ABSTRACT:

The family Araceae in Sarawak comprises 31 genera, with more than 350 species, while on the Matang Massif alone 35 species in 14 genera are recorded to date. Of these Schismatoglottis Zollo & Moritzi is the richest and most diverse genus with nine species (Schismatoglottis asperata Engl., S. conoidea Engl., S. grabowski/ Engl., S. mayoana Bogner & M. Hotta, S. motleyana (Schott) Engl., S. multiflora Ridl., S. cf. neroosa Ridl., S. tecturata (Schott) Engl., S. wallichii Hook f) belonging to four of the informal species groups sensu Hay & Yuzammi (2000). Two of these nine, (S. mayoana and S. cf. nervosa) are endemic to Matang. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of these taxa is their ecological diversity. This paper will highlight these ecological aspects and speculate on the speciation processes involved in bringing about such diversity in a single genus.