Ferns in Behrang Reserved Forest, Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia

Abstract

The floristic study on the diversity of ferns in Behrang Reserved Forest aims to provide a checklist of fern species, build species identification keys and compare the level of species similarity in the study area with some other areas in Peninsular Malaysia which are Mount Nuang, Lentang Forest Reserve and Ayer Hitam Utara Forest Reserve. The study includes collecting samples and then preserving them with spirit solution and taking them to the laboratory for the drying and identification purposes. The Behrang Forest Reserve accommodates a total of 39 taxa of ferns in 25 genera and 18 families. This includes four taxa from the Lycophyta division and 35 taxa from the Monilophyta. This amount covers 6.03% of the 647 fern taxa recorded in Peninsular Malaysia and 3.34% of the 1,165 fern taxa recorded in Malaysia. The largest families recorded were Athyriaceae and Tectariaceae with five taxa and also represented 25.6% of all fern taxa found in the study area. Hymenophyllaceae is the second largest family with a number of four taxa from two genera or represents 10.3% of all fern taxa recorded in the study area. The smallest family is represented by Lycopodiaceae, Blechnaceae, Didymochlaenaceae, Grammitidaceae, Lindsaeaceae, Marattiacaea, Nephrolepidaceae, Pteridaceae and Thelypteridaceae with one species respectively. The highest percentage of fern species similarity is between Behrang Forest Reserve and Mount Nuang which is 18.7 %.