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A short note on wild gingers (Zingiberaceae) in Pulau Pangkor, Perak, peninsular Malaysia
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This study reports on the wild gingers species found in three main trails surrounding the Forest Reserves in Pangkor Utara, Pangkor Selatan and Sungai Pinang during the Pulau Pangkor Scientific Expedition held from 15 th till 21 st July 2017. The habitats of wild gingers were noted and GPS points were recorded and the plants were photographed for identification. The survey for wild gingers in selected areas of Pulau Pangkor revealed there are in total 6 species of wild gingers namely, Zingiber officinale, Etlingera sp., Amomum xanthophlebium, Alpinia sp., Globba leucantha and Amomum ochreum. Except Etlingera sp. and Alpinia sp., all other species were identified through the inflorescence and leaf morphology. The absence of flowers and in general most wild gingers could not be identified without the inflorescence. As the previous data for wild gingers in Pulau Pangkor is limited to one forest reserve and the current study focused on three forest reserve at a particular month, continuous surveys and studies must be conducted to produce a more comprehensive record of wild gingers in this island. 2019 Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia. All Rights Reserved.
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... Various studies were conducted around Malaysia to update the species composition and distribution of the Malaysian ginger plants. Among the investigations, Appalasamy et al. (2019), Appalasamy and Arumugam (2020), Appalasamy et al. (2020a;2020b) and Izlamira et al. (2020) recently published ginger species composition data for a specific area in Malaysia. Nonetheless, numerous forested areas in Malaysia are unexplored. ...
... The highest number of Zingiber spp. (five species) was recorded in Gua Setir compared to other sites in Peninsular Malaysia, such as Lojing Highlands (two species) (Appalasamy et al. 2020b), Mount Telapak Buruk (one species) (Appalasamy & Arumugam 2020), and Pangkor Island (one species) (Appalasamy et al. 2019). Chin (1983) stated that Globba patens and Zingiber spectabile were distributed in Peninsular Malaysia and recorded in limestone areas. ...
The wild gingers in the family Zingiberaceae have a wide range of habitat distribution. The species growing in Malaysian forests are the most studied. Nevertheless, the aromatic perennial herb family found in limestone forests is the least studied. The present study identified the ginger species compositions, determined the conservation status of the identified ginger species, and compared the distribution of the ginger species in selected limestone forests of Kelantan due to the lack of intensive study focusing on wild gingers in Malaysian limestone forests, especially in the state of Kelantan, to date. In various months, wild ginger species observation was conducted at four limestone forests in Kelantan. From the survey performed during the present study, Gua Setir and Gua Ikan recorded 16 species with 12.5% overlapping species. Gua Setir comprised 61.5% more ginger species than Gua Ikan. In total, 13 species (81.25%) were evaluated based on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Three wild ginger species listed as high conservation value (HCV), Zingiber aurantiacum, Zingiber petiolatum and Zingiber wrayi, were identified at the limestone karst valley of Gua Setir. The current study presented updated and new records of the limestone wild ginger flora in Kelantan. The research also demonstrated that each limestone forest consisted of different combinations of ginger species. Consequently, conservation efforts and sustainable management currently enforced in the limestone forests would lead to long-term protection of the plants. Furthermore, the wild gingers could become a tourist attraction for limestone forests located in recreational areas.
... The encountered ginger plants were tagged using the Global Positioning System for monthly observations. The ginger species were identified based on Theilade (1996), Larsen et al. (1999), Theilade (1999), Khaw (2001), Kress et al. (2002), Poulsen (2006), Lamb et al. (2013), de Boer et al. (2018, Appalasamy et al. (2019), Appalasamy and Arumugam (2020), Appalasamy et al. (2020a), Appalasamy et al. (2020b), and Izlamira et al. (2020). The phenology of flowering stages was detailed for the first time. ...
The interaction between flowering patterns and insect visitation is essential to plant ecology. Exploring the detailed flowering phenology of ginger plants is important for understanding their reproductive strategies, a subject currently underrepresented in the literature. Consequently, this study aims to establish a phenology calendar for limestone ginger species and to comprehensively identify the floral visitors associated with two distinct ginger species during their respective flowering periods. Field observations were conducted at two limestone areas (Gua Ikan and Gua Setir) to identify the flowering pattern of 16 ginger species for a year and floral visitors of Globba leucantha and Zingiber spectabile. In this study, we documented the first reported instance of asynchronous flowering pattern in 16 ginger species within the unique limestone ecosystem, presented in a calendar format. This study revealed that the floral visitors of selected ginger species with different flowering phenology vary and feature a single pollinator. Globba leucantha is pollinated by the small carpenter bee Ceratina ridleyi, while, for the first time, Z. spectabile is observed to be pollinated by the hoverfly Graptomyza longirostris. In fact, the pollinators rely exclusively on the food provided by ginger species during their specific flowering period. This study adds valuable insights to the growing understanding of ginger-pollinator interaction, highlighting the importance of flowering patterns in shaping this relationship.
... For family Zingiberaceae specifically, there are estimation of 200 ginger species belong to 19 genera have been recorded in Peninsular Malaysia [8]. Recent studies indicated that gingers are commonly found in Peninsular Malaysia [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Up to date, the discovery of great number of new species and genera have been done in both lowland and highland areas of Malaysia proven by extensive research [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. ...
The locals in Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia have been taking certain Zingiberaceae plants with medicinal value as daily dietary intake primarily for common health purposes and these traditional uses has not been explored and documented well. The objective is to recognize and list out both plants and plant parts that have been utilized by Kelantan people and the traditional uses. Ethnobotanical field surveys were conducted by doing a verbal interview with 20 old folks of the selected village and ethnomedicinal data were collected regarding the uses of Zingiberaceae medicinal plants. The identification process was done by collecting Zingiberaceae plants under guidance from the old folks. Further information from plants identification was assembled through literature reviewed on their recorded medicinal values. The study yielded 10 medicinal plants focused on family Zingiberaceae. Regarding the utilization of medicinal plant, rhizomes were used predominantly followed by leaves and fruits. Decoction of plant parts is used for oral and application on skin. The studied plants list aids to preserve the indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants used by locals in Kelantan.
... Previous studies have proven that continual survival of plants especially angiosperms was ensured by the plant-pollinator interaction [3]. Family Zingiberaceae is one of the angiosperm family that less [4][5][6][7][8][9]. However, specific pollinators for species of Zingiberaceae is still unknown for many species. ...
Insects are the well-known pollinators of angiosperm plants. However, the discovery of specific insect pollinators of a specific plant is still lacking in many angiosperms. Family Zingiberaceae which is also known as a ginger family, is one of the least explored angiosperms in the aspect of plant-pollinator interaction. Hence, this study was conducted to understand the interaction between Zingiber spectabile and pollinators. The aims of the study are i) to determine the floral blooming period of Z. spectabile ; ii) to identify floral visitor of Z. spectabile ; iii) to identify the insect pollinators of Z. spectabile. The study was conducted in the limestone forest of Gua Ikan (Dabong, Kelantan) in September 2020. Direct observation method was used to achieve the above-mentioned objectives. Observation was performed from 0700 hours to 2000 hours. A floral visitor was counted as pollinator when the insect touches the sexual organs of the flower. This study reveals that flower of Z. spectabile have a lifespan of less than a day. Flower opening (anthesis) starts at 1000 hours while flower closure time starts at 2000 hours. An inflorescence of Z. spectabile produce one to three flowers per day. Insect order Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera are the common floral visitors of the Z. spectabile. However, among the floral visitors, order Diptera, Hemiptera and Lepidoptera were found to play the role of pollinator for Z. spectabile . This study reveals the fundamental information about pollinators of Z. spectabile . Further detailed study is recommended to reveal the effects of floral scent in attracting the pollinators as further evaluation of Zingiberaceae-pollinator interaction.
... Examples of traditional vegetables grown in the wild are neem tree shoots (Azadirachta indica), greenfingers shoots (Emilia sonchifolia), purple milletia shoots (Milletia atropurpurea), torch ginger (Etlingera elatior), pigweed (Amaranthus viridis), Indian mulberry shoots (Morinda citrifolia) and wild eggplant (Solanum torvum) and others [1,2]. Meanwhile, traditional vegetables which commonly grown are sweet potato shoots (Ipomoea batatas), cassava shoots (Manihot esculenta), greater galangal (Alpinia galangal), 'temulawak' (Curcuma xanthorrhiza), turmeric (Curcuma longa) and others [1,2] Recently [2] was published a report on 45 plants species that commonly uses by the Siamese community in Kelantan either as traditional vegetables or as herbal plants for medicinal purposes.Some species of wild gingers are also consumed by this community as traditional vegetables as well as herbal products [3]. There are three traditional vegetables that has a potential species for health benefits such as Anacardium occidentale, Pluchea indica, Eugenia polyanthia and Ardisia crispa [4]. ...
