A Guide to Orchids of Kinabalu
By Jeffery J. Wood – (2013)
146 pages; matt art paper, with 182 colour photographs & 7 monochrome portraits.
Soft Cover: 21.5cm x 15.2cm.
ISBN: 978-983-812-144-6
Natural History Publications (Borneo) Kota Kinabalu
The small sized easy to carry guide, is a very miniature version of the monumental two volume box set published in 2011, of which Jeff Wood was the principal author.
The introductory pages cover the designation and listing of Mount Kinabalu as Malaysia’s first World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 2000. Further coverage includes the history of scientific work on Kinabalu, the orchid collecting expeditions and those whom originally studies and illustrated them followed by collectors and researchers of the post-World War Two era. The different levels of forest type and topography are illustrated and discussed and the speciation and high rate of endemism of Kinabalu’s flora. Examples of the species that occur at different elevations and forest types are also provided.
Of the 100 orchid species offered in this book, each includes its botanical name, author and year published accompanied with a fairly detailed description, notes on habitat, ecology and distribution and in some cases other miscellaneous observations. This is further embellished with a least one quality colour photograph most species have two. The book closes with a glossary and index with a preliminary checklist of Kinabalu orchids. For a more detailed account of the work that has been conducted on Kinabalu’s wild orchids, please read the review of the monumental box set (click here).
This handy miniature version of the box set is a great addition to the guide series published by Natural History Publications and for those who don’t have the budget for the box set, this is an excellent substitute.
Rod Rice
Principal Reviewer
Nature & Travel Books