Exploration and inventory of native orchid germplasm in West Borneo, Indonesia

Borneo (Kalimantan) is the third largest island in the world. It is rich with various indigenous orchid species that grow epiphytically, terrestrially, or saprophytically in the forests. Its rain forests are also home to some rare species such as some Aërides sp., Bulbophyllum sp., Cymbidium sp., Dendrobium sp., Dimorphorchis sp., Grammatophyllum sp., Paphiopedilum sp., Phalaenopsis sp., Paraphalaenopsis sp., and Vanda sp., all of which have a very high economic value. These species are endangered and some of them may have not yet been found or discovered, because of the loss of habitat resulting from fire, forest damage, illegal logging, and orchid hunting either by domestic or foreign collectors. Until recently, there are only a few records on the orchid native to West Borneo. For this reason, a research was conducted to identify and create an inventory of all orchid species that exist in West Borneo before they become extinct along with their habitat and to conserve them ex situ. This research was conducted in 10 counties and one municipal city in West Borneo, and inventory was done through exploration. Orchids found were recorded and identified into their genera and their species by visual examination of vegetative and floral characteristics, respectively. A total of 197 species of orchids from 66 genera were identified, and among those, 27 species live as terrestrials, 169 species live as epiphytes, and one species lives as both an epiphyte and terrestrial.