3 
14. More collecting was possible in the Federation of Malaya than 
for many years. The principal collections there were as follows: — 
Mr. Purseglove ... Fraser's Hill ... 15-26th April ... 250 numbers. 
Mr. Burkill ... Pangkor Island ... 3—13th July ... 168 numbers. 
Mr, Sinclair ... Malacca ... 1st—6th April ... 53 numbers. 
Mr. Sinclair ... Trengganu ... 4-25th September... 226 numbers. 
15. In addition, Mr. Sinclair made five minor excursions to Johore, 
namely, two to Kota Tinggi and one each to Sungei Tiram, Sungei Tebrau 
and Pulau Ptsang. From all the excursions a number of very interesting 
plants was brought back, including new records for the States concerned and 
a number of new species. Of the plants collected by Mr. Sinclair in Trengganu. 
37 per cent were new records for that State and 11 per cent were new species. 
In this connection it should be remembered that Mr. Sinclair had previously 
collected in the same area in 1953 and 1954. While at Fraser’s Hill, a friend 
brought the first plant specimen he had ever collected by himself to me. This 
was found to be a new species of Fissistigma and will be described by Mr. 
Sinclair as F. thomasii to commemorate the collector and this unique occasion. 
It can thus be seen that there is still ample scope for collecting in the Federa¬ 
tion, particularly if the Revised Flora of Malaya is to be reasonably complete. 
16. In Malaya the sides of most main roads, where they pass through 
forest or scrub, have been cleared of undergrowth to a depth of 1-2 chains as 
a security measure. In the Sungei Udang Forest Reserve Mr. Sinclair found 
that this had caused the trees of 60 to 100 feet in height to put out new 
branches close to the ground, thus facilitating collecting. It was in this forest 
that the collector had a somewhat close encounter with a bear, necessitating a 
quick exit, and the roadside fringe was found to be a better and happier 
hunting ground for botanical specimens. In Trengganu Mr. Sinclair collected 
between Kuala Trengganu and Besut, along the unhabited stretch of coast at 
Bukit Kluang and Bukit Bubus and at Sungei Nerus, which was reached by 
boat. Once more the Gardens are greatly indebted to Mr. Fyfe and ‘Che 
Ibrahim, the State and District Forest Officers, for all their invaluable help 
during the Trengganu excursion. 
17. The Director visited Western Sarawak during the period 12th-30th 
September and spent some days collecting in the vicinity of Kuching and 
thereafter at Lundu and Sematan and on Gunong Gading and Gunong Pueli 
(4,156 ft.). In all 501 numbers were collected with wherever possible five 
or six duplicates of each, in addition to a fair number of living plants for 
trial at the Gardens. The Sarawak Government, the Curator of the Kuching 
Museum, the Conservator of Forests, Mr. J. E. Seal and others provided most 
helpful assistance throughout this excursion. The very rich flora of Borneo is 
still very imperfectly known. In certain families as many as fifty per cent of 
specimens collected cannot be matched in Singapore and many of these will be 
species new to science. It was a particular interest to find Rafflesia tuan-mudae, 
close to where Beccari discovered it in 1866. Mention should also be made of 
Hedyotis moultonii , found on Gunong Pueh at 4,000 feet. It had only been 
collected once before and had been named and described by Ridley in 1939. 
The inflorescences of this plant, up to 2 feet in length and bearing small white 
flowers, sprawl on the forest floor and root at the tips, producing new plants, 
much in the manner of strawberry runners. The latter, of course, never bear 
flowers. It is obvious that a very great deal of collecting still remains to be 
done in Sarawak for many years to come. 
