Taman Sari Plants – Rimbun Dahan

The herb garden, or Taman Sari, at Rimbun Dahan contains over 100 species of plants, many of them edible, with historical significance, with traditional medicinal properties, or with other ethnobotanical importance, in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

There are 19 beds in the Taman Sari, separated by paths of concrete pavings. The plants in the Taman Sari are listed below, in each bed by alphabetical order of scientific name, and includes family names, common names and brief descriptions. [Updated May 2024 by Errman Saif & Amirul Arif.]

Bed 01

Bed 02

Bed 03

Bed 04

Bed 05

Bed 06

Bed 07

Bed 08

Bed 09

Bed 10

Bed 11

Bed 12

Bed 13

Bed 14

Bed 15

Bed 16

Bed 17

Bed 18

This bed also contains a rotating selection of vegetables, not pictured, for the use of Rimbun Dahan residents.

Bed 19

Other plants, formerly in the Taman Sari, and elsewhere

Aloe vera ALOEACEAE lidah buaya Tropical America. Used for hair and cosmetics, but contains a purgative. Treats scalds and insect bites. Not for pregnant women or patients with weak gastrointestinal condition.
Alpinia mutica ALPINIEAE chengkenam Stems slender, up to 2 meters. Inflorescence of up to 12 flowers. Orange fruits break into 3 parts when squeezed. These from Rimba Ilmu, Universiti Malaya. Documented in 1880 by Hunter that Penang Malays used rhizome for stomach ache.
Artocarpus sp. MORACEAE
Ardisia elliptica PRIMULACEAE mata pelanduk A common tropical shrub throughout India, Southeast Asia and Papua. Often planted as an ornamental for its attractive fruits. It is used in traditional medicine to treat herpes, measles, diarrhea and fever.
Areca catechu ARECACEAE pinang sireh, betel SE Asia. Widely cultivated. Seed treats diarrhea, half-ripe seed pounded for skin ointment. Mild narcotic, sliced endosperm of the seed eaten with betel leaves, lime, gambier or cutch.
Dendrobium sp. ORCHIDACEAE
Morinda citrifolia RUBIACEAE noni Widely spread across Southeast Asia and Pacific islands due to Polynesian domestication. Fruit, bark and roots can be used to produced different hues and shades of dye from brownish purple to yellow. The fruit has a strong smell and bitter taste, often consumed as famine food.
Morus alba MORACEAE Indian mulberry, besaram North India. Leaves fed to silk worms or cattle. To Chinese, all parts medicinal: restorative, tonic & astringent for nervous disorders. Young leaves good for nursing mothers. Leaf decoction treats the blood, gonorrhoea, & poisoned wounds.
Murraya paniculata RUTACEAE kemuning India to Australia, S. China, Melanesia. Ornamental. Yellow (kuning) root wood used for kris handles. Infusion of leaves for tapeworm and stomach herpes. Flowers for cosmetics and to scent hair.
Musa sp. MUSACEAE banana
Pinanga malaiana ARECACEAE lagong

Alpinia mutica ALPINIEAE chengkenam Stems slender, up to 2 meters. Inflorescence of up to 12 flowers. Orange fruits break into 3 parts when squeezed. These from Rimba Ilmu, Universiti Malaya. Documented in 1880 by Hunter that Penang Malays used rhizome for stomach ache.
Ardisia elliptica PRIMULACEAE mata pelanduk A common tropical shrub throughout India, Southeast Asia and Papua. Often planted as an ornamental for its attractive fruits. It is used in traditional medicine to treat herpes, measles, diarrhea and fever.
Areca catechu ARECACEAE pinang sireh, betel SE Asia. Widely cultivated. Seed treats diarrhea, half-ripe seed pounded for skin ointment. Mild narcotic, sliced endosperm of the seed eaten with betel leaves, lime, gambier or cutch.
Areca catechu var. alba ARECACEAE pinang putih This specimen from Dato Lim Chong Keat, June 2005.
Artocarpus sp. MORACEAE breadfruit
Arundina graminifolia ORCHIDACEAE bamboo orchid Cultivated for its ornamental flowers. Widespread throughout Pacific islands, Eastern and Southeast Asia. Grows on the ground and commonly found in open spaces. The edible flowers can be stir fried and tastes like bitter gourd.
Cymbidium finlaysonianum ORCHIDACEAE boat orchid, bunga candarek A common and attractive species, self-seeding in urban settings.
Gardenia jasminoides RUBIACEAE cape jasmine, bunga melur
Grammatophylum scriptum ORCHIDACEAE Native to Southeast Asia, often found in coastal habitats. Large, produces a long inflorescence which dangles yellow green flowers with brown markings.
Lycoris radiata AMARYLLIDACEAE bawang jabu Myanmar to S. China. Bulbs cleaned, crushed and boiled. Decoction drunk to relieve fevers and coughs. White flowers open late afternoon, smell of dusty rooms.
Musa gracilis MUSACEAE Native to Peninsular Malaysia. Grows up to shoulder height, found in clumps or solitary. Cultivated for its ornamental upright pinkish purple inflorescence.

