KOTA KINABALU: Sandakania, the scientific journal dedicated to plant systematics, morphology, and natural history, has released its 25th volume.
Published by the Forest Research Centre of the Sabah Forestry Department, this milestone edition was supported by funding from the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry.
The online version was made available in December 2024, with the printed edition now officially released.
Volume 25 features four scientific papers by botanists, alongside a tribute to the late Datuk Anthony Lamb, a pioneering figure in Sabah’s botanical field.
The first paper details the discovery of two new species of tropical blueberry from central Sabah.
This breakthrough was achieved by a team of researchers from the United States, working in collaboration with Dr Joan Pereira of the Sabah Forestry Department.
In the second paper, John Sugau and Alviana Damit report new locality records for the rare and endemic Rafflesia tengku-adlinii, adding valuable information to conservation efforts for this iconic parasitic plant.
A third paper, led by Jonathan Lucas and researchers from the Forestry Department, presents a provisional checklist of seed plant diversity and their conservation status on Mount Sinsing, Malaysia’s third-highest peak, located in the Trusmadi Range in Tambunan.
The fourth study, by Andi Maryani and collaborators from the Sabah Forestry Department and Universiti Malaysia Sabah, examines the ferns and lycophytes of Mount Sinsing, highlighting its unique and diverse plant life.
The volume concludes with a heartfelt piece by Datuk C.L. Chan, paying tribute to the late Datuk Anthony Lamb for his lifelong dedication to botany and nature conservation in Sabah.
Sandakania is overseen by an editorial committee chaired by Dr Arthur Y.C. Chung, with John B. Sugau as editor, Dr Joan T. Pereira as assistant editor, and Alviana Damit handling layout and copy editing.
The advisory panel includes Dr Wong Khoon Meng and Timothy M.A. Utteridge (Singapore Botanic Gardens), Todd J. Barkman (Western Michigan University, USA), and Elliot Gardner (Case Western Reserve University, USA).
Published under the leadership of the Chief Conservator of Forests, Datuk Frederick Kugan, Sandakania continues to be a vital platform for advancing scientific understanding and appreciation of the flora of Sabah and Borneo.
