centipede creeper plant

One look and you think it is a centipede!

This is one type of creeper plant that grows on the forest floor of rainforest.

strangling Fig 'survival of the fittest'

Strangling Fig tree descends its roots around the trunk of Pulai tree, the strangling fig started its life high on the canopy between the branch of the Pulai tree. As the Fig tree grows its send its aeriel root down toward the ground. The Fig tree is not a parasite so it will not 'suck' dry the host tree but it will slowly strangle the host tree to death. It is the survival of the fittest!

Kapur tree (Dryobalanops aromatica) seed

This is the seed of kapur tree (Dryobalanops aromatica ) the seed have 5 'wings' which assist it in gyrating to the ground. The main agent that assist the Kapur tree to dispersal it's seeds is the wind and of course the gravity. The 'wing' function like rotor blades in helicopter but without rotor motor, it is designed to perform naturally to revolve around a fixed point or axis and turn 'spirallike' course so it can gyrate and land safely on the ground.

The kapur seeds are germinating
Different stage of germination

Kapur tree is one main commercial timber tree in Malaysia, the wood of kapur tree is classified as medium hard wood. The tree produce a nice-smelling exudate (resin) known as camphor, it is a white crystalline substance that has commercial value. Camphor has been used in medicine, incense and perfume and was much sorted after by traders from Arab to China in the old world. The resin is produced by the tree as self defense mechanism to protect its self from infection and attack by insects.

Dryobalanops aromatica (kapur) is a very tall tree exceeding a height of 60 m and girth
of 9 m. Current mainly confined to the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia except a small
area near Rawang and Kepong. The tree grown well in lowland dipterocarp forests, occasionally up to 365 m altitude.