Take The Path Less Ordinary

Those who watched the recent episode of Ugly Betty, especially Malaysians, would have been flabbergasted when a red hairy fruit is referred as “Tico berry”.
“Tico” is simply the name commonly used to refer to Costa Rica’s native inhabitants, which is also widely used to depict beautiful people.
In the said Ugly Betty episode, “Tico [...]

“Stink like hell, but tastes like heaven”. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Botany certainly didn’t mince words when it comes to describing Bombacaceae durio zibethinus.
The Malaysian Agriculture Department is perhaps more specific. In their list, codes like D2, D24, D99 and D158 depict each sub-species and a hefty 190 clones have been recorded since [...]

Sightseeing comes in various speed. Some like cars, some cycle, but let’s agree hiking is best to pick up little gems that make the world interesting.
Trotting under shadowy canopy of riverbank forest recently, we found a strange plant snug under the damp bamboo grove. On first look, it looked like orchid. But knowing rain forest [...]

Think of Rafflesia as bohemian.
It possesses nothing, yet contrives to exist on that nothing at the expense of its host’s generosity. It has no root, stem, branch or leaf. Botanists are not sure whether to call it a plant or not. Though it shy away from view mostly, it is guided by ambition of “making [...]

Overview
It’s everyone’s dream to wander off into uncharted rain forest and immerse in its botanical wonders.
Well, let the experts help you learn and do it safely.
To intrepid hikers in the know, Kledang Range’s route “49” is an interesting trekking trail that passes uncharted territory and peculiar rainforest hoodoos. Take heart, we know the turf like [...]

Overview
Imagine a trail that takes you back in time and confronts you with wildlife and plants that have been around longer than mankind.
If you’re still operating under misguided assumption that the Malaysian countryside is all about paddy fields, coconut trees and rainforest, this well-researched trail designed by us with change your mind very quickly.
The mangrove [...]

Amorphophallus - The plant gets its name from the Greek words “amorphos” + “phallos” meaning shapeless penis. The botanist fraternity certainly has a way with names, don’t they?
The variety of plants in the Malaysian jungle is staggering - and weird too.
No matter how often one humps into the woods, finding something new, rare and unusual [...]

Our home ground Perak countryside in Segari Melintang Forest Reserve, Malaysia, got worldwide attention recently all because of its hard drinking wildlife.
Yup, the Malayan pen-tailed tree shrew (Ptilocercus lowii), locally known as “tupai ekor kembang”, raised eyebrows two days ago when researchers Frank Wiens and Anne Zitzmann of the University of Bayreuth in US discovered [...]

Mangrove trees grow where no tree has grown before. They are able to survive inundation by salt water twice a day, and in “soil” which is unstable and poor in oxygen (anaerobic). They also have to deal with swollen rivers carrying silt during the wet season, as well as violent storms that hit the coasts.
Staying [...]

The name Zingiber (pronouced as “zing-ee-ber”) stemmed from a Sanskrit word meaning shaped like a horn. The Zingiberales family has approximately 50 genera and over 1,000 species. Gingers are found throughout the tropics, but are especially abundant in Southeast Asia.
Below are our photo collection of Malaysian rainforest gingers. Serious hobbyists collect ginger plants [...]