Acrotrema costatum DILLENIACEAE meroyan, punai tanah Native ranges from Burma, Thailand, Malay Peninsula to northern Sumatra. Common in dense rainforest and secondary forest. Roots are boiled to treat back pain and regulate menstrual cycle
Alpinia zerumbet ZINGIBERACEAE variegated shell ginger Shellplant. An attractive clumping alpinia with a bi-coloured leaf.
Aglaia odorata MELIACEAE Chinese perfume plant, pokok telur belangkas Used in Java as a red dye for the fingertips.
Alocasia ‘Amazonica’ ARACEAE kris plant, bireh Graceful sagittate leaf of shining metallic sheen, silver green with grey ribs, margins deeply lobed and white, reverse purple. An ornamental hybrid of which the only certain parent is A. sanderiana, native to the Philippines.
Bolbitis sp. DRYOPTERIDACEAE
Citrus hystrix RUTACEAE limau purut Leaf blade 1-2″ long, almost as wide, slightly toothed: leaf stalk widely winged, as to appear like the other half of a blade divided in two. Fruit has wrinkled skin, used for ritual bathing. Rind used in ubat jamu to drive away evil spirits, worms in children and headache. Leaf an essential ingredient in cooking.
Hedychium flavescens ZINGIBERACEAE Distributed from Himalayas, Sichuan and Indochina. A hardy plant tolerant of shade and extreme conditions, it produces yellow-white flowers which makes it a good ornamental plant in the landscape setting
Kaempferia pulchra HEDYCHIEAE peacock ginger Malaya. Small herbs with short rhizome and tuberous roots, flowers arise in midst of a few leaves.
Myristica fragrans MYRISTICACEAE pala, nutmeg Maluku. Fruit is pickled as food. Shoots eaten as vegetable with rice to treat hypertension. Red mace for flavouring fish and cakes. Seed kernel gives commercial nutmeg. Oil is medicinal and used to flavour tonics.
Ocimum basilicum LABIATACEAE selasih, basil Cooking herb. Boil and drink for flatulence and cough. Apply extract to ringworm, insect bites and toothache. Drunk after childbirth & to relieve irregular menstrual cycles. Soaked seeds help soothe stomach and stimulate bowel movement.
Platycerium bifurcatum POLYPODIACEAE common staghorn fern Native to Java, Papua New Guinea and Australia, now widely naturalised in Malaysia.
Pinanga malaiana ARECACEAE lagong
Schismatoglottis calyptrata ARACEAE
Wrightia religiosa APOCYNACEAE mok (Thai) Old World tropics. Cultivated for fragrant flowers beloved of butterflies, and for bonsai.
Zingiber zerumbet ZINGEBERACEAE lempoyang

Clerodendrum calamitosum VERBENACEAE white butterfly bush
Coffea liberica RUBIACEAE liberica coffee Native to Western and Central Africa, naturalised in Malaya and Java. Grows tall up to 20 metres. Cultivated for its beans which are used to make coffee and are among the largest of the coffee varieties.
Cymbidium finlaysonianum ORCHIDACEAE boat orchid, bunga candarek A common and attractive species, self-seeding in urban settings.
Kaempferia pulchra HEDYCHIEAE peacock ginger Malaya. Small herbs with short rhizome and tuberous roots, flowers arise in midst of a few leaves.
Melastoma malabathricum var. alba MELASTOMATACEAE senduduk Madagascar, India to Australia. Common in open places, always flowering. Species very variable. Gr., melas (black) stoma (mouth), from the berries blackening the tongue.
Plumeria rubra APOCYNACEAE bunga kemboja, frangipani Central America. Flowers sweet, cool, fragrant. Used to prevent heat stroke and to treat enteritis and dysentry. Helps indigestion and poor absorption of infantile nutrition.
Wrightia religiosa APOCYNACEAE mok (Thai) Old World tropics. Cultivated for fragrant flowers beloved of butterflies, and for bonsai.
Zingiber zerumbet ZINGEBERACEAE lempoyang

