Species

Every species has a story.

Find a familiar name or discover something new. Choose a family to narrow the collection, then open a plant for a closer look.

The species collection

Filter by plant family All species 16 Dipterocarpaceae 4 Lauraceae 4 Burseraceae 4 Myristicaceae 4

Showing all 16 speciesShowing 4 species in DipterocarpaceaeShowing 4 species in LauraceaeShowing 4 species in BurseraceaeShowing 4 species in Myristicaceae

Dipterocarpaceae

Vatica rassak

Resak Irian

A wet-tropical tree with narrowly elliptic leaves. The green fruit in this reference photograph is a useful feature to record alongside the whole tree.

Borneo to New Guinea

Botanical source: NParks.

Vatica View species

Dipterocarpaceae

Vatica mangachapoi

Common name not recorded in this guide

A member of the dipterocarp family recorded in Malaysia. Start with its scientific name, then compare the tree, leaves and reproductive structures with a regional flora.

Malaysia and neighbouring Southeast Asia

Botanical source: MyBIS.

Vatica View species

Dipterocarpaceae

Dipterocarpus grandiflorus

Apitong

A large forest tree in Dipterocarpaceae. Photographing the leaf surface and young growth adds useful detail to a general canopy photograph.

Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Southeast Asia

Botanical source: World Agroforestry.

Dipterocarpus View species

Dipterocarpaceae

Dipterocarpus kerrii

Common name not recorded in this guide

This accepted tree species belongs to Dipterocarpus. The reference photograph shows a winged fruit; record naturally fallen material without removing anything from a living tree.

Malaya, Borneo and neighbouring regions

Botanical source: World Flora Online.

Dipterocarpus View species

Lauraceae

Actinodaphne malaccensis

Common name not recorded in this guide

A tree of the wet tropical biome in Lauraceae. Kew accepts this scientific name; use the full binomial when recording an observation to avoid ambiguity.

Malaya, as listed by Kew

Botanical source: Kew POWO.

Actinodaphne View species

Lauraceae

Actinodaphne pruinosa

Common name not recorded in this guide

A laurel-family tree represented here by a preserved botanical specimen. Herbarium images can help compare leaf outlines, but dried colours differ from those of a living plant.

Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Borneo

Botanical source: Species overview and cited Kew reference.

Actinodaphne View species

Lauraceae

Beilschmiedia madang

Medang

A forest tree whose fleshy fruits become dark blue to black at maturity. The fruit stalk may turn red, making close photographs particularly useful for comparison.

Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia

Botanical source: NParks.

Beilschmiedia View species

Lauraceae

Beilschmiedia kunstleri

Common name not recorded in this guide

A member of Lauraceae documented from Hutan Simpan Sungai Tekam in Pahang. Keep the specimen name together with its source when comparing this tree with other Beilschmiedia.

Recorded in Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia

Botanical source: University of Malaya research.

Beilschmiedia View species

Burseraceae

Canarium odontophyllum

Dabai

A tall, buttressed tree that bears bluish-black fruits. This botanical specimen preserves its leaf structure; the source also describes the living tree and its fruit.

Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines

Botanical source: NParks.

Canarium View species

Burseraceae

Canarium littorale

Common name not recorded in this guide

A Burseraceae tree with a documented regional distribution. The photograph records its fruits; combine fruit images with leaves and a wider view before making an identification.

Malaya, Borneo and neighbouring Southeast Asia

Botanical source: World Flora Online.

Canarium View species

Burseraceae

Dacryodes rostrata

Kedondong kerut

An evergreen tree with pinnate leaves and fleshy fruits that darken as they ripen. Its reference specimen provides a closer look at leaf arrangement.

Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Southeast Asia

Botanical source: NParks.

Dacryodes View species

Burseraceae

Dacryodes laxa

Kedondong bulu laxa

A Malaysian native tree listed by MyBIS. Record the location of your own observation separately from the places reported by a botanical database.

Recorded in Johor, Kedah and Pahang

Botanical source: MyBIS.

Dacryodes View species

Myristicaceae

Horsfieldia irya

Common name not recorded in this guide

A wet-tropical tree in the nutmeg family. Its broad native range includes Malaya and Borneo; a reference range does not confirm an individual sighting.

Sri Lanka to the Caroline Islands, including Malaysia

Botanical source: Kew POWO.

Horsfieldia View species

Myristicaceae

Horsfieldia superba

Penarahan

A Myristicaceae tree documented in several Malaysian states. The leaf photograph offers a close comparison point while its linked record provides the regional context.

Recorded across Peninsular Malaysia

Botanical source: MyBIS.

Horsfieldia View species

Myristicaceae

Myristica fragrans

Nutmeg · Pokok pala

The nutmeg tree bears fruits containing a seed and a red, lacy aril. Cultivation guidance includes moderate water and well-drained soil in a tropical climate.

Native to Maluku; cultivated beyond its native range

Botanical source: NParks.

Myristica View species

Myristicaceae

Myristica iners

Common name not recorded in this guide

An accepted wet-tropical tree species whose native range includes Malaya and Borneo. It belongs to the same genus as cultivated nutmeg, but is a distinct species.

Southern Indochina to western and central Malesia

Botanical source: Kew POWO.

Myristica View species

Keyboard: Tab to the family choices, then use the arrow keys to select. Images are reference material, not observations submitted to this website.

A name is the beginning of a conversation.

You do not need to name every plant before you start exploring. Begin with a clear observation and follow the classification trail at your own pace. This guide deliberately keeps its collection small: every family connects to two genera, and every genus connects to two species. Those counts describe this website’s selection, not the total diversity of the families.

Use the photographs as reference material. A close-up may show a fruit, a leaf, or a preserved herbarium specimen; the caption tells you who made the image. The original botanical source appears beside the description so you can examine the evidence and read beyond our summary. Regional ranges describe published distributions, not the location where a reference photograph was taken.

Build a useful observation

Take a wider photograph showing the plant’s overall form.
Add close views of leaves and any visible flowers or fruits.
Write the date, general location and what you actually observed.

Three words to know

Family: A classification that groups related genera.
Genus: A classification within a family; the first word of a species name.
Species: The more precise level used in this guide, written with a two-part scientific name.

Naming reference: International Association for Plant Taxonomy. Field workflow is original project guidance.

Compare the classification

The collection at a glance: 4 families, 8 genera and 16 species
Family	Genus	Species in this guide
Dipterocarpaceae	Vatica	Vatica rassak, Vatica mangachapoi
Dipterocarpaceae	Dipterocarpus	Dipterocarpus grandiflorus, Dipterocarpus kerrii
Lauraceae	Actinodaphne	Actinodaphne malaccensis, Actinodaphne pruinosa
Lauraceae	Beilschmiedia	Beilschmiedia madang, Beilschmiedia kunstleri
Burseraceae	Canarium	Canarium odontophyllum, Canarium littorale
Burseraceae	Dacryodes	Dacryodes rostrata, Dacryodes laxa
Myristicaceae	Horsfieldia	Horsfieldia irya, Horsfieldia superba
Myristicaceae	Myristica	Myristica fragrans, Myristica iners

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