Abstract
The herbaceous ground flora was sampled in different habitats of the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve, Brunei, and analysed in more detail in two one-hectare plots on ridge slopes at about 250 m elevation in primary mixed dipterocarp forest. A total of 261 species were recorded, representing 26 families of angiosperms and 14 families of pteridophytes. Most of the species were proto-terrestrials (93%). The largest families of ground herbs in both the Forest Reserve generally and in the sampled plots were the Zingiberaceae and Araceae, although the collective contribution of all fern families is similar or greater. Grasses are not a significant component of ground herbs inside the forest; a major difference compared with results from a similar study in the Amazon. The species richness of vascular herbs was 92 in one plot (total of 6264 individuals with 191 m2 cover) and 68 in the other plot (total of 2479 individuals with 72 m2 cover). It is suggested that the rugged landscape and the dynamics of landslides may be important factors for the high species richness of ground herbs in the area.
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© 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Poulsen, A.D. (1996). The herbaceous ground flora of the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve, Brunei Darussalam. In: Edwards, D.S., Booth, W.E., Choy, S.C. (eds) Tropical Rainforest Research — Current Issues. Monographiae Biologicae, vol 74. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1685-2_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1685-2_4
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