Sixteen species

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

Header photo Hani Ristiawan, CC BY-NC

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 reference photograph shows a leafy branch beside the trunk, a useful record of leaf shape to set alongside a view of the whole tree.

Borneo to New Guinea

Source: NParks View species

Dipterocarpaceae

Vatica mangachapoi

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

Source: MyBIS 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

Source: World Agroforestry View species

Dipterocarpaceae

Dipterocarpus kerrii

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

Source: World Flora Online View species

Lauraceae

Actinodaphne malaccensis

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

Source: Kew POWO View species

Lauraceae

Actinodaphne pruinosa

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

Source: Species overview and cited Kew reference 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

Source: NParks View species

Lauraceae

Beilschmiedia kunstleri

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

Source: University of Malaya research 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

Source: NParks View species

Burseraceae

Canarium littorale

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

Source: World Flora Online 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

Source: NParks 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

Source: MyBIS View species

Myristicaceae

Horsfieldia irya

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

Source: Kew POWO 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

Source: MyBIS 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

Source: NParks View species

Myristicaceae

Myristica iners

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

Source: Kew POWO 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.

Sixteen species is a small collection, which makes it a good place to practise comparing. Use the family filter to see four related species side by side, then open each record for its description, range and botanical source.

When two species look alike, the details matter: leaf shape, the way leaves attach to the stem, and the fruit. The regional context tells you whether a species is even expected in the place you visited.

Comparing two similar species

Confirm that both belong to the same family and genus.
Check the regional context of each record against where you were.
Compare the feature shown in each reference photograph.
Read the linked botanical source before deciding.

Terms used on the cards

Reference photograph: An image chosen to show a helpful feature of the species.
Herbarium specimen: A pressed and dried plant kept as a permanent scientific record.
Regional context: The published distribution of the species, not a photo location.

Herbarium background: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Herbarium.

Species at a glance

All sixteen species with their common names and published ranges
Species	Common name	Family	Regional context
Vatica rassak	Resak Irian	Dipterocarpaceae	Borneo to New Guinea
Vatica mangachapoi	Not recorded	Dipterocarpaceae	Malaysia and neighbouring Southeast Asia
Dipterocarpus grandiflorus	Apitong	Dipterocarpaceae	Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Southeast Asia
Dipterocarpus kerrii	Not recorded	Dipterocarpaceae	Malaya, Borneo and neighbouring regions
Actinodaphne malaccensis	Not recorded	Lauraceae	Malaya, as listed by Kew
Actinodaphne pruinosa	Not recorded	Lauraceae	Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Borneo
Beilschmiedia madang	Medang	Lauraceae	Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
Beilschmiedia kunstleri	Not recorded	Lauraceae	Recorded in Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia
Canarium odontophyllum	Dabai	Burseraceae	Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines
Canarium littorale	Not recorded	Burseraceae	Malaya, Borneo and neighbouring Southeast Asia
Dacryodes rostrata	Kedondong kerut	Burseraceae	Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Southeast Asia
Dacryodes laxa	Kedondong bulu laxa	Burseraceae	Recorded in Johor, Kedah and Pahang
Horsfieldia irya	Not recorded	Myristicaceae	Sri Lanka to the Caroline Islands, including Malaysia
Horsfieldia superba	Penarahan	Myristicaceae	Recorded across Peninsular Malaysia
Myristica fragrans	Nutmeg (pokok pala)	Myristicaceae	Native to Maluku; cultivated beyond its native range
Myristica iners	Not recorded	Myristicaceae	Southern Indochina to western and central Malesia