NST : Malaysian bonsai enthusiasts told to stop collecting endangered Mentigi trees

By ROSLI ZAKARIA

November 7, 2017 @ 2:15pm

KUALA TERENGGANU: Bonsai tree collectors have been told to stop collecting the highly-prized Mentigi tree (Pemphis acidula) which is now listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),

The Mentigi tree is a slow-growing species but a hardy plant which was once abundant along the rocky banks and broken corals in Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Kapas. It is not an easy plant to extricate as the roots are usually firmly embedded in rocks or boulders.

However, since the plants became popular as a bonsai specimen, it has become the target of collectors although most of the areas where it grows are gazetted forest reserves.

Removing the plant is punishable under Section 15 of the Forestry Act 1984 for taking forest produce from a permanent reserved forest.

Mentigi tree is now listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Photo by Ron Yeo of Tidechaser.blogspot.my

“The Mentigi is a unique plant. It is hardy and slow-growing. Its natural habitat along rocky shores on the islands suggests that it is providing protection just like mangrove does to coastal areas,” said State Forestry director Datuk Ahmad Fadzil Abdul Majid.

He said collectors take great risks by removing the plants because a Mentigi tree would have its trunk roots firmly embedded in the rocks or boulders.

“Collectors need to chisel away the rocks and the process may take days. They have to endure that heat and wind. More than one person may be involved in collecting the plant. Even if they succeed, there is no guarantee that the tree will survive re-potting.

“So it is best to leave the trees where they are. It is not worth risking the dangers and the possibility of being caught removing a protected plant species from a forest reserve,” he added.

Meanwhile, a collector who declined to be named said a top grade medium-sized Mentigi bonsai could fetch as much as RM30,000 per plant.

“What is available among collectors now are plants that have been trained over many years. New plants cannot be immediately made into a show plant,” added the collector.

NST : What's That Smell? Secrets of Famously Pungent Durian Fruit Revealed

October 9, 2017

WASHINGTON: Scientists have answered one of nature’s most pungent questions: what gives the world’s smelliest fruit its distinctive aroma.

Scientists in Singapore said on Monday they have mapped the genome of the durian, known throughout Southeast Asia as the “king of fruits” for its unique smell, flavour and formidable spiny appearance.

They identified a group of genes responsible for odour compounds called volatile sulfur compounds, and found that these genes become highly activated as the fruit ripens, driving its unusual smell.

“The durian smell has been described as a mix of an onion-like sulfury aroma with notes of sweet fruitiness and savory soup-seasoning. A key component of the durian smell are volatile sulphur compounds, or VSCs, which have been characterised as decaying, onion-like, rotten eggs, sulfury and fried shallots,” said geneticist Bin Tean Teh, deputy director of the National Cancer Center Singapore, co-leader of the study published in the journal Nature Genetics.

Unlike other plant species that typically have one or two copies of these genes, this species boasted four copies, demonstrating that VSC production is, as Teh put it, “turbocharged” in durian fruits.

The researchers said this odour may be important to the durian in the wild, helping to attract animals to eat it and disperse its seeds.

The scientists sequenced the genome of the Musang King variety of durian, discovering it has about 46,000 genes, nearly double the number in the human genome.

They were able to trace the evolution of the fruit back 65 million years, finding an ancient relationship to the cacao tree, whose seeds produce chocolate.

“Most of us in Singapore have grown up with the durian, and we are very familiar with it,” said geneticist Patrick Tan, a professor at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. “However, even within the same family, there are individuals that love the taste, while others have learned to simply tolerate it, especially during durian season. For those who have never experienced durian before, it can indeed elicit opposing emotions of devotion and revulsion.”

The researchers said there are at least 30 other durian species, some edible, some inedible, and some with other distinctive features. Several are endangered.

Durian is economically important, with imports to China last year worth US$600 million to US$800 million, the researchers said. --REUTERS

NST : Malacca Preserves 234 ‘Heritage Trees’

4 NOVEMBER 2014

By Kelly Koh

MALACCA: The Malacca Historical City Council (MBMB) has identified 234 trees which will be declared heritage trees.

Mayor Datuk Zainal Abu said they were chosen because they were planted by dignitaries, had reached a certain age, were unique and had iconic status as representatives of certain areas, were high in value, had served the community, for example as a gathering point, and had historical value.

“We have appointed a committee to identify the trees and label them to protect them. These trees must be maintained to provide a green and cooling environment in the city,” he said at the launch of TV3’s Jom Heboh carnival at Taman Bunga Merdeka in Banda Hilir, here, recently.

Zainal said this was part of the local council’s efforts to maintain the status of Malacca as a Unesco World Heritage Site. He said trees from 40 species had been identified, including Melaka, hujan-hujan, batai laut, angsana, mempari, mambu and ketapang.

“They are in Taman Bunga Merdeka, Jalan Kota, Jalan Parameswara, Jalan Laksamana, Jalan Merdeka St Paul Hill, areas near the MBMB swimming pool, areas near the Malacca Sultanate Palace and Dutch cemetery.

“The trees, 36 of which are more than 100 years old, are important assets for future generations,” he said, adding that they were also tourist attractions.

Also present were state Education, Higher Education, Science, Technology, Green Technology, and Innovations Committee deputy chairman Md Rawi Mahmud, Media Prima Television Networks chief operating officer Seelan Paul and TV3 brand management general manager Siti Nurlisia Mohd Nadzri.

Media Prima Bhd also fulfilled its corporate social responsibility through the planting of several species of trees, including the Melaka tree, alongside the release of 300 butterflies and a variety of bird species.

Also present were local celebrities such as Fiza Sabjahan, Zaim Helmi, Maria Tungku Sabri, Eina Azman, Qazeem Noor, and Munir.