Alpinia conchigera ZINGIBERACEAE lengkuas ranting India to Malay peninsula. Leaves and rhizomes are soaked and boiled together for bath water to treat post natal rheumatism. Stimulates blood circulation under the skin.
Curculigo latifolia HYPOXIDACEAE lumbah Indo-Malaya. Fruits give sweet sensation and improve appetite. Decoction of leaves & hibiscus root used as eye drop for sore eyes. Roots eaten raw treat high fever. Decoction drunk for tumours smallpox and kidney stones. Fibre for fish nets.
Hedychium coronarium ZINGIBERACEAE gandasuli, ginger lily Native to Asia. White fragrant flowers, reminiscent of jasmine. Flourishes near streams and waterlogged areas. Decoction of leaves drunk for indigestion. Leaves eaten with betel to treat abdominal pains. Stem sap applied to soothe swellings.
Kaempferia pulchra HEDYCHIEAE peacock ginger Malaya. Small herbs with short rhizome and tuberous roots, flowers arise in midst of a few leaves.
Musa gracilis MUSACEAE Native to Peninsular Malaysia. Grows up to shoulder height, found in clumps or solitary. Cultivated for its ornamental upright pinkish purple inflorescence.
Radermachera ‘kunming’ BIGNONIACEAE dwarf tree jasmine
Sambucus javanica ADOXACEAE elderberry, sengitan, bungan kepapah (Bali) Native to Subtropical and Tropical Asia. Sweet and mildly bitter. Parts of the plant are used for medicines to aid in blood circulation, swelling, spasms as well as poison.
Selaginella plana SELAGINELLACEAE paka merak Malay peninsula. Various spp. used for stomach ache, rheumatism, coughs, asthma, post-natal tonics.
Strobilantes dyerianus ACANTHACEAE Persian shield Burma. Introduced to the Botanical Gardens Singapore by collector Boxall and having done well was sent to Kew and brought into wider cultivation from 1893.
Tapeinochilos ananassae COSTACEAE Indonesian wax ginger Native throughout Maluku to New Queensland. Often cultivated in ornamental settings for its huge pineapple-like flowers. Flowers can be cut for flower arrangements
Musa sp. MUSACEAE banana

Angiopterus evecta MARATTIACEAE paku gajah Big stemless fern found in moist tropical Africa, Asia and eastwards through the Pacific. In Malaya a decoction of roots is used to arrest the discharge of blood after miscarriage, and the pounded plant is applied for coughs.
Amischotolype gracilis COMMELINACE Native to Sundaland; a common undergrowth plant. Attractive vibrant purple fruit, velvety variegated leaves.
Etlingera littoralis ALPINIEAE tepus Gingers with tall leafy shoots and inflorescence on separate side shoots that may be some distance from the leafy shoot.
Globba cf patens ZINGIBERACEA This from Gunung Bunga Buah, Genting.
Globba sp. ZINGIBERACEA From Bukit Apek, Cheras, Selangor.
Globba sp. ZINGIBERACEA
Justicia gendarussa ACANTHACEAE gendarusa, urat sugi SE Asia. Decoction of leaves used to treat fever, jaundice, flatulence.
Kaempferia pulchra HEDYCHIEAE peacock ginger Malaya. Small herbs with short rhizome and tuberous roots, flowers arise in midst of a few leaves.
Pteris ensiformis PTERIDACEAE paku padang A variegated white fern; a common mutation across the Asia-Pacific.
Scaphochlamys kunstleri HEDYCHIEAE Located by stream bank at Bukit Kabut, Belum, Perak. Leaves dark green with purple lower surface.
Selaginella erythropus SELAGINELLACEAE red spikemoss Native to Costa Rica and tropical South America. Cultivated as an ornamental for its attractive red underside.
Tacca chantrieri DIOSCOREACEAE devil flower Distributed across Bengal, Indochina and Malay Peninsula. It has a black alien-like flower with whisker structures, theorised to be mimicking carrion to attract pollinators. The rhizomes are used in traditional medicine to treat gastric ulcers, hepatitis and high blood pressure. Stabilising agents derived from root extract of this plant have been found to possess anticancer properties.
Vallaris glabra APOCYNACEAE kesidang, kerak nasi Java. Widely cultivated in Malaysia for its strong pandan smelling flowers. “The scent is mousy but agreeable to the natives of the East, who like it, as they like rice and yams with a mousy smell” (Burkill).

