The JapaneseSocietyJapanese Society forforPlant Plant Systematics

ISSN 1346-7565 ActaPhytotax.Geobot.56 (1): 21-26 (2005)

Invitedarticle

Plant Inventory Research: Contributions totheFloraof Myanmar

NOBUYUKI TANAKA

Kbchi Prefirctural imkino Bolanicat Ganten,Godaisan4200-6, Kbchi Cits.;Kochi, Japan

The Makino Botanical Garden and its associated institutions have been conducting plant inventory

research for contributions to the Flora of Myanmar, based on a memorandum of understanding signed

by Makino and the Forest Department, Ministry ef Forestry of Myanmar. Current eur inventoiy field

research of Myanmar is presentcd hcrc. Field studies have focused on 2 sites, Mt. Popa and Natrna Tbung (Mt, Victoria) National Park. Checklists to the fiowering plants of these two inountains are eurrently being prepared respectively based on the collections we have amassed so fan We have also organized train- ing programs to help build capacity amongst our counterparts in Myanmar. For the continued success of collaborative floristic work in Myanmar, a local research centre Ls required to serve as a herbarium and to premote education on issues such as taxonomic botany,

Key words:inventory, flora of Myanmar, Mt. Popa, Natma I}tung National Park,Mt. Victoria.

Myanmar (Burma) is located south of the have been reported from Myanmar (Itress et al.

Himalayan region and, with a land area of 676,500 2003) though many more are likely to exist.

km2 (approximately twice the size of Japan), spans At present, the Makino Botanical Garden and tropical evergreen, mixed deciduous, savanna and its associated institutions are conducting plant inven-

alpine vegetation types. With its wea]th of plant tory research in conservation areas for contribu-

diversity, Myanmar is one of the most botanically tions to the Flora of Myanmar, based on a rneme-

fascinating countries in the world. Since British randum of understanding signed by Makino and

botanists such as E Kingdon-Ward, J. H, Lace, R, E. the Forest Department, Ministry of Forestry of

Cooper and others made botanical surveys in the Myanmar. Thus far ca. 6,500 specimens have been

country over half a century ago (Tlable 1), no com- collected in Mt. Popa, Mandalay Division and prehensive fioristic suTveys have been conducted, Natma [faung National Park, Chin State.

and much remains to be learnt of its fiora as well as

of its floristic relations with neighbouring regions in Methodology of inventory research

Asia, Thus far, ca, 11,800 species of spermatophyte

This article is formed from the presentation as one of contributions fbr the International Syrnposium 2004. Asian Plant Diversity and Systematics, held at Sakura, Chiba, Japan on July 29 - August 2, 2004,

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TABLE 1 . Key plant coLlections in Myanmar (Burma) in 20th century. Based on data frem herbarium specimens deposited in A, E and also MacLean (1997, 2004). Year Locality Collector

19081910191019111911-1912UpperChindwjn J. H. Lace

Myitkyina I. M. Buchanan

MaymyoMt. J. H. Lace

Victoria Charlotte Wheeler Cuffe

Myitkyina, Mandalay, Mogo J. H. Luce 19121914I914191419161919191919191922192419241924-1925UpperBurma GorgeForrest

Apri] cxp. to Burma Frank Kingdon-Ward

Myingyan District C. Gilbert Rogers UpperBurma GorgeForrest

Chin Hills V, H. T. Fields Clarke

North Burma FrankKingdon-Ward

North Burma & Assam Reginald Farrer

MyitkyinaDistrict C, Gilbcrt Rogers

Southeastern Shan State J. F. Rock Mt. Victoria R.E.Cooper

Tlavoy (Tenasserim) R. N, Parker UpperBurma GorgeForrest 1926192619291930-1931 North Burma and Assarn FraiikKingdon-Ward

Mt. Victoria R. Unwin

Burma and Indechina FrankKingdon-Ward NorthBurma FrankKingdon-Ward

1931-1932 Rangoon, Maymyo F. G. Dickason

1932[935-]939 RangoonWebu}a, C. E. Parkinson

Mt. Pupu, Mt. Victoria .

