Axel Dalberg Poulsen, research fellow 2002–03
National Herbarium of the Netherlands - Leiden, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
Email:axel@dalbergpoulsen.com
E. littoralis, Keningau, Sabah
E. megalocheilos, Keningau, Sabah
 INTRODUCTION
The genus Etlingera (Zingiberaceae) is distributed from India to the Pacific Islands with centers of species richness assumed in Borneo and New Guinea. Presently at least 70 species are known from the Malesian region, but after the last 5 years work in Borneo, 29 are known alone for this area, including 10 still undescribed.		 E. brevilabrum,Maliau Basin, Sabah
E. brevilabrum,
Maliau Basin, Sabah
ECOLOGY
Species of Etlingera can be more than 5 m tall and become dominant in gaps (E. megalocheilos, E. brevilabrum, E. coccinea,
E. fimbriobracteata) and thus indicate disturbance; whilst other species are found reproductive in shady conditions as well, e.g. E. corrugata.
E. australasica, Daintree, North Queensland, Australia The reproductive biology has been investigated by Ms. Louise Pedersen (Univ. Copenhagen) who found that spider hunters are important pollinators. Dispersal has been little studied but pigs have been observed digging up fruits of E. brevilabris and rodents emptying capsules of E. fimbriobracteata. E. elatior and a Spider Hunter, Danum, Sabah
E. elatior and a Spider Hunter, Danum, Sabah
E. australasica, Daintree,
North Queensland, Australia

 E. fimbriobracteata, Mulu, Sarawak
E. fimbriobracteata,
Mulu, Sarawak
E. punicea, Bario, Sarawak
E. coccinea, Bario, Sarawak
 USES
The torch ginger (Etlingera elatior) is well known as a useful and ornamental plant but several other species are known to be used by local people. The fruit of E. fimbriobracteata is eaten by the Ibans.
In Sabah, E. coccinea, locally known as ’tuhau’ (by Dusuns and Muruts), is used as a condiment. It is also used by Kelabits (’tubu nanung’) and Ibans (’tepus’) in Sarawak, a name also used in Java.
The central part of the leafy shoot of
E. coccinea is widely used in Borneo and Java		 Roadside stall with E. punicea, near Tambunan, Sabah
Roadside stall with E. coccinea, near Tambunan, Sabah
 Iban cutting the leafy shoot of E. punicea, Limbang District, Sarawak
Iban cutting the leafy shoot of E. coccinea, Limbang District, Sarawak
E. velutina Crocker R., Sabah
E. velutina Crocker R., Sabah

FUTURE WORK
I have been interested in working on this genus since my first Malesian fieldwork in Brunei in 1991, and am concurrently collaborating with Prof. Halijah Ibrahim, Mr. John Mood, and Mr. Anthony Lamb mainly on the Bornean species. Since Rosemary Smith’s work on Bornean Etlingera in the 80’s, Mrs. Khaw has recently published a revision of the Peninsular Malaysian species. I hope to revise the genus for Flora Malesiana but I am presently focusing on the Bornean species.