[Note: There will be no post next week (13 November) as I will be overseas during that weekend.]

I had rarely venture far in afternoons and generally prefer to explore the wild places in the mornings. Last Sunday, I made an exception by going to the Dairy Farm Nature Park in the afternoon. The trip was prompted by someone asking about a forest climber Artabotrys suaveolens that I saw around that area in 2011. It was supposed to be located somewhere along Wallace Trail in the forested area. Unfortunately, the trail had changed course; most part of the trail that used to run through the forest had been blocked. A new and shorter trail was constructed along the edge of the forest which was far less interesting. Judging from the vegetation that had overgrown the old trail, it must have been closed for quite some time. The last time I came by was August 2013.

Nevertheless, I did manage to spot a new plant though not a forest species. It was a small creeper that spread across the ground in an area with semi-concrete flooring. Its creeping pattern, size and small leaves looked similar to that of Vandellia diffusa (Spreading False Pimpernel) and Legazpia polygonoides (Malayan Eyebright) except that it leaves arrangement was alternate instead of opposite. According to one of my pictorial guide book from Malaysia on medicinal plants, the creeper was named as Ipomoea stolonifera (Fiddle-Leaf Morning Glory). However, the pictures of Ipomoea stolonifera seen in the Internet did not match well with the one I saw. As the white flowers were already closed, I was not able to see the full bloom version. From their look, it was reasonable to suspect that it was indeed a mini Ipomoea species.

Besides this groundcover creeper, the rest of the plants were familiar species. Below were 4 selected ones showing their flowers.