Bali Live Cam

• Seminyak Nusa Dua

A Floral Heritage

There are over 30.000 flowering plant species in Indonesia's abundant flora, from the well-known begonias and Busy Lizzies to tropical exotica such as jacaranda, hibiscus and ginger. Some of the most striking are rhododendrons. Thousands of orchid species have been discovered throughout the islands and many have still to be identified. They are usually epiphytic - that is, they grow on a host plan - though terrestrial species are also widespread. In bright or pastel hues, striped and spotted, intricately formed, they are one of the country's glories.

During his travels in Indonesia in the middle of the 1 9th century, British zoologist Alfred Russel Wallace made the observation that the fauna to the east of Bali and Borneo were those associated with Australia, while those to the west of Lombok and Sulawesi were associated with the Indo-Malayan region of South-east Asia. It is now accepted that these divisions on either side of the so-called Wallace's Line are not as precise as was once thought. In fact, the groupings of certain animals are determined more by the biological influences of the Philippines, Maluku and Nusa Tenggara, and also in this area is found wildlife that is typical neither of the Australian nor the Malaysian sides.