing flowers seen here are bigger in size, brighter and more striking in colors compared with those found on coastal towns as in Penang Island. The shots were taken as and when they were encountered along roadsides, parks, gardens or in the wild.  

(8/5/2016, Fraser’s Hill)