Pertanika J. Trop. Agric. Sc. 41 (3): 1245 - 1259 (2018) TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE Journal homepage: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/ Annotated Checklist of Orchids Found in Merapoh Trail (Gunung Tahan, Malaysia) Siti Fatimah Md. Isa1, Jamilah Mohd. Salim@Halim2, Christina Seok Yien Yong1, Janna Ong Abdullah3 and Rusea Go1* 1Department of Biology, Faculty Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 2School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), 21300 Kuala Nerus, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia 3Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Molecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia ABSTRACT Gunung Tahan is the highest mountain peak in Peninsular Malaysia (2187 m a.s.l.) and is a part of Taman Negara Pahang that houses many rare and endemic species of flora and fauna. This account is conducted to evaluate, compile, and update the orchids collections from Gunung Tahan after almost 126 years, since the first botanical exploration was conducted by H.N. Ridley and other foreign botanist. The compilation presented in this study resulted in 294 species obtained from the selected herbarium, published record, and current expedition. A total of 57 species were recorded for recent work, out of which 18 species were new discoveries for Merapoh Trail and thus reported as new records for Gunung Tahan. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species version 2017.3 listed two species; Claderia viridifloraHook.f. and Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames as least concern species and Paphiopedilum bullenianum (Rchb.f.) Pfitzer as endangered species. The list of the compiled species from herbarium and published records for Gunung Tahan is also included. Keywords: Botanical collections, herbarium, H. C. Robinson, H. N. Ridley, Orchidaceae, Pahang INTRODUCTION ARTICLE INFO Article history: Taman Negara Pahang covers an area Received: 14 November 2017 2 Accepted: 09 February 2018 of about 4343 km in three protected Published: areas of three states of Pahang, Kelantan, E-mail addresses: [email protected] (Siti Fatimah Md. Isa) and Terengganu. It is estimated to be [email protected] (Jamilah Mohd. Salim@Halim) [email protected] (Christina Seok Yien Yong) 130-million-year- old. Gunung Tahan is one [email protected] (Janna Ong Abdullah) of the mountainous peak zones located in [email protected] (Rusea Go) * Corresponding author Taman Negara Pahang which covers about ISSN: 1511-3701 e-ISSN: 2231-8542 © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press Siti Fatimah Md. Isa, Jamilah Mohd. Salim@Halim, Christina Seok Yien Yong, Janna Ong Abdullah and Rusea Go 57% of the total area (Pakhriazad, Hasmadi, the trail from Kem Bonsai to Bukit Botak Aida & Jusoff, 2009). towards the Tahan summit, there are few The mountain was named after a Malay damp areas with many hygrophytic plants word “Tahan” meaning though, to reflect and low herbaceous shrubs (Robinson, the toughness associated with the trekking 1908). around it. At present it can be accessed One of the noteworthy plants on through two main trails of Kuala Tahan (old Gunung Tahan is Johannesteijsmannia and traditional trail) and Merapoh Trail. altifrons (Rchb.f. & Zoll.) H.E. Moore with The later trail was developed in 1993 as a huge oar-shaped leaves, and a leaf blade an alternative trail. Other less popular trail that can extend to over 6 ft long, found through which the mountainous region can growing at the elevation up to about 1000 be accessed is Kuala Koh Trail, which is m. Another notable and rarely seen species located in the state of Kelantan but rarely only found on the two highest mountains used by the climbers due to its remote in the Malay Peninsular; Gunung Tahan, location, long, and exhausting journey and Gunung Korbu is Utricularia vitellina which takes at least 16 days to reach the Ridl. (Chew & Haron, 2011). It is a small, summit. usually <10 cm tall, terrestrial carnivorous Generally, the forest formation up to plant. This species grows in a nutrient poor the summit of Gunung Tahan consists of environment with low pH along with the lowland dipterocap forest (<350 m a.s.l.) highlands plateau just below the Tahan followed by hill dipterocarp forest (>350 m summit. a.s.l.); upper hill dipterocarp forest (>750 The previous expeditions to Gunung m a.s.l.); oak-laurel forest (>1,200 m a.s.l.); Tahan were usually financed by the and montane ericaceous forest (>1,500 m Trustees of the British Museum in England a.s.l.). The plants and flora communities assisted by the participation of local gradually changes as one reach each of communities, especially guides, coolies, the forest elevations. The most significant and local headman. The first expedition changes were observed along the ridges to Gunung Tahan was led by H. N. Ridley approaching Kem Bonsai at the elevations in 1892, however, the first group that of 1705 m a.s.l. where most of the plants successfully found the trails to reach the were dwarf (about 1 m tall) and growing on Gunung Tahan peak was led by H. C. and among