It aimed to provide training courses for young botanists to give them ex- 
perience of the Malaysian flora outside their own countries and of living 
and working in the field, often under rigorous conditions. At U.Nb.b.L.U. s 
invitation botanists from the Federation of Malaya, Thailand, Hongkong, 
Philippines and Indonesia, and four graduate students (two on Federation of 
Malaya Government scholarships) from the University of Singapore attended. 
Mr Lam Hin Cheng, Curator, and two plant collectors of the Botanic Gardens 
also joined the expedition. Acknowledgement is made to the Protector ot 
Aboriginees, the Director of the Geological Survey and the Geologist, Kelan- 
tan, of the Federation of Malaya Government for their assistance. 
28. In May and June, Dr. Chew Wee Lek, Botanist, and Mr. A. G. 
Alphonso Curator, and a plant collector joined an expedition organised by 
the Forest Department and the Department of Civil Aviation (prospecting for 
new landing strip sites) of Sarawak. Messrs. B. Burtt and P. Woods of the 
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, also joined the expedition to study 
Gesmriaceae . This was essentially a joint expedition in that each of the four 
departments represented worked on their own particular project but by 
travelling together there was a considerable saving in the cost of transport. 
Mr. Alphonso collected plants in the vicinity of the Niah hills and the Undup 
River for cultivation in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Of particular interest 
was a Vanda dearii with yellow sepals and petals as is usual but with brown 
markings at the tips. Dr. Chew concentrated on taxonomic and ecological 
studies on the Niah hills and on Gunong Mulu and Melinau Gorge, a possible 
site for a national park. 
29. Between June and August, Miss Chang Kiaw Lan, taking vacation 
leave to visit Kotaraja in Acheh, north Sumatra, was granted facilities to 
spend a month collecting in this botanically little-known area, and on the 
islands of Weh and Bras off the northern tip of Sumatra and along the west 
coast. 
30. The other overseas collection was made by Mr. Burkill at the game 
sanctuary at Panganderan on the south coast of Central Java during a visit in 
the UNES.O. Nature Conservation Symposium held in Java in February. 
The sanctuary is a hilly headland almost an island, connected by a narrow 
spit of sand to the mainland and fringed with coral reefs which afforded ex- 
cellent collecting of marine algae. Some 46 numbers were collected and 
brought back to Singapore for study. 
31. Two other minor collecting expeditions were made under the 
arrangements of Mr. R. K. Dentan, an anthropologist from New York 
University to whom the Botanic Gardens lent the services of a plant collector 
to assist in ethnobotanical work. Two other members of the Department also 
joined expeditions organised by the University of Malaya. All these expeditions 
added useful records to the Malayan flora. Further details are given in 
Appendix V. 
XVII. EXCHANGE AND ACQUISITION 
32. Duplicate specimens were again distributed to the usual collaborat- 
ing botanical institutions outside Singapore. The number distributed was 
2,613, mainly to Kew and Leiden. In return the Singapore herbarium received 
4 575, of which 38 were gifts. The Forest Department, Sarawak, headed the 
list of those sending material here with 1,781 numbers, and the Forest Depart- 
ment, North Borneo, came seconded with 965 numbers. These accessions are 
of great value to the Singapore herbarium in facilitating its taxonomic studies 
of the Malaysian flora. Details of exchanges are given in Appendix VI. 
5 
