Rainforest Plants and Flowers of Brunei Darussalam

Rainforest Plants and Flowers of Brunei Darussalam gives an introduction to the luxuriant and diverse plant life of Brunei, one of the richest pockets of biodiversity to be found on the iconic rainforest island of Borneo. It offers a glimpse into the astounding plant species richness of the Brunei area, which is a special geo-ecological enclave, and the unfolding scientific insights from the efforts of generations of foresters and botanists seeking to better document its vegetation and botany.

Following an introduction to Brunei’s forests, from a historical perspective to today’s increasing emphasis on conservation forestry, an outline is provided of how rainforest plants are studied both in the field and back in the herbarium, the nerve-centre of a territory’s plant biodiversity knowledge, where the specimen archives are housed that form an important part of the region’s scientific heritage. Two important dimensions of plant life in nature, growth and flowering habits, form a practical basis to viewing the enormous diversity represented. Two critical conservation perspectives in conservation, habitat or in situ conservation and the difficulty of protecting many rare and endangered species, are highlighted.

The final section of the book, the largest, presents seven parts with brief notes describing each key environment found in Brunei, followed by annotated images of plant communities, wild habitats and plant species in that environment. Included are mixed dipterocarp forest, streamsides and freshwater swamps, montane forests, kerangas forest. mangrove and brackish water vegetation, peat swamp forest, and forest fringes and open sites.