Cinnamomum iners LAURACEAE madang teja Native to Southeast Asia. Less commonly used as a spice because less fragrant than C. verum, but a popular host plant for butterflies. Planted as an ornamental due to pink new leaf.
Cinnamomum verum LAURACEAE kayu manis, cinnamon India. Cooking spice. Roots treat rheumatism and fever. Tree bark used in many medicinal powders and tinctures, tonics for diarrhoea and colic.
Piper sarmentosum PIPERACEAE kadok SE Asia. Leaves edible, used in embrocation for skin discoloration and a throat poultice for coughs. Roots chewed with areca nut to treat persistent coughs and asthma.
Utania racemosa GENTIANACEAE kopi hutan, sepuleh Southeast Asia to the Andaman Islands. Used for timber and fuel. Used by Malays in a tea for fever and rheumatism.

Axonopus compressus POACEAE cow grass, rumput lembu/rumput padang
Hoya sp. ASCLEPIADACEAE
Syzigium aromaticum MYRTACEAE cingkeh, clove Traditionally added to cigarettes (kretek) and food for fragrance. Shoots and leaves chewed for bad breath and to relieve toothache. Sun-dried flower buds are the cloves of commerce.

Acalypha siamensis EUPHORBIACEAE teh kampong Indochina, Burma, Thailand. Poultice of leaves used for fever.
Acorus calamus ARACEAE jerangau Europe, Asia, N. America. ‘Sweet flag’. Creeping rhizome w/aromatic cells, leaves arranged in flat fans, minute yellowish flowers. Candied rhizome an old time confection. Powdered dry root said to kill white ants. Malays use it for rheumatism. (Wet ground W of lower pond)
Alocasia macrorrhiza ARACEAE, Arum family birah, senteh Sri Lanka? Naturalized through the tropics. Toxic & must be cooked to remove poison. Treats TB, fever, typhoid, snake & insect bites. Stems famine food. Gimlette: the juice relieves stings of giant nettle (Laportia), & Skeat: leaves for magic cure. Ornamental, but Burkill says ‘it is scarcely this’.
Anacardium occidentale ANACARDIACEAE gajus Tropical America. Decoction of bark for diabetes, diarrhoea and mouth ulcers. Decoction of leaf and root for tooth ache and washing the eyes. Young leaves eaten as ulam, but older ones and fruit poisonous unless cooked.
Archidendron jiringa / Pithecellobium jiringa LEGUMINOSAE subfamily Mimosoideae jering Burma, Thailand, W. Malesia. Fruit eaten raw or blanched. Pounded with ginger and boiled, to eliminate bladder stones. Purple dye from pods.
Averrhoa bilimbi OLAXIDACEAE belimbing buluh Moluku? Widely cultivated throughout SE Asia. Edible sour fruit, eaten raw as ulam, & in curries to give sour taste. Leaf infusion treats cough, & as tonic after childbirth; flower infusion for cough and thrush. Leaves treat venereal and rectal disease.
Belamcanda chinensis IRIDACEAE leopard flower China. Bitter, cool, antipyretic, antitoxic, liquifies sputum. For cough and wheezing, sore throat, rice field dermatitis.
Boesenbergia plicata var. lurida ZINGIBERACEAE
Bromheadia finlaysoniana ORCHIDACEAE
Citrus aurantifolia var. microcarpa RUTACEAE limau kasturi Up to 4m. small fruits used for juice. These planted in memory of Hj. Kasturi Hj. Idris.
Citrus sp. RUTACEAE limