Corresponding author: Ruth Kiew (
Academic editor: Alan Paton
This species was first encountered in 1932 at Fraser’s Hill, Pahang. However, it was only in 1999 when another population was discovered by L.S.L. Chua on Gunung Ulu Kali, Pahang, that sufficient material was available for its description. Since then both these localities have been revisited and the Gunung Ulu Kali population is now the focus of conservation. This species is unusual in
It is a distinctive species among
In its leaf surface with mammillate hairs and its narrowly lanceolate bracts,
Peninsular Malaysia. Pahang: Gunung Ulu Kali, 27 Jan 1999 (fl.) LSL Chua FRI 40758 (holotype: KEP!; isotype: KEP!).
Perennial herb.
Endemic in Peninsular Malaysia, Pahang (Fraser’s Hill and Gunung Uli Kali) (
Distribution of
On moss-covered granite rock embedded in soil or on low moss-covered granite boulders, in extremely damp, deeply shaded conditions on steep slopes in valleys. One population occurs in lower montane forest at 1250 m and the other in upper montane forest at–1570 m.
Named in honour of Dr Lillian Swee Lian Chua, botanist and conservationist, who first discovered this species on Gunung Kali while making an ecological inventory of the summit flora (
EN B2ab(ii,iii). Following the 2001 IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, (
Pahang: Gunung Ulu Kali–26 Nov 2007 LSL Chua & R Kiew FRI 46936 (KEP!); Fraser’s Hill– 4 Nov 1932 EJH Corner s.n. (SING!), 16 Aug 1937 EJH Corner s.n. (SING!), 18 Nov 2007 MY Chew et al. FRI 53772 (KEP!), 24 Feb 2008 R Kiew RK 5412 (KEP!).
Plants in both populations are identical in all characters except for sepal length (6.5–7.5 mm in the Ulu Kali population and ca. 4 mm in the Fraser’s Hill population).
In both the original collections (Chua FRI 40758 and Corner s.n. 1932) only a single flowering specimen was collected suggesting that this is not a free-flowering species. Monitoring over a longer period by JPC Tan suggests that there is a low level of flowering throughout the year with periodic bursts of more intense flowering. This same pattern is seen in some species of
This study was carried out as part of the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia Project funded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation through the National Council for Scientific Research and Development under Project No. 01-04-01-000 Khas 2 entitled “Safeguarding the Forest Plant Diversity of Peninsular Malaysia” and the 10th Malaysia Plan Development Project entitled “Dokumentasi dan Inventori Flora Malaysia”. I am indebted to LSL Chua for showing me the Genting Highland site, Chew MY and Lim CL for accompanying me to refind the Fraser’s Hill population, to MY Siti-Munirah for preparing the conservation status, to JPC Tan for spear-heading the project to conserve the Gunung Ulu Kali population, to LSL Chua for permission to reproduce her photographs and to the curators and staff of the BM, E, K, KLU, L and SING herbaria for permission to examine specimens in their care.