Guest guest Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/9/9/nation/ktnfind & sec=nation ________________________ Monday, September 09, 2002 Conserve Rafflesia site, urges MNS By SYED AZHAR KUANTAN: The Malaysian Nature Society (Pahang branch) will propose that a site about 70km north of Sungai Lembing here be turned into a Rafflesia flower conservation centre. Its chairman Liong Sam Kong, who visited the site with five other MNS members on Saturday to conduct data collection, said there was an abundance of Rafflesia pods thriving on the 44ha site. “We visited a total of four spots and recorded 72 pods attached to a stem or root of jungles vines. “Apart from that, we also recorded 21 Rafflesia flowers which bloomed and died on the forest floors of the jungle. “This find is significant and we believe this area should be conserved for botanists or other scientific groups to conduct studies, & #8217; & #8217; Liong said in an interview at the site on Saturday. On Sept 4, The Star reported the discovery of the Rafflesia flowers & #8211; considered the world & #8217;s largest & #8211; by employees of Rimbaka Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd, a logging company, while making an inventory of the logs to be extracted. The company notified the MNS of the find and also requested that the area be preserved. Liong said that based on their observation, the flower found on the site had been identified as a Rafflesia Canteleyii, which according to the MNS handbook, is found only in the northern peninsula of Malaysia. He said the MNS would propose to the Pahang Government to turn the site into a conservation centre. “So far, Raffelsia Cantelyii has only been found in Kelantan, Perak, Lipis and Tioman. This discovery in Sungai Lembing is the missing link of the Rafflesia Belt which branches out from Perak to Pulau Tioman,” he said. He added that many Rafflesia species were extremely rare and had a limited distribution in certain areas of Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines. He said Rafflesia had no specific flowering season and when it did, would only last five to six days before the petals turned black and withered. “This flower has no roots, stem or leaves and only attaches itself to a root or stem of a jungle vine,” he said adding that it takes at least 10 months to mature into a cabbage sized bud and when it blooms, it emits a foul odour which attracts flies and insects. The biggest known Rafflesia flower, Rafflesia Arnoldii, which can measure one metre in diameter, can from time to time be found at the Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak. The flower was discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr Joseph Arnold near the town of Bengkulu, Sumatra, in 1816. Rimbaka Forestry corporation forest management unit head Alif Lam Abdullah said the flowers were found in an area which had been logged by the company two months ago. “It was found by one of our employees while making an inventory of the trees. They alerted me of the find and when I saw the flower, I knew it was a Rafflesia. “We are concerned about the flowers and that is why we want the relevant authorities to preserve the area for conservation purposes. “The company is willing to allow any scientific groups into the area to make studies on the flowers. “However, we will not allow any casual visitors into the area because the flowers are very sensitive,” he said. <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/9/9/nation/ktnfind & sec=nation ________________________ Monday, September 09, 2002 Conserve Rafflesia site, urges MNS By SYED AZHAR KUANTAN: The Malaysian Nature Society (Pahang branch) will propose that a site about 70km north of Sungai Lembing here be turned into a Rafflesia flower conservation centre. Its chairman Liong Sam Kong, who visited the site with five other MNS members on Saturday to conduct data collection, said there was an abundance of Rafflesia pods thriving on the 44ha site. “We visited a total of four spots and recorded 72 pods attached to a stem or root of jungles vines. “Apart from that, we also recorded 21 Rafflesia flowers which bloomed and died on the forest floors of the jungle. “This find is significant and we believe this area should be conserved for botanists or other scientific groups to conduct studies, & #8217; & #8217; Liong said in an interview at the site on Saturday. On Sept 4, The Star reported the discovery of the Rafflesia flowers & #8211; considered the world & #8217;s largest & #8211; by employees of Rimbaka Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd, a logging company, while making an inventory of the logs to be extracted. The company notified the MNS of the find and also requested that the area be preserved. Liong said that based on their observation, the flower found on the site had been identified as a Rafflesia Canteleyii, which according to the MNS handbook, is found only in the northern peninsula of Malaysia. He said the MNS would propose to the Pahang Government to turn the site into a conservation centre. “So far, Raffelsia Cantelyii has only been found in Kelantan, Perak, Lipis and Tioman. This discovery in Sungai Lembing is the missing link of the Rafflesia Belt which branches out from Perak to Pulau Tioman,” he said. He added that many Rafflesia species were extremely rare and had a limited distribution in certain areas of Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines. He said Rafflesia had no specific flowering season and when it did, would only last five to six days before the petals turned black and withered. “This flower has no roots, stem or leaves and only attaches itself to a root or stem of a jungle vine,” he said adding that it takes at least 10 months to mature into a cabbage sized bud and when it blooms, it emits a foul odour which attracts flies and insects. The biggest known Rafflesia flower, Rafflesia Arnoldii, which can measure one metre in diameter, can from time to time be found at the Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak. The flower was discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr Joseph Arnold near the town of Bengkulu, Sumatra, in 1816. Rimbaka Forestry corporation forest management unit head Alif Lam Abdullah said the flowers were found in an area which had been logged by the company two months ago. “It was found by one of our employees while making an inventory of the trees. They alerted me of the find and when I saw the flower, I knew it was a Rafflesia. “We are concerned about the flowers and that is why we want the relevant authorities to preserve the area for conservation purposes. “The company is willing to allow any scientific groups into the area to make studies on the flowers. “However, we will not allow any casual visitors into the area because the flowers are very sensitive,” he said. <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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