Indigenous people are known for their lives blended with the environment. The resource for their survival was procured from their surrounding nature, including the traditional vegetables. Not much is known about the traditional vegetables species that they consumed and the ones they don’t. A simple survey was conducted among the Jahai aboriginal community in Klewang Village, Royal Belum State Park, on 5 th March 2020. The study was conducted randomly using face-to-face interviews and surveys to identify the traditional vegetables found and consumed in the villages. The habitats of these traditional vegetables were recorded and the plants were collected and photographed for identification and live specimens were planted at Agro Techno Park, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus. All species were identified using spot characters such as inflorescence and leaf morphology. Survey results showed that there were seven species of traditional vegetables including planted and wild grown, namely, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) , cassava (Manihot esculenta) , purple milletia (Morus atropurpurea) , torch ginger (Etlingera elatior) , pigweed ( Amaranthus viridis) , Indian mulberry (Morus citrifolia) and wild eggplant (Solanum torvum) . Out of these seven traditional vegetables, there are only three vegetable species that are not consumed by this tribe: pigweed (A. viridis) , Indian mulberry shoots (M. citrifolia) and purple milletia shoots (M. atropurpurea) .
... These compounds even though can be found in most organic food sources, plant source has been regarded as the best in terms of the quality and quantity of the compounds acquired. This has been proven in traditional practice as most of the traditional healer or medicine practitioner use mostly plant parts as ailments for curing illnesses (Appalasamy et al., 2014;Bunalema et al., 2014;Rahmatullah et al., 2013;Tolossa et al., 2013;Vijayakumar et al., 2015;Appalasamy et al., 2019). ...
The herbal plant status in Pulau Tioman is unknown, and may be reduced due to extensive recreational activities in Kg. Tekek Waterfalls. The main objective of this preliminary survey is to assess the varieties of herbal plants that are found at Pulau Tioman, Pahang. Herbal plant survey was carried out in a transect of 5-meter width on both side of the 1 km main track connecting Kampung Tekek Jetty to Kampung Tekek Waterfalls. A total of seven species namely, Dracaena umbratica, Flagellaria indica, Selaginella willdenowii, Ixora javanica, Lygodium microphyllum, Melastoma malabathricum and Cassia alata which belong to seven (7) families namely Asparagaceae, Flagellariaceae, Selaginellaceae, Rubiaceae, Lygodiaceae, Melastomataceae and Leguminosae were collected, identified and reported. The list of plants recorded could be included in a datasheet for the study of plants with medicinal value and the distribution data could be used to update the IUCN and CABI database.
Zingiberaceae is a perennial plant family that is found across the tropics, particularly in Southeast Asia from low land to hill forests. In Peninsular Malaysia, it is believed that 160 ginger species are widely distributed belonging to 18 genera. Most of the Zingiber species in Peninsular Malaysia are less investigated and less understood taxonomically, thus remaining as under-utilized crops. The description of their morphologies in parallel with phytochemicals and molecular information are crucial to provide valuable information for further discovery of potent compounds, identification of potential new sources of genetic variation, as well as to provide insight into the domestication and breeding of ginger. The majority of Zingiber species are perennial herbs with a fragrant scent, an upright stem, and a fibrous rhizome. The presence of volatile components such as monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpenoids and some non-volatile compounds like gingerols, shagaols, and zingerone have contributed to the strong scent of the ginger oils. Among the dominant components of Zingiber are α-zingiberene, geranial, neral, camphene, neral, neric acid, α-curcumene, and zerumbone. The crude extracts and essential oils of Zingiber have proven to show some biological activities such as antimicrobial, anti-bacterial, insecticidal, larvicidal, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulceration, antioxidant, anti-fungal, immunomodulatory, and anti-nociceptive. Most Zingiber species are known to have 22 somatic chromosomes (2n=22) which is the lowest among genera in Zingiberaceae. This study underscores the crucial significance of breeding programs and germplasm conservation, specifically emphasizing the potential of common ginger as a prominent contributor.
Bacterial contamination is a major problem that needs to be addressed in fungal culture. Therefore, a novel technique, cabin sequestering (CS), eliminates bacterial contamination of aquatic fungal cultures. Two treatment groups were formed, which were Group A (CS method) and Group B (subculture on antibiotic-free media) to evaluate the effectiveness of the CS method. A sterile inoculation needle was used to pierce a square hole approximately 3-5 mm in diameter, referred to as a "cabin". Then a coverslip was placed over the inoculated site at 20-30̊ C for 7-10 days. Fungal hyphae were selected and re-inoculated onto new PDA culture plates when they had grown beyond the edge of the coverslip. The result showed no bacterial growth in group A. Meanwhile, in group B, bacteria were present, but no fungal growth was detected. The CS method is advantageous because it eliminates the risk of contamination, takes less time, and requires only simple procedures using standard and easily accessible equipment.
