PLANT
IX.
COLLECTING
PROGRAM
IN
SOUTHEAST
Plant collecting program in
under the sponsorship of
National Cancer
ASIA
35
SoutheastAsia
the United States
Institute (NCI)
(1986-1991)
D.D. Soejarto
University
of Illinois
Under the
was
funding
undertaken
to
at
Chicago
Bishop
for the
of Natural
period
of
U. S. A.
History (Botany), Chicago,
National Cancer Institute
in Southeast Asia
plant samples
to
September 1,
(NCI)¹,
be tested for their
1986
a
program
cancer-
Museum. Botanists from these and other institutions collaborated in the field work
for the program, among others:
operation
FRODIN
F.-C. HO
(Philadelphia),
J.S. BURLEY
D.A.
(HCT),
B.C. STONE
(A),
MADULID
W.
(PNH),
(BISH),
MEIJER
DE
the
During
out
the
35 botanical
rain
tropical
878),
and
gram
dry weight,
specially
mens.
a
USDA
to
specimens
Field Museum of Natural
were
History,
properly
at
processed
Chicago,
herbaria: A, F, L, and US;
10,000 plant samples, each 400—1000
the NCI Frederick Cancer Center (Freder-
a set
and
at
Chicago
and
at
were
concept used in Willis and
were
collected.
to more
respective
was
also
of
Seventy percent
field ethnobotanical inquiries
country of collection. A data-
the medicinal
uses
of the
plants
extensively made, many plants collected do have information
Considering
tropical
a
are
probably 25,000 species
rain forests of Southeast Asia, the
fraction
tracts
that there
(perhaps
against
10%)
the HTV
of
of the flora. As of
activity against
test
on
(based
1980;
on
Chicago;
on
data from
Perry
and
Metzger's
the NAPRALERT database
and
medicinal use.
on
inquiries
on
from the local
the
family
1980)
species. Although
not
to
or
in the
more,
date represent but
test
results of
a
large
number of the
identified species
products
populace),
ex-
a
history
plants
that have been
of folk medicinal
Medicinal Plant of East and Southeast
natural
been
uses.
the causative agent of AIDS) had
results indicate that
fully
on
of
of
species
collected have
invitro
January, 1992, only
the HIV. Of 776
to
flowering plants,
tested, 106 showed activity; of the 106 active species, 62 have
use
University
their folk medicinal
program's accomplishments
(human immunodeficiency virus,
been received from the NCI. These
collected showed
the
at
Plants and Ferns,
Flowering
of the collection has been identified
on
the
in the
deposited
than 1,000 genera in 214 families (based
Airy Shaw, Dictionary
speci-
distributed to, among others,
duplicates
the NCI’s Frederick Cancer Center. More than 2,500
flowering plants, belonging
samples
the John G. Searle Herbariumof the
of relevant
herbarium of each host botanical institution in the
of these
one
labeled voucher herbarium
base of the collection (DBase 3+, IBM PC XT/AT) is maintained both
Illinois
were
Malaysia
(Luzon, Panay,
Philippines
special import permit. Every
numbered and documented with
These voucher
following
Taiwan (43), the
collected and delivered
were
ick, Maryland, U.S.A.) under
was
duration
collection numbers),
1360), Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Seram, Irian Jaya;
New Guinea (463). More than
Papua
of 4-12 weeks
collecting trips
forests of Thailand (265
(Malay Peninsula, Sarawak, Sabah; 964),
Mindoro, Palawan;
(BO),
(L).
WILDE
5-year period,
in
D.G.
(KY),
T. SMITINAND (BKF), E. SOEPADMO (KLU), W. TAKEUCHI (BISH), E. WIDJAJA
and W.J.J.O.
carried
and
1991.
through August 31,
with the collaboration of the Arnold Arboretum and the
implemented
was
Museum
from the United States
collect
AIDS-arresting properties,
The program
and Field
at
the
while 44 do
University
not
have
a
Asia,
of Illinois
history
at
of folk
36
FLORA
Aside from its
cer
in
advancing
program has
our
and
goal
and AIDS, the
MALESIANA
benefit of
expected
BULLETIN
finding clinically
NCI-sponsored plant explorations
botanical and
helped
biogeographic
knowledge
non-NCI voucher
drug(s)
particular,
specimens)
more
from the
also
helped
Directly
or
stimulate and
indirectly,
region.
strengthen
and in the elucidation of
tropical
endeavour that may lead
to
A second
Chicago
period
2
of
in
*'
of
September, 1991,
the
cycle
1991
of
than
50,000
again
new
to
the PCRPS,
collecting operation
through August 31,1996.
the
well
as
her-
to a num-
program has
plant
sciences
in other scientific
drugs.
awarded
continue the
both in the
as
new
rain forests of
tropical
Rijksherbarium
University
of Illinois
at
in Southeast Asia for the
The Arnold Arboretumof Harvard
collaboratewith the
project
in this
funding.
Contract NOl-CM-67925
Contract
to
biological diversity,
of
discovery
was
Bishop Museum, and
PCRPS, University
2 >
the
funding
September 1,
University,
second
cycle
further research activities,
rain forest
The
and the herbarium
NCI-sponsored plant exploration
the
treat can-
to
Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and Taiwan
ber of herbaria.
1992
substantially
of the flora of the
plants worldwide, by distributing
(including
useful
in Asia have contributed
enrich the Southeast Asian herbaria in
database of Southeast Asian
barium collections
11(1),
to the
of Illinois
at
Program
for Collaborative
Research in the Pharmaceutical
Chicago, Chicago, U.S.A.; Principal Investigator:
NOl-CM-71548; Principal Investigator:
D.D. SOEJARTO.
Sciences
or
D.D. SOEJARTO.