Floristic Community Composition in Rafflesia’s Habitat at Kinabalu Park, Sabah

A study at Kinabalu Park, Sabah, identified two Rafflesia species—Rafflesia pricei and R. keithii—with 19 individuals (3 flowers, 16 buds) detected across five plots. The research revealed a high tree density of 1238 individuals per hectare, dominated by Lauraceae (11.05%) and Annonaceae (8.61%). Notably, Xantophyllum macrophyllum (3.60% prevalence) and Baccaurea lanceolata were found in close proximity to Tetrastigma hosts, suggesting a strong ecological association with Rafflesia habitats. While family similarity between plots was high (70.19–48.23%), species similarity was low (4.31–1.54%), indicating limited overlap at the species level despite shared floral communities. The study highlights the importance of these plant species in supporting Rafflesia ecosystems.

Wahab, R., Saibeh, K., Khamis, S., Mujih, H., Gunsalam, G., Dasini, Gerald, E., Chai, R. R., Mohd Fadil, Venly, & Karolus, F. (2021). FLORISTIC COMMUNITY COMPOSITION IN RAFFLESIA’S HABITAT AT KINABALU PARK, SABAH. Borneo Science | the Journal of Science and Technology, 42(2). https://doi.org/10.51200/bsj.v42i2.4468