Ihunggyi E G, Dickason

1937-1938 North Burma, Assam and Tibet Frank Kingdon-Ward ]952-1953 North Burma FrankKingdon-Ward

1956 West central Burma,

Chin hills, Mt, Victoria Frank Kingdon-Ward

1961-1962 Kachin State, Ibnasserim J. Keenan et al.

1961-1962 Maymyo A. L. & M. R Bogle

The Forest Department of Myanmar currently man- Department in particular, pre-selected regions. We

ages 38 parks fbr the protection of wildlife. [[hese 38 aim to complete checklists at two or three sites

parks consist of: six National Parks (Hkhakabe simultaneously in any one region, and thereby

Razi, Alaungdaw Kathapa, Natma Thung, Lampi, undertake floristic analyses for that region as a

[Iletninthary and Lenya), 27 Wildlife Sanctuaries, whole. Currently, our fie]d studies are focusing on

two parks, two protected areas and one elephant two sites in central and western Myanmar: Mt.

range. Levels of biodiversity are high in al1 of these Popa in Mandalay Division, and Mt. Victoria in

parks, though especially in the National Parks. Chin State.

[faninthary and Lenya are established in 2002, A total of ten expeditions have been conduct- Our strategy in compiling a full flora of ed in those two sites with the cooperation of Myanmar rlbkyo is to first draw up individual inventories Botanical Gardens, the University of ([fable for each of the National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries 2) and thus far collected ca. 6,500 specimens. One

and Mountain Parks managed by the Forest set of the specimens is kept at the Forest Department

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Apri12005 TANAKA: Flora of Myanrnar 23

of Myanmar, and remaining sets were sent to MBK (Dickason 1946), however, he didn't make any and TI. Checklists to the fiowering plants of Mt. acount on Mt. Popa. Popa and Mt. Victoria are currently being prepared The vegetation of Popa is tropical deciduous based on the collections we hewe amassed so fatr and forest, however, moist fbrest can been seen around

specimens that are housed in A and E. 1Ooo m above see level. in tropical deciduous forest,

In addition, local botanists from the Myanmar Dipterocarpus, Shorea, ferminalia, Lagerstroemia

Forest Department have been invited to Japan to are common trees. Balanophora abbreviata Bl.,

broaden their knowledge of taxonomy and herbari- and some aroids such as Arisaema, 7Yphonium,

such as um management. Amorphophallus, gingers Curcuma, Hecly- chium, Zingiber, terrestrial orchids, Cymbidium, Study sites Hdbenaria, Peeteilis, spathoglottis etc. exist at the edge of the forest. The vegetation around the peak

We chose Mt. Popa (25D56'N, 55e16'E) as our first is grassland, in which Anaphalis, Echinops are study site in Myanmar because it is an isolated growing. Drosera pettata Smith has been also found

mountain, and an extinct volcano in Myanmar, sur- around the peak (1518 m). rounded by dry zone savannah. As such, it is likely Yin-Yin-Kyi (1992) identified 74 species of to have a unique fiora including endemic taxa. It is flowering plants in her preliminary reports on veg- quite easy to access Mt. Popa from Bagan, as well etation of Mt. Popa and she made a survey of

as from Mandalay. Furthermore, Popa Mountain crater's vegetation and 221 species were enumerat-

Park already has an active Environmental Education ed (Yin-Yin-Kyi 1997). Checklisting of flowemhg

Centre, which we have been able to use to prepare plants of Mt. Popa hewe been currently prepared and

herbarium specimens. Initially, it was necessary to we also intend to make ajoint publication of a field

highlight to the local Forest Department staff the guide to flowering plants of Mt. Popa with the

importance of fioristic research as well as to clarify Smithenian Institutions (Kress pers. comm.). It is

our aims in working in the area. estimated more than 300 species in Mt. Popa.

Dickason is probahly the first botanist who [[Ihe Natma Tbung Natienal Parl(, another study made a botanical collection in Mt. Popa. He visited site, is 1ocated in the southwestem part of Myanmar,

"Chin many places in Myamnar (Tahle 1) and made a in s}called Hills". Mt. Victoria (21e12'N, 93" phylogenetic study of the ferns of Myanmar 3S'E) is the highest mountain in this range (Fig, 1).

TABLE 2. Betanical survcys to Myanmar condacted by the Makino Botanical Garden and Botanical Gardens, the Uniyersity ef [[bkyo from 2000 to 2004.

Year (month) Locality Maymyo 2000 (June) Popa Mountain Patk & 2000 (October) Pepa Mountain Park 2001 (July) Popa Mountain Park & Maymyo Maymyo 2002 (January) Popa Mountain Park & Popa Mountain Park 2002 (March) & Mt, Victoria 2oo2

2002 (December) Mt. Victeria & Mindat 2oo3 (April) Popa Mountain Paik & Mt. Victoria, Mindat 2oo4 (February to March) Mt, Victoria 2004 (May) North of Natma [faung (Mt. Victoria) N. P.

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[Ib the north, the Chin Hills connect with a taller National Park and enumerated 193 species of fiow-

mountain range of which Mt. Hkhakabo Razi is ering plants in his preliminary checklist. Unfor- the most famous peak. Mt. Victoria is regarded as an tunately he passed away after that when he was

ecological refuge, offering a temperate climate that still young. is absent from neighbouring regions. It is estimated Six types of vegetation can be recognized in that there are about 2500 vascular plant species in Mt. Victoria. They are; tropical deciduous dry forest,

Chin Hills (Mill 1995), indeed, a number of endem- mixed evergreen broadleaved forest, fire preclimax

ic and relict species are found in this area such as Pine savanna, temperate semi-evergreen forest and

Potentilla montisvictoriae H. lkeda & H. Ohba and subalpine meadows (Kingdon-Ward 1958, Mill Rhododendron ct(tfeanum Craib ex Hutch. 1995). A lot of epiphytes are growing on trees in Several collections have been made in Mt. temperate evergreen forest in Mt. Victoria (Fig. 2). Victoria National Parlc by Charlotte Wheeler Cuffe Himalayan ginger, Roscoea aipina Royle, three

in 1911 (National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin species ofAnemone, A. obtusitoba D.Don, A. rivu-

1995), Cooper in 1924, Unwin in 1926, Dickason in laris Buch.-Ham. ex DC., A. rupestris Hook.f. ex

1937 and Kingdon-Ward in 1956 (Table 1). Thoms, are found in alpine meadow around the Kngdon-Ward (1958) published an article on the peak (ca. 3050 m) (Figs. 3, 4). Numerous orchids

vegetation of Mt. Victoria. A local botanist, Myo- such as Dendrobium, Coelogyne, Papilionanthe,

Khin (2000), made surveys in Natma Taung Renanthera etc., and also vatious gingers such as ee$eess

FIG. 1-4. 1: Scenery of Mt. Victoria and Natrna Thung National Park. 2: Epiphytic Cbelogyne nitidd Lindl, and Aesclrynanthus sp. on trees in evergreen temperate forest, Natma Thung National Park. 3: Atpine meadow dominated by Anemone obtusiloba D. Don near the ofMt. Victoria.4:Rosceea peak aipina Royle and Potentilla montisvictoriae H. Ikeda & H. Ohba in alpine meadow areund thepeak.

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April 2005. T;aLNAKA: Flora of Myanmar 25

Zingibeny Curcuma, Hedychium, Globba, Rhyn- become a centre for inventory research ag part of the

chanthus etc. can be observed in this park. An overall proj ect.

epiphytic rhododendron, R, ctcffeanum Craib ex We at the Makino Botanical Garden believe

Hutch, is very common around Mt. Mow Bi in the that a herbarium, as a plant inventory research cen-

north of the National Park. tre for the flora of Myanmar, is necessary for this

A checklist of mosses was published by project and we are trying to get a grant to build a Tanaka et al, (2003) and recognized 152 species herbarium building at the Forest Department Oence from Mt. Victoria and 53 species were newly in Yangon, For ongoing, long-term research, we

recorded from Myanmar. Thus far several new propose to select appropriate persons based at each species of flowering plants have been recognized by conservatiop area respectively, and then train them these botanical inventories, Checklists to the flow- in botanical collecting. They wQuld then collect

ering plants of these two mountains are currently specimens in thelr area and send them onto the being prepared respectively based on the collec- Yttngon herbarium. tions we have amasged so far. Although there are a relatively large number of well-trained foresters and forestry officials in

Discussion Myanmar, there are presently few professional botanists. In order to further efforts in floristic

The biggest problem in conducting expeditions in research, as well as to contribute to the development Myanmar is the intensity of rainfa11, which is par- of human resources in Myanmar in generaL it is nec-

ticular]y affected by monsoons during the rainy essary for Japan and other developed countries to

season. Once the rainy season starts, muddy roads provide international assistance in this respect. Part and landslides make movement difficult, and access ef Qur programme in Myanmar involves cooperation

to certain National Parks, su ¢ h as Natma Taung with our partner institutes to help promote the devel-

and Alaungdaw Kathapa as well as most areas in opment of human resources.

mountainous regions, is often impossible, Even offL Zaw and U Aung Din road cars cannot cope with thc diracult conditions. I thank U Khin Maung (Forest Department, Ministry of Forestry, Myanmar) for their The rainy season in Myanmar begins from mid- help and suppert. This research is partly supported by May and continues unti1 the end of October - that is, Grant-in-Aid from the Japanese Ministry of Education, almost half a The situation bas been year. particu- Culture, Sports and Science and Technology to Prof. Jin larly problematic in our second study site, Natma Murata (I3375003) and Grant-in-Aid from Kochi

[[aung National Park, For this reason, we trained the PrefecturalGovemment. park rangers there to collect and process herbarium specimens and to make appropriate field notes and References

records by themselves, such that local personnel Dickason, E G, 1946. A Phylogenetic Study of the Ferns can now conduct botanical surveys in our absence of Burma and the Ferns of Burma. Ohio Jeur. Sci. throughout the rainy season. 44(2):73-141. There is a botanical garden at Maymyo, at an Kingdon-Ward, F. 1958. A Sketch ef the Flora and altitude of 1000 m, which was established under Vegetation of' Mount Victoria in Buinia. Act. Hort. British rule, Because of the coo] weatheg this garden Gotob, 22:53-74. is suitable for growing plants from higher elevation Kress, W. J., R. DeFilipps, E. Farr & Yin-Yin-Kyi, 2003. checklist of shrubs, herbs, and climbers. such as Chin Hills and Upper Myanmar, If we sup- A the trees, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 45:1-590. port the development of this garden, it too could

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MacLean. - 1997, A Pioneering PIantsman A. K. Bulley Flowers, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin and the Great Plant Hunters, The Stationary Otifice, Bicentenary Exhibition 1995.

UK. Tanaka, A., Khin-Maung-Zaw, Shein-Gay-Ngai&H. .2004.George Forrest, Plant Hunter. The Antique Akiyama 2003. Mosses of Natma Taung (Mt. Collector's Club Ltd. Victoria) National Park, Myanmar. Makinoa New Mill, R. R. 1995. Regional Overview: Indian Series 3:l-81.

Subcontinent, pp61-14I, in: Davis, S, D., V. H. Yin-Yin-Kyi. 1992. Preliminary reports on vegetation Heywood & A. C, Hamilton (eds) Centers of Plant und flora of Mount Popa. Forestry Science Research Diversity: A Guide and Strategy for Their Conserva- Paper. Union of Myanmar Ministry of Ferestry, tion. Nlol. 2: Asia,Australasiaand the Pacific,Wbrld Forest Department, Yangon, Wide Fund for Nature and The World (WWF) & Aung-Zaw-Moe. 1 997. Plant biodiversity of Mount Conservation Union IUCN Publicatjons (IUCN), Popa, Pt. I Forestry Science Research Paper. Union Unit, Cambridge. of Myanmar rvlinistry of Ferestry, Forest Department, Myo-Khin. 2000, Identified plants list of Natma [Ibullg Yangon. Natienal Park, Forest Department, Ministry of Forestry, Yhngon, Myanmar. National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. 1995. The Art of

Receii,ed Augt{st 23, 2004; accepted 0ctober 29, 2004

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