Calanthe vestita Lindl. in Selangor
This short note by H. N. Ridley records the discovery of Calanthe vestita Lindl. on the limestone rocks at the Kuala Lumpur caves (Gua Batu), Selangor, in December 1896.
Summary
Ridley notes that C. vestita has a remarkable distribution, being known from Tenasserim and Borneo, and that its occurrence in the intermediate region—particularly on limestone—was to be expected. The plant was found as a single specimen in a crevice in a tree on the upper limestone rocks at Gua Batu, in perfect flower and of a fine form. He observes that the upper flora of these rocks differs markedly from that of the lower cliffs and resembles the limestone flora of the Lankawi islands, where C. vestita is replaced by C. rubens Ridl. (p. 311).
Ridley frames this discovery as a connecting link between the two widely separated regions of Tenasserim and Borneo, and adds a parallel example: Dendrobium heterocarpum Wall. (D. aureum Lindl.), known from India, Java, and the Philippines, had recently been found by A. B. Stephens on the Thaiping hills in Perak. (p. 312)