Rafflesia

One of the rarest and most astonishing flowers in the world, including the very largest, is found only in Borneo and Sumatra! The Rafflesia flower starts as a small bud and can take over a year to flower. Rafflesia plants are parasitic, lacking both leaves and roots. The flower is not designed for beauty. In fact, the five fleshy, petal like lobes, marbled red and white, resemble dead meat and through chemical reaction the flower generates a strong odor of rotting flesh. This attracts carrion feeders drawn by the fleshy color pattern and the stench! After a few days, the Rafflesia flower turns brown and rots. Thus the world's rarest plant lives for a few days making it extremely difficult to see in the wild.

Hornbill

Hornbills (Bucerotiformes) are very distinctive birds, often seen in aviaries and zoos as well as on television nature program. Their generally large size, bold pied coloring and noisy manner make them obvious birds in many habitats. Besides all this though it is their oversized beaks often decorated with large casqued and their unusual breeding habits that make them truly fascinating.
There are 54 species of Hornbills in the world. They comprise the order Bucerotiformes which is sub-divided into 2 families and 9 genera. Hornbills are strictly 'old world' birds meaning their range extends from Africa across India and Asia to Papua New Guinea. They do not occur in the Americas where a similar ecological niche of medium sized species is filled by Toucans. Hornbills come in a large range of sizes from the small Dwarf Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus camurus) weighing in at 111 grams to the Great Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) standing nearly 3 ft tall and weighing 4190 grams.
Hornbills occupy a wide variety of habitat from the Namib Desert to the lushest S. E. Asian tropical rainforest.
They have been known to mankind for a long time and feature in many ancient customs and myths. Also, the distinctive features given to their skulls by their large beaks and casqued has resulted in these skulls being used in ceremonial head gear. In ancient Rome they were known as Rhinoceros birds.
Hornbills are the only birds in which the first two vertebrae (the axis and atlas) are fused together. They are also the only bird with a two-lobed kidney - all other birds having a three-lobed kidney.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera has a long history of cultivation throughout the drier tropical and subtropical regions of the world, both as an ornamental plant and for herbal medicine. For its herbal and medicinal uses, many of which are shared with related species.
The aloe vera plant contains number of health benefits that has been used for medicinal purposes around the world for more than 3500 years. Aloe vera plant contains more than 200 species and resemble like desert lilies. It is used in number of products like skin lotions, burn gels, cosmetics, moisturizers and sun screen creams.

Aloe Vera Gel
Most benefits of aloe Vera refer to the gel that comes from cactus like leaf. But the covering of the aloe vera leaves can condense for making sticky substance that is called by aloe vera gel. It is an unpleasant and strong laxative. In the market, there is a wide range of products of aloe vera gel available.
Aloe Vera gel is useful for treating athlete’s foot, any forms of burns, muscular pains, herpes, eczema, pimples, bruises, diaper rash, wounds and cuts, hair loss, allergies, varicose veins, insect bites, furuncles, psoriasis, scleroderma and acne.

Benfits for Health
It is available in various forms like creams, sprays, liquid, gel and lotion. The leaves of aloe vera plant contain gel, 96 percent of water and about 4 percent of other substances. It
provides number of benefits to the health of the person.
The most important health benefit of aloe vera plant is that it reduces the pain of a burn very fast and quickly. So, one can apply aloe vera gel immediately in case of any type of burn. This gel not only reduces the pain but also helps in healing the wound quickly.
Aloe vera contains various essential nutrients like minerals, vitamins and enzymes which help in strengthening the immune system. Another health benefit of aloe vera is that aloe vera juice is used in relieving digestive problems. Aloe vera acts as an antibacterial agent and protects the skin of a person against the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Aloe vera gel when applied to wounds act as a mild anesthetic and helps in relieving swelling, itching and pain. It increases the flow of blood to the areas of wound and enhances fibroblasts.
Other health benefits of aloe vera include aloe vera gel is helpful in case of minor cuts, scrapes and bruises and provides relief to a person rapidly. Aloe vera gel has provided number of benefits to a person such as it helps in healing the sores and blisters and also help the people suffering with Psoriasis by reducing the itching and pain.
It has shown considerable improvement in the reduction of lesions. Aloe vera is also beneficial for skin disorders. The aloe vera juice provides comfort to the people suffering from ulcers, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome or indigestion. Aloe vera is also used as a potent drug in some cases. Aloe vera gels and sprays are used in reducing the pain in the joints and muscles due to arthritis.
It acts as a moisturizer and helps in the penetration of some substances and also removes dead cells. It is helpful in lightening the dark spots and reduces the intensity of pigmentation. The extracts of aloe vera are used in lowering blood sugar levels and aloe vera gel provides beneficial effect in reducing cholesterol and blood fat lipid levels.
So, aloe vera provides number of benefits to the person by improving their health.

Asian Arowana

The Asian Arowana refers to several varieties of freshwater fish in the genus Scleropages. Some sources differentiate these varieties into multiple species, while others consider the different strains to belong to a single species, Scleropages formosus. They have several other common names, including Asian bonytongue, dragon fish, and a number of names specific to different varieties.The Asian Arowana is a large bony tongue fish that has several different varieties, including the Gold, Green, and Red Arowanas. The body looks like that of a Silver Arowana, with the dorsal fin set far back near the caudal peduncle. The fish is long and slender and moves with a gracefulness that brings beauty to any home aquarium. The mouth is big like a drawbridge and filled with many small teeth. Depending on the variety, its color can vary considerably, from an olive brown along the back with greenish to silvery sides and pale green finagle to a deep bronze and red. A red tailed variety is also available.

The Asian Arowana requires much the same conditions as the Silver and Black Arowanas. These fish are excellent jumpers, so provide a tight fitting canopy. In nature, Asian Arowanas are found in slow moving streams with lots of weedy plants. Provide a large aquarium with plenty of open swimming space.It is a carnivore and young specimens are very active and need a large variety of foods.

Favorite foods include feeder fish, mosquito larvae, tadpoles, large insects, and occasionally flakes and pellets.Asian Arowanas require no special water conditions except for well-filtered water. A pH slightly acid to neutral is appreciated, as is a common temperature between 21-27 degrees Celsius.All Arowanas are mouth brooders, the male incubating the eggs. One of the sexual differences is the males have wider and deeper mouths for incubating purposes.

Durian

In Southeast Asia the durian is said to be "king of fruits" but when you sit down to try it for the first time you might be tempted to call it the "king of foul odors." Spiky on the outside the inside of the durian is a soft consistency and has the odor of rank cheese.

The smell of this fruit is so bad that hotels in Southeast Asia do not let guests bring them inside. Even unopened durians smell like decomposing zebras.

Another factor leading to its kingly status is the size and shape of it. Durian is typically the size of a small watermelon and is covered with thorny spikes. Cutting through to the meat inside takes a large knife and good technique.

Inside are a few kidney shaped chunks which are the edible part. They are covered with a thin membrane and aren't too difficult to separate from the woody outer covering.
As memorable and stately as the durian is, I really prefer the queen of fruits, the small round purplish mangosteen which has all of the creamy texture of the durian with a sweet refreshing pure taste.

Orchid

Orchidaceae, also called the Orchid family, is the largest family of the flowering plants. Its name is derived from the genus Orchis.
The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew list 880 genera and nearly 22,000 accepted species, but the exact number is unknown (perhaps as much as 25,000) since classification differs greatly in the academic world. About 800 new species are added each year. The largest genera are Bulbophyllum (2,000 species), Epidendrum (1,500 species), Dendrobium (1,400 species) and Pleurothallis (1,000 species). The family also includes the Vanilla (the genus of the vanilla plant), Orchis (type genus) and many commonly cultivated plants like some Phalaenopsis or Cattleya.
Moreover, since the introduction of tropical species in the 19th century, horticulturists have more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars.


The orchid flora of Borneo is estimated to comprise between 1400 and 1500 species, and is one of the least studied in the region. All five subfamilies of the Orchidaceae and about 150 genera are represented on the island. Many new taxa and distributional

records have resulted from recent exploration and taxonomic research. The Orchids of Borneo project aims to document a broad selection of these. Each volume in thee series describes and depicts 100 taxa. It is hoped that this series will heighten awareness of this unique natural heritage, and stimulate its conservation for future generations to enjoy.

Nepenthes

The first recorded observations on Nepenthes by a westerner are those by Etienne de Flacourt, Governor of a French colony in Madagascar in 1658. The name "Nepenthes" was coined in 1737 by Linnaeus to recall a narcotic (nepenthe) with which Helen of Troy snockered her guests. Most people use the Latin name as a common name, although folks who avoid using Latin verbatim coin ad hoc names such as "tropical pitcher plants" or "monkey cups," ad nauseum.

Nepenthes plants are clambering vines with (usually) long and somewhat unremarkable sword-shaped leaves. At the tip of each leaf is a tendril that often has a little looping twist in it. This twist lets the plant hang onto surrounding vegetation for support. The tendril is tipped by a pitcher---the carnivorous pitfall trap.The details of the Nepenthes pitchers naturally varies with species. But the general plan is a watertight pitcher with slippery walls that are very difficult for prey to scale once they have fallen inside. The mouth of the pitcher is adorned with a ribbed structure called a peristome. This peristome helps retain prey, and also conducts prey into the pitcher. A pitcher lid hangs over the pitcher opening. This may help keep rain out of the pitcher, but I think its primary function is to attract prey by its attractive coloration and nectar glands. Prey hanging onto the underside of the lid are in extreme danger of plummeting into the pitcher.

It is almost certain that Nepenthes plants produce their own digestive enzymes (called nepenthesin), but this has not quite been proven despite a number of attempts to do so. One thing is certain, though. There are many species of animals that have learned how to survive in the Nepenthes pitchers, call them home, and probably help in the breakdown of prey captured by the pitchers. In fact, many types of animals, including mosquito larvae, diving ants, crab spiders, and even frogs benefit from close relationships with Nepenthes. It is an extremely interesting field of research.