The orchids of Peninsular Malaysia are relatively well-documented compared with those of many other parts of tropical Asia. Joseph Dalton Hooker listed 244 species in his Flora of British India (vol. 5, 1890; vol. 6, 1894) but Henry Nicholas Ridley more than doubled that number, recording 542 species in Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula (vol. 1, 1907) and then 668 species in The Flora of the Malay Peninsula (vol. 4, 1924). Richard Eric Holttum raised the tally to 812 species in his A Revised Flora of Malaya, Volume 1 (1953), and Gunnar Seidenfaden and Jeffrey Wood then made it 857 species in The Orchids of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore (1992). Four years later, Ian Turner listed 858 species in his Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya (1996). Most recently, Ong Poh Teck and colleagues produced an updated checklist enumerating 972 species in 146 genera, representing about 15 per cent of all flowering plant species known in Peninsular Malaysia as a whole. Given this long history of detailed research attention, one may wonder if it is really necessary to revise the orchid flora of Peninsular Malaysia once again. However, the answer is a resounding "yes". Repeated flora treatments have clearly demonstrated a steady rise in the number of species recorded each time the orchids have been revised. This upward trend indicates that more orchids are yet to be discovered. In fact, the total species count is expected to reach 1,000 species or more as new species and new records emerge with further exploration and research.

The Flora of Peninsular Malaysia (FPM) Project was initiated by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) in 2005 with the aim of documenting biodiversity by providing reliable and accurate accounts of all plant families. The Flora is divided into two series: Series I deals with the ferns and lycophytes, while Series II deals with seed plants (gymnosperms and flowering plants). As of the end of 2022, three volumes have been published in Series I and nine volumes have been published in Series II, covering 79 families and 2 subfamilies altogether.

Recognising that the Orchidaceae are by far the largest family in Peninsular Malaysia, this family is dealt with separately to ensure that revisions of orchid genera are published in a timely manner. Manuscripts are submitted to the Malesian Orchid Journal which serves as a repository for the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia Orchidaceae treatment overall. The revisions are published in articles of varying length, depending on the size of the subfamilies or genera involved.

The best way to get a full taxonomic grip on the Orchidaceae of Peninsular Malaysia is to conduct field studies. This is especially true for groups that are difficult to study from herbarium material alone or if very few herbarium specimens are available for analysis – for example, mycoheterotrophic orchids such as Gastrodia, Didymoplexis, Didymoplexiella, Lecanorchis and Galeola. In addition, collecting living plants and cultivating them in the nursery will increase the chance of obtaining decent herbarium material, with the added benefit that a living collection serves as an ex situ refuge for rare and endangered species. This approach can be time consuming, however, as some orchids take several months or even several years to flower in cultivation. But, very often, new records or even new species of orchids are discovered in this way.

These novelties should be treated as a bonus and not a priority, though: nowadays, there seems to be a disturbing trend of young taxonomists only wanting to describe new orchid species and publish new records without getting stuck into the hard work of revising orchid taxonomy. This attitude can lead to a regressive state of affairs whereby more problems are added rather than solved.

Another cause for concern is the limited funding and insufficient pool of competent taxonomists to study such a large and diverse family. To ensure that progress is maintained, the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia project encourages collaboration with experienced taxonomists both within and outside Malaysia. The principle adopted for revising the orchids is that the research should be original and not just a ‘copy and paste’ from past treatments. Most drawings and photographs are provided by the authors themselves, and revisions are done in depth and feature detailed descriptions, new information and discussion wherever possible. It is hoped that the project will continue to gain support from the Malaysian government so that this important piece of research can continue to contribute to a deeper understanding of the country’s irreplaceable biodiversity and how to conserve it.

So far, only 134 taxa have been revised for the project, in other words, about 13.8% of the total known orchid flora of Peninsular Malaysia. But although progress has been slow, it has also been steady. To provide an overview of progress, the table below shows which orchid genera have been revised already, together with details of resulting publications for further reading. This information is also available on the FRIM MyFlora website https://myflora.frim.gov.my/index.cfm, where details on all published families under the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia Project can also be found.

Orchid genera revised to date for the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia (FPM) Project.

References and further reading

Cheah, Y.H. (2020). A revision of Ludisia (Orchidaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia. Malesian Orchid Journal 24: 45–51.

Holttum, R.E. (1953). Orchids of Malaya. Flora of Malaya Vol. 1. Government Printer, Singapore.

Hooker, J.D. (1890–94). Flora of British India Vol. 6. L. Reeve & Co., London.

Kurzweil, H. & Cribb, P. (2016). Flora of Peninsular Malaysia – The Calanthe Group. Malesian Orchid Journal 17: 61–122.

Leong, P.K.F. (2014). Flora of Peninsular Malaysia – Cypripedioideae. Malesian Orchid Journal 13: 113–127.

O’Byrne, P. (2012). A revision of Cleisostoma in Peninsular Malaysia. Malesian Orchid Journal 9: 57–114.

O’Byrne, P. (2013). A revision of Dipodium in Peninsular Malaysia. Malesian Orchid Journal 12: 59–92.

O’Byrne, P. (2015). A revision of Stichorkis in Peninsular Malaysia. Malesian Orchid Journal 16: 99–110.

O’Byrne, P. (2020). Flora of Peninsular Malaysia – A revision of Robiquetia (Orchidaceae: Aeridinae). Malesian Orchid Journal 24: 5–38.

Ong, PT. (2013). Flora of Peninsular Malaysia – Apostasioideae. Malesian Orchid Journal 12: 93–116.

Ong, P.T. (2015). A revision of Gastrodia in Peninsular Malaysia. Malesian Orchid Journal 15: 61–76.

Ong, P.T. (2018). Flora of Peninsular Malaysia – Vanilloideae. Malesian Orchid Journal 21: 69–116.

Ong, P.T. (2021). A revision of Bromheadia in Peninsular Malaysia. Malesian Orchid Journal 25: 11–51.

Ong, P.T. (2021). A revision of Chiloschista in Peninsular Malaysia. Malesian Orchid Journal 25: 53–59

Ong, P.T. (2021). A revision of Chroniochilus in Peninsular Malaysia. Malesian Orchid Journal 25: 61–72

Ong, P.T. (2021). A revision of Trichoglottis in Peninsular Malaysia. Malesian Orchid Journal 25: 97–126.

Ong, P.T., O’Byrne, P., Saw, L.G. & Chung, R.C.K. (2017). Checklist of Orchids of Peninsular Malaysia. Research Pamphlet No. 136. Forest Research Institute Malaysia.

Ridley, H.N. (1907). Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula Vol. 1. Methodist Publishing House, Singapore.

Ridley, H.N. (1924). The Flora of the Malay Peninsula Vol. 4. L. Reeve & Co. Ltd., London.

Seidenfaden, G. & Wood, J.J. (1992). The Orchids of Peninsular Malaysia & Singapore. Olsen & Olsen, Fredensborg.

Turner, I.M. (1996). A catalogue of the vascular plants of Malaya. The Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 47: 1–575.

Ong Poh Teck is a specialist of Peninsular Malaysian orchids. At FRIM, Ong works on the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia (FPM) Project, revising family Orchidaceae. Ong is responsible for maintaining the orchids held both in FRIM’s living collection and herbarium.