Borneo rainforest garden plants
Here are my travel pictures of orchids, pitcher plant, wild ginger, rattan vines, hibiscus and more that I photographed in Gunung Kinabalu (Kinabalu Park), Sabah Malaysia.
The Borneo rainforest is the oldest tropical rainforest on the planet, with 1500 species of orchids alone, and 10,000 species of plants overall.
The Island of Borneo is a great destination for those of us who are thrilled to see plants in their natural surroundings, especially those tropical plants that are most often treated as hothouse or indoor plants only.
Some plants we hoped to see but did not were the kerosene plant which may be a type of nightshade with berries that will burn the skin, or the rafflesia, a giant-blossomed plant that smells like rotting meat. The many varieties of rhododendrons were not in bloom at the time of my trip, in April.
Kinabalu Sabah Borneo Market Flower Stall
Down the mountain from the Kinabalu Lodge, the market straddles the highway from Poring Hot Springs to Kota Kinabalu.
Along with fruit and vegetable stalls, honey and Royal Jelly vendors and grilled chicken stands, was this flower stall.
The vendor offered a good selection of potted plants, where this cat had curled up for a nap.
|
Burgundy Orchid Borneo Rainforest at Mountain Garden Nursery
This burgundy colored orchid was at the Mountain Garden Nursery, Kinabalu Park.
The guided tour through the nursery is very informative, and well worth the visit.
|
Tibouchina shrub in flower, Borneo Rainforest Kinabalu Mountain Lodge
Photographed in late April, outside the Kinablau Mountain Lodge, this shrub called tibouchina, in the family Melastomataceae - Melastoma.
The shrub was in full bloom, with deep lavender pansy- like blossoms.
|
Heliconia (Lobster Claw plant) in Sabah Malaysia 
Heliconia Lobster claw plant at Poring Hot Springs in Kinabalu Park.
|
Borneo Rainforest Low growing ferns 
These small ferns were growing on the slope above a Mt. Kinabalu Park.
As you walk the trails through the temperate rain forest, these tiny delicate ferns carpet the hillside.
|
Medinilla berries and blossom - Malaysia Rainforest 
I took this photo at Kinabalu Park near the Mountain Garden Nursery.
This is the first time I'd ever seen this plant, and I was happy to have seen it bearing fruit.
When the pink medinilla berries turn purple, they are edible.
Medinilla grows at 1500 feet elevation, so it is outside the range of typical rainforest plants.
|
Medinilla blossoms and berries
Photographed at Kinabalu Park, this picture shows the medinilla plant in bloom.
The berries, above photo, are from a nearby plant that bloomed and ripened earlier.
|
Rattan Vine beside small yellow orchid, Kinabalu Borneo
Along the Mempening Trail, in the gloom of the rainforest canopy, many rattan vines were crawling along the ground, here past a small yellow orchid.
The trail name will not mean anything unless you are walking it, but I include it here in case you go.
The trails through this part of Kinabalu Park are marked on a walking map, as well as signposted along the trails.
|
Pink Orchid bloom - Kinabalu Borneo Rainforest 
This pink orchid was also photographed at Kinabalu Park near the nursery.
|
Pitcher plant flower
Photo of Pitcher Plant taken at Kinabalu Park nursery gardens area in Gunung Kinabalu
|
Red Hibiscus in Bloom
I took this picture of the hibiscus in bloom at Poring Hot Springs. The red hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia.
|
White Orchid in bloom
Slender leaves form a fan to frame these small white orchids.
|
Stick Insect in Borneo rainforest. Mount Kinabalu Park
Borneo stick insects are the longest in the world.
I came upon this white stick insect on the Kinabalu Mountain trail.
|
Wild ginger plant in bloom in Borneo Rainforest, Sabah Malaysia
I am a big fan of ginger , so it was a thrill to see the ginger plant in flower at Kinabalu Park.
Ginger is supposed to help sooth upset tummies, like when feeling seasick.
|
