Well, we have Cymbly (simply) great news for your. I have discovered a beautiful orchid Cymbidium bicolor spp. pubescens, in Sungei Buloh! Listed as an extinct orchid in the Red Data Book, it was last collected in Sungei Buloh in 1891 by Mr H. N. Ridley. That's almost a hundred year and ten years ago, and this species has miraculously survived much habitat loss. Let us all hope it is the same happy-ending story for the rest of twenty-six species of orchids (of which 24 are extinct) that were recorded in Sungei Buloh. Significance The discovery of the orchid obviously adds one more species to our current record of plants found in Sungei Buloh. It suggests a richer plant diversity than once thought of. However, the significance of the discovery lies much deeper. Firstly, the orchid is a living thing. Secondly, it is a dynamic member of the mangrove system and intricately interdependent with a host of other life forms. Through the millennia, it has evolved with other natural living things to form the highly complex and specialised life system of the mangrove that we have today. For example, bees and other insects are attracted to the orchid flowers, pollinating them while taking nourishment from nectar and pollen. These are the same insects that help to pollinate other plants in the mangrove too, such as the Buta Buta (Exoecaria agallocha) tree, on which the orchid is dependent for support. Of course, this is a rather oversimplified example of the species-interdependence. Fact File Cymbidium bicolor Lindl. spp. pubescens (Lindl.) Du Puy & P. J. Cribb Family: Orchidaceae Habit: Epiphytic Habitat: On trees in exposed places near the sea. Description: Leaves about 45cm long, 1.5cm wide, wide arching, not drooping in habit, leaf bases persistent, enclosing pseudobulbs within; raceme pendulous to 25cm long; sepals and petals with broad dark purple central band, edges pale green, less than 2cm long, 0.5cm wide; lip yellowish with purple-brown spots; column dark purple, tip pale yellow with purple spots. Distribution: Malay peninsula, Singapore, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. New discovery—of plants, insects, or animals, etc—is not just a statistic, but a significant indication of the vitality of the mangrove's biological system. It shows that the mangroves are much healthier and in better shape than we thought. While only one clump of the orchid has been found so far, we have not given up hope of finding others. In the meantime, we need to increase the number through selective propagation. The clump will be monitored regularly so as to obtain the next batch of fruiting capsules. A direct consequence of new discoveries also provides us with new material for research and educational purposes.