In the month of June 2011 I took photos of plants in the Pasir Panjang forest of Central Kalimantan. The indigenous Dayak people of this region have an intimate knowledge of the plants which grow in their forests. For centuries plants have provided the Dayak people with medicene, food, even water. Here is a list of some of these plants and the ways in which the Dayak people used them in the past as well as today. Since I was volunteering at the OFI Care Centre and Quarantine, a rehabilitation centre for orangutans I have also mentioned whether these plants are eaten by orangutans as well.
Local name: Putat
Habitat / Biological Information: The fruits of this plant are red and yellow.
Interesting fact: A traditional Dayak medicine can be made from the leaves of the putat plant to make an ointment that can be rubbed onto the skin, to relieve skin irritated by the rangas tree.
In the Photo: Baby Hunt is climbing in the forest surrounding the nursery, and white putat flowers can be seen sweeping down on his right-hand side.
Putat continued….
In the Photo: Baby Hunt is eating either Putat flowers or leaves in the forest outside the baby nursery.
Local Name: Lembiding (kelakai - alternative Dayak name)
Habitat / Biological Information: Lembiding is a vine and the young leaves grow in crosier. Young and juvenile leaves are red and soft, adults leaves are hard, green and have serrated edges.
Interesting fact: Orangutans eat the young, red leaves and tips of the vine. Local people also eat the leaves, by soaking them in hot water first to soften them, before frying them. Dayak people believe that the lembiding plant is good to eat if you have low blood pressure.
In the Photo: Sidney can be seen enjoying eating the tips of the Lembiding vine.
Local Name: Unknown (possibly Kelombang)
Habitat / biological information: A small, aquatic plant which grows with its leaves floating on the water. Its flowers grow upright, sticking out of the water and growing up to 10-20 cm. The flowers are purple on the outside and yellow on the inside and smell like dirty socks. The leaves are green on the top side of the leaf and purple underneath.
Interesting fact: This plant is poisonous if consumed.
Local Name: Ngang Garam
Interesting fact: Orangutans can eat the fruit of this plant.
Local name: Selinsing
Habitat / Biological information: Selinsing grows in water.
Interesting fact: Local people use this photographed species as a medicine for itchy skin.
In the Photo: Wallis can be seen eating the grass in the forest.
Local name: Tabiku Tingang, Kantong semar (Indonesian) or pitcher plant (English)
Genus: Nepenthes
Habitat / Biological Information: Pitcher plants have a unique way of feeding. They have evolved to live in areas with low nutrient soils by getting their nutrients from insects. Insects are lured to eat from the lid of the plant but once they enter the pitcher of the plant, the slippery sides ensure that the insects can’t climb back out. After the insects plummet into a pool of water at the bottom of the plant, the plant secretes enzymes into the water which digest the insect.
Tabiku Tingang continued….
Interesting fact: One species, the red crab spider, has developed a way to survive off the pitcher plant. By hanging on with threads of silk to the sides of the plant, it waits for a trapped insect in the pool of water to drown before eating it. Using an air bubble, the spider can even dive into the water to catch swimming larvae.
Tabiku Tingang continued….
Interesting fact: In Dayak, Tingang translates as hornbill, therefore the name of this particular species of pitcher plant, Tabiku Tingang, derives from the shape of its hood which locals believe resembles the shape of a hornbill. Before there was adequate access to water in Kalimantan, local Dayak people would often drink from the pitcher plant whilst in the forest. Birds will often drink from this plant too.
Local name: Singkong (Indonesian), cassava (English),
Species name: Manihot esculenta
Interesting fact: This plant is native to South America but is commonly cultivated in tropical, sub-tropical regions such as Indonesia. Cassava is now considered to be the third largest source of carbohydrates in the world for meals. Various parts of the plant are edible such as the tapered root, the leaves and the juices.
In the Photo: Here, Berman can be seen eating the Cassava.
Local name: Kaladi
Interesting fact: People and orangutans can’t eat this plant because it is poisonous. It can make the skin very itchy as well.
Local name: Karamunting kodok
Interesting fact: Local Dayak people in Pasir Panjang cook and eat the flowers of this plant. They can also eat the fruit if it’s ripe and red.
In the Photo: Douglas Soledo can be seen enjoying a ripe Karamunting fruit.
Karamunting Kodok continued....
In the Photo: Here, baby Britney is enjoying a younger Karamunting fruit which is still green.
Local name: Angrek (Indonesian), Orchid (English)
Interesting fact: Sometimes orangutans will eat these flowers.
Local name: Jamul, (Indonesian name for fungus) the generic name is shelf fungus or bracket fungus.
Interesting fact: Orangutans don’t eat this particular fungus, but they will often eat other fungi. This fungus is poisonous. Dayak people believe that if a caterpillar is eating a fungus, then it is safe for people to eat too.
Local name: Akar (Indonesian), Liana (English)
Habitat / Biological Information: Lianas are woody vines that rely on other plants for support in order to reach the heights of the canopy where more light can be found. Rooted, they start from the ground, and because they don’t need to invest energy into structural support, they devote more resources into leaf production and stem elongation for rapid growth. Some lianas have been recorded as exceeding 3,000 feet in length. Lianas are very important in the forest; they suppress tree regeneration, provide food to animals, and physically link trees together, providing passage through the canopy for arboreal animals such as orangutans.
In the Photo: Sidney relaxes on a sturdy, old vine.
Local name: Pohon Nanasi
Interesting fact: Orangutans sometimes eat the fruit from this tree. Nanasi translates as white rice in Dayak, and so the name of this plant derives from its color which is similar to white rice.
Local name: Satar
Interesting fact: The young blue leaf turns green and orangutans eat the young leaves and Satar fruit.
Local name: Akar (Indonesian), Vine (English)
Interesting fact: This is a young vine, making its way up a tree. Vines have many tactics for attaching themselves to a host. These include methods such as stem twining, using tendrils from their stems, thorns, spikes or downward-pointing hairs to stick to their host.
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