THE OCCURRENCE, ORIGIN AND VEGETATION OF LOWLAND PEAT IN MALAYA B. R. Hewitt Chemistry Department, University of Malaya [Read 29th March, 1967] Synopsis The extent, origin, distribution and vegetation of the lowland peat of Malaya are described. Some reference is made to similar peat formations in adjacent areas in south-east Asia and factors responsible for the development of peat are discussed. Introduction Peat swamps cover extensive areas of the humid tropics and occur in the three main rain forest regions of the world; in south-east Asia, tropical America, and tropical Africa. Richards (1952) has summarized some of the available information on the vegetation and nature of peat swamps. In the humid tropics of south-east Asia, on the landward side of the mangrove or beach forests, peat forests are encountered in many areas extending along the coastal plains. They cover almost one fifth of the area of Sumatra and occur along the coasts of the Malayan Peninsula, Borneo and southern New Guinea. Next to the sub-arctic peat formations of the northern hemisphere, particularly in the U.S.S.R., these tropical peats probably belong to the largest ever described. Lowland peat is of great importance in south-east Asia because of its occurrence in areas where rice can be grown. Due to the physical conditions, high acidity, low fertility and often toxic concentrations of some elements it is very difficult to grow padi on peatland. There are approximately 2 million acres of peat on the Malayan Peninsula and 40 million acres in Indonesia. The study of tropical peat began in Indonesia, the first publications appearing in 1854. Bernelot Moens (1865) described a kind of peat he found in Java and noted the resemblances between coal and peat formation. In 1870, Edeling gave a description of the Bidara Tjina swamp and mentioned floating islands in the swamp. Stoop in 1886 described the Rawa Pening near Ambarawah in Java in which a floating island formed. This phenomenon had already been described by Junghuhn in 1854. Potonie and Koorders in 1909 published their findings after crossing Sumatra and commented that the formation of tropical peat was an example of coal formation. Up to this time it was generally accepted in scientific circles that peat soil can originate only under a temperate or cold climate. Nevertheless, Schimper in 1908 stated that in the tropics "zur Torfbildung auszer im Gebirge fiber 1200 m. nirgends kommt". After 1909, the study of tropical peat attracted greater attention and the number of publications increased. Lang in 1914 described the accumulation of peat and the presence of black water rivers in Sumatra and Malacca. Keilhacks (1915) described peats in the mountains and on the lowlands of Ceylon. In the same year Gates (1915) mentioned a small swamp containing peat in the mountains of the Philippines. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, "Vol. 92, Part 1
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