AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITS 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



No. 12.] DECEMBER, 1907. [Vol. VI. 



SOME NOTES ON THE ACCLIMATIZATION 

 OF PLANTS. 



When a country is occupied by man for the first time a great 

 alteration in the Flora commences. As the forests are gradually 

 cleared for cultivation, a large number of plants are introduced 

 either for use or ornament intentionally, or accidentally as weeds. 

 In an island like Singapore where cultivation has been going on 

 for eighty-four years, and in Penang where it has been going on 

 still longer a very large number of exotic plants have been 

 introduced from time to time. Many perhaps most of these have 

 failed to establish themselves as regular inhabitants of the country, 

 while others have successfully done so and formed part of the 

 present day flora. By establishing themselves is intended not only 

 growing readily, but flowering and fruiting regularly and repro- 

 ducing themselves as freely as any local indigenous plant. The 

 greater part of the whole of the Malay Peninsular region, was 

 originally densely afforested, the greater number of the plants being 

 arboreous. The number of herbaceous plants in the forests being 

 sr nall, especially in the lowland country. Herbaceous plants in 

 a dense forest have not much chance of getting a sufficiency of 

 "ght owing to the density of the leaf canopy of the forest trees 

 overhead. Many herbaceous plants, however, grow as epiphytes on 

 th e higher branches and in this way obtain more light. The 

 consequence of this forest growth with the strong competition for 

 "ght, is that the percentage of herbs to trees and shrubs, including 

 chmbing shrubs is very small. In the Penang flora exclusive of 

 ,e rns out of about 1,800 phanerogamous plants over 1,300 are trees 

 and shrubs, 410 are herbs, about 70 epiphytes and 12 parasites. 

 ln e greater number of the indigenous herbaceous plants are natives 

 01 the sea-shores and of sandy spots formerly river beds, where an 

 extensive arboreous vegetation cannot grow. But besides these 

 Wherever the country has been opened up round villages and along 

 r °adsides and in open spots generally, we find a great number of 



