Botanist receives award for finding 50 species

By Neo Hui Min

A BOTANIST working here has received one of her field's top honours for discovering more than 50 species of plants.

An intrepid seeker of rare plants, Dr Kiew was honoured by having this begonia hybrid named after her. --HOW HWEE YOUNG

Dr Ruth Kiew, 55, of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, received the David Fairchild Award for Plant Exploration from a leading botanical garden in Florida.

Established by the National Tropical Botanical Garden four years ago, the award comes with a medal and a cash prize.

It is named after a distinguished American botanist who introduced mangoes, alfalfa and nectarines into cultivation in America.

In a letter, Dr Paul Cox, director of the Florida gardens, recognised Dr Kiew's 'indefatigable dedication to the conservation of endangered species, and her remarkable enterprise in exploring remote and inaccessible areas in Borneo and peninsular Malaysia'.

She is one of fewer than 20 botanists researching the diverse flora of this region.

The gentle, soft-spoken woman spends much of her time in jungles hunting down new plant species.

She remembers riding rapids in Malaysia for a full day and sleeping in caves, just to get to a red balsam and a begonia.

'If we'd met with an accident, no one would've known,' she said.

She said she took up botany because 'I've always liked observing things'.

Born in England, she came to South-east Asia in 1969 to do research for her doctorate.

It was in the Malaysian jungle that she met her husband, a Malaysian scientist who collects frogs. Now divorced, she has two adult children.

She worked in Malaysia's forestry department for 25 years and joined the Singapore Botanic Gardens about five years ago.

Her work includes hunting for new specimens to add to the herbarium there.

This involves going on at least two expeditions in the region every year.

And when she is not in the field, she often gives lectures or puts together her finds.

In Florida earlier this month to receive her award, she was presented with a Begonia Dr Ruth Kiew.

'It's a great honour to have a plant named after me,' said the botanist, who has concentrated on begonias and African violets for about 30 years and is responsible for much of what is known about them.

'And this plant is such a beautiful and strong hybrid.'