I. STAFF 
1. With the retirement of the Director, Mr. H. M. Burkill, bn 31st July, 
1969, Dr. Chew Wee*Lek, Botanist, acted in his place. Mr. Hardial Singh, 
Botanist, left on 7th June, 1969 for Hawaii to take a course leading to a 
higher degree in Horticulture and Dr, (Miss) Chang Kiaw Lan was recalled 
on 1st July, 1969 from secondment to the Department of Primary Production. 
The vacancy of Library Officer was filled by Miss Ng Soot Hong who was 
transferred from the National Library. Mr. Ang Gek Choo, Horticultural 
Assistant was promoted to Curator, Parks and Trees Division of the P.W.D., 
while Mr. Lam Hin Cheng, Curator, remained on secondment to the same 
Division. 
2. Mr. Bajuri bin Sappan (Laboratory Assistant. Special Grade) and 
Mr. Hamidon bin Zin (Foreman Gardener) were awarded the Long Service 
Medal on retirement. 
IT. HERBARIUM MATERIALS 
3. Over 9,000 specimens were mounted and indexed, and over 1,000 
were repaired. During the year 32 botanical institutions exchanged, loaned or 
borrowed materials. 10,122 herbarium specimens were received in exchange 
against 3,697 specimens issued. In particular, the Herbarium was enriched 
with specimens from Honiara in the Solomon Islands, the Forest Department 
in Lae, the Forest Research Institute in Kepong and the Forest Department 
in Kuching in Malaysia. Materials numbering 3,360 specimens were loaned out. 
Particulars are given in Appendix I. 
III. BOTANICAL RESEARCH 
4. Floristic and taxonomic work was carried out as follows: Marine 
algae — Mr. H. M. Burkill; Piperaceae — Dr. Chew Wee-Lek; plants of 
Pulau Weh — Dr. Chang Kiaw Lan. Mr. Hardial Singh continued with trials 
on apical meristem culture of local orchid hybrids and brought up-to-date the 
location of species of trees in the lawns of the Gardens. Dr. C. X. Furtado 
continued his investigations on the taxonomy of the genus Hyphaene, a 
palm genus. 
IV. ORCHID RESEARCH 
5. 216 hybrid pods were harvested from the Gardens Orchid Nursery. 
In addition, 25 pods were accepted for germination from Singapore growers, 
10 from Malaysia, 58 from the United Kingdom and 5 from New*Guinea. 
Of these 314 pods, 231 produced viable seeds. 1,044 flasks were taken out and 
seedlings potted. The flask culture medium used, as previously, was based 
on Vacin’s formula plus 10 per cent young coconut water, banana, pulp and 
peptone. 
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