The plant-biotic pollinator interaction is crucial for the survival of both organisms. Insects are recognised as effective biotic pollinators. As there are few specific studies on the pollination of angiosperms, the emphasis of this review is on understanding the pollination process by reviewing the knowledge of the ginger-insect pollinator interaction in Asia. Currently the plant-pollinator interaction of only 5% of Asian species of Zingiberaceae is evaluated. Previous studies indicate that bees, such as, halictid and blue-banded bees are, among the many floral vistors, the most important pollinators of ginger plants in Asia. Knowledge of non-bee pollinators is still scarce. In order to obtain a more detailed understanding of the interrelationship of the pollinators of ginger plants with the morphology of their flowers, floral scent and geographical factors, further research is needed.
A short survey on Zingiberaceae family was done in selected trails of Gunung Telapak Burok (1193m), Berembun Forest Reserve (FR), Negeri Sembilan. This botanical inventory for ginger family produced a list of 10 genera and 14 species, including four new records for Berembun Forest Reserve (FR) and Negeri Sembilan. Most gingers species found were from genus Alpinia and followed by Globba. Alpinia vitellina (Lindl.) Ridl. Four species namely Meistera ochrea (Ridl.) Skornick & M.F.Newman (Amomum ochreum Ridl.), Camptandra ovata Ridl., Zingiber longibracteatum Theilade and Conamomum utriculosum Ridl. (Amomum utriculosum (Ridl.) Holtum) were not listed during previous botanical survey and were additional new records for Berembun Forest Reserve and Negeri Sembilan. The previous record also found Haniffia cyanescens var. cyanescens which is a hyper-endemic wild ginger in Bukit Tangga. In this survey, the species was collected in Gunung Telapak Burok. This flowering species was found to be a rare sighting in Gunung Telapak Burok. Some of the species found in Gunung Telapak Burok were found in less localities (less than five) especially Z. longibracteatum in Peninsular Malaysia. Thus this forest area must be preserved for its species richness especially in wild gingers.
Vascular plant species and diversity of a coastal hill forest in Sungai Pinang Permanent Forest Reserve in Pulau Pangkor at Perak were studied based on the data from five one hectare plots. All vascular plants were enumerated and identified. Importance value index (IVI) was computed to characterize the floristic composition. To capture different aspects of species diversity, we considered five different indices. The mean stem density was 7585 stems per ha. In total 36797 vascular plants representing 348 species belong to 227 genera in 89 families were identified within 5-ha of a coastal hill forest that is comprises 4.2% species, 10.7% genera and 34.7% families of the total taxa found in Peninsular Malaysia. Based on IVI, Agrostistachys longifolia (IVI 1245), Eugeissona tristis (IVI 890), Calophyllum wallichianum (IVI 807), followed by Taenitis blechnoides (IVI 784) were the most dominant species. The most speciose rich families were Rubiaceae having 27 species, followed by Dipterocarpaceae (21 species), Euphorbiaceae (20 species) and Palmae (14 species). According to growth forms, 57% of all species were trees, 13% shrubs, 10% herbs, 9% lianas, 4% palms, 3.5% climbers and 3% ferns. Diversity indices were higher along the stream side and species accumulation curve showed sampling area captured a high proportion of the species richness.
Dichloromethane and methanol extracts of 13 Zingiberaceae species from the Alpinia, Costus and Zingiber genera were screened for antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The antimicrobial activity of most of the extracts was antibacterial with only the methanol extract of Costus discolor showing very potent antifungal activity against only Aspergillus ochraceous (MID, 15.6 microg per disc). All the extracts showed strong antioxidant activity comparable with or higher that of alpha-tocopherol.
To review the chemical, pharmacological, studies on ginger (Zingiber officinale) in the last ten years, and also its processing history and clinical uses. Gingerols and related compounds in ginger have many pharmacological activities. Chemical studies should be given sufficiently emphasis, and advances of the chemical study will promote the other related researches to develop in depth.
A guide to gingers of Borneo
- A Lamb
- J Gobilik
- M Ardiyana
- A Dalberg-Poulsen
Lamb, A., Gobilik, J., Ardiyana, M., & Dalberg-Poulsen, A. 2013. A guide to
gingers of
Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo).