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Evergreen swamp forest in Cambodia: floristic composition, ecological characteristics, and conservation status
Author(s) -
Theilade Ida,
Schmidt Lars,
Chhang Phourin,
McDonald J. Andrew
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
nordic journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.333
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1756-1051
pISSN - 0107-055X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1756-1051.2010.01003.x
Subject(s) - swamp , biology , evergreen , evergreen forest , ecology , botany , scirpus , floristics , wetland , species richness
As part of recent field studies, a hitherto undescribed type of evergreen freshwater swamp forest was discovered in Stung Treng Province, Cambodia. The swamp forest occurs in at least six disjunct localities and is dominated by hydrophytic trees ( Eugenia spp., Ficus spp., Litsea spp., Macaranga triloba , Myristica iners and Pternandra caerulescens ). Although these same genera also occur in upland forests, most are represented by different species in the swamps. Livistona saribus emerges from the canopy as an indicator species of this vegetation type while dense stands of other palms ( Calamus , Areca , Licuala ) and sporadic, dense populations of tree ferns ( Cibotium barometz ) dominate the understory. Pneumatophores, stilt roots, and aerial roots characterize the hydrophytes. The floristic composition indicates that the forest type is distinct compared to other swamp forests described from the region and worthy of protection based on its rarity and ecological uniqueness.