Marai Parai or Marei Parei is a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

on the northwestern side of

Mount Kinabalu Mount Kinabalu ( ms, Gunung Kinabalu, Dusun language, Dusun: ''Gayo Ngaran or Nulu Nabalu'') is the highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia. With an elevation of , it is List of islands by highest point, third-highest peak of an island on Eart ...

, in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. The mountain can be climbed from this side, although few parties attempt this route. The first recorded ascent of Mount Kinabalu via Marai Parai was done in 1987. ''Marai Parai'' is a

Dusun Dusun is the collective name of a tribe or ethnic and linguistic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah of North Borneo. Collectively, they form the largest ethnic group in Sabah. Dusun has been recognised as among the indigenous community of ...

name derived from the resemblance of

sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

plants, which are very common on the plateau, to hill padi. The site is also home to several famous

pitcher plant Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...

species, including ''

Nepenthes rajah ''Nepenthes rajah'' is a carnivorous pitcher plant species of the family Nepenthaceae. It is endemic to Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.Clarke 1997, p. 123. ''Nepenthes rajah'' grows exclusively on ...

'', ''

Nepenthes burbidgeae ''Nepenthes burbidgeae'' , also known as the painted pitcher plantKurata, S. 1976. ''Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu''. Sabah National Parks Publications No. 2, Sabah National Parks Trustees, Kota Kinabalu. or Burbidge's Pitcher-Plant,Phillipps, A. & ...

'', ''

Nepenthes lowii ''Nepenthes lowii'' , or Low's pitcher-plant,Phillipps, A. & A. Lamb 1996. ''Pitcher-Plants of Borneo''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is named after Hugh Low, who discover ...

'', ''

Nepenthes edwardsiana ''Nepenthes edwardsiana'' , or the splendid pitcher-plant,Phillipps, A. & A. Lamb 1996. ''Pitcher-Plants of Borneo''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. is a carnivorous tropical pitcher plant endemic to Mount Kinabalu and neig ...

'', ''

Nepenthes fusca ''Nepenthes fusca'' , or the dusky pitcher-plant,Phillipps, A. & A. Lamb 1996. ''Pitcher-Plants of Borneo''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is found throughout a wide alti ...

'', and ''

Nepenthes tentaculata ''Nepenthes tentaculata'' , or the fringed pitcher-plant,Phillipps, A. & A. Lamb 1996. ''Pitcher-Plants of Borneo''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. is a tropical pitcher plant with a wide distribution across Borneo and Sul ...

''. Clarke, C. M. 1997. ''Nepenthes of Borneo''. Natural History Publications (

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

Kota Kinabalu , image_skyline = , image_caption = From top, left to right, bottom:Kota Kinabalu skyline, Wawasan intersection, Tun Mustapha Tower, Kota Kinabalu Coastal Highway, the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, the Wism ...

. xi + 207 pp. The tree ''

Elaeocarpus inopinatus ''Elaeocarpus'' is a genus of nearly five hundred species of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae native to the Western Indian Ocean, Tropical and Subtropical Asia, and the Pacific. Plants in the genus ''Elaeocarpus'' are trees or shrubs ...

'' is known only from the plateau.

References

Marai Parai Marai Parai or Marei Parei is a plateau on the northwestern side of Mount Kinabalu, in Malaysia. The mountain can be climbed from this side, although few parties attempt this route. The first recorded ascent of Mount Kinabalu via Marai Parai was do ...

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