the white sandstone and quartz- Robinson in 1908 which resulted in 250 fragments rocks. The most abundant plant in botanical collections that were significantly the area is Leptospermum javanicum Blume important in enhancing the knowledge of the which is mixed with Baeckea frutescens L. flora in Malay Peninsular (Ridley, 1908). and Rhododendron elegans Ridl. (Ridley However, after almost 126 years from 1892, 1915). The plants in this area are Ridley and Robinson’s explorations, there typically adapted to xerophytic life. Along is no inclusive published report on botanical 1246 Pertanika J. Trop. Agric. Sc. 41 (3): 1245 - 1259 (2018) Checklists of Orchids Found in Gunung Tahan collections, particularly on orchids even MATERIALS AND METHODS though numerous botanical expeditions were Orchids documentation was conducted conducted on Gunung Tahan. Additionally, through expedition from September 1–7, due to the grant agreement made between 2013 using Merapoh Trail to reach the peak the Trustees of the British Museum and of Gunung Tahan. The expedition covered Robinson, the whole collections made a floristic survey through four main rivers during the expeditions had been deposited and tributaries of Kuala Luis, Lata Luis, at the Natural History Museum; and the first Kem Kor, Kem Permatang, Kem Kubang, set had become the property of the Trustees. Kem Belumut, Kem Bonsai, and Kem Therefore, most of the collections can only Botak before reaching the summit of the be accessed by visiting the herbaria or mountain. Annotations were made starting through online herbarium catalog. from Kuala Juram all the way to the summit. This study was conducted to evaluate Photographic images were taken for all the species richness of Orchidaceae in the species, respectively; with or without Gunung Tahan, focusing on Merapoh Trail flowers and their details reported in the field to the summit of Gunung Tahan. Most notebook. of the specimens collected from Gunung Collections from the above expedition Tahan in the eighteenth century were were then combined and compared with mostly gathered from Kuala Tahan Trail. collections published by Ridley in 1908 Therefore, collections from Kuala Tahan and 1915 as well as from the herbarium Trail compiled by Ridley, I. M. Turner and collections in selected herbaria. List of herbarium catalog were also provided for herbarium collections from the Forest comparison. List of orchids from both trails Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) was were compiled and evaluated to determine made possible by visiting the herbarium. the richness of orchids species in the whole While, list of herbarium collections from the area of Gunung Tahan. Thus, compilation of Singapore Botanical Garden (SING) and the both data from current and previous studies Royal Botanic Garden (KEW) were accessed will represent the most updated checklist online through their herbarium catalog. List for the orchids of Gunung Tahan from the of species recorded by Turner (1995) was two trials. However, the checklist should be also included in the compilations. used or quoted with caution. It is expected All of the identified species and that more information could be discovered compilations from the herbarium specimens on the orchids if a more comprehensive were then validated with the World Checklist work could be done in this area apart from of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) to check the two main trails of Kuala Tahan Trail and their current accepted names and general Merapoh Trail. distribution. Pertanika J. Trop. Agric. Sc. 41 (3): 1245 - 1259 (2018) 1247 Siti Fatimah Md. Isa, Jamilah Mohd. Salim@Halim, Christina Seok Yien Yong, Janna Ong Abdullah and Rusea Go RESULTS viridiflora and Spiranthes sinensis were The expedition along the Merapoh Trail listed globally as least concern species. up to the summit has contributed a total of Other 55 species were not yet evaluated 57 species of orchids, which comprise 35 by IUCN Red List of Threatened Species genera of four subfamilies: Apostasioideae, version 2017.3. Cypripedioideae, Epidendroideae, and In total, Gunung Tahan harbors 294 Orchidoideae (Table 1). No species from species of orchids which were compiled subfamily Vanilloideae was collected from and updated through this expedition as this expedition. The highest numbers of well as herbarium and published records. species collected were from subfamily Species that were published or preserved in Epidendroideae with 48 species, followed by the selected herbaria were listed in Table 2, subfamily Orchidoideae with seven species; with most of the specimens collected from Apostasioideae and Cypripedioideae with Kuala Tahan Trail prior to the establishment one species for each subfamily. Species and opening of the Merapoh Trail. The 18 collected with flowers were shown in species that were collected from Merapoh Figures 1 to 3. Trail were documented as new record for Table 1 indicated that Paphiopedilum Gunung Tahan, since they were never bullenianum was listed as endangered recorded before in Kuala Tahan Trail (Table species by the IUCN Red List of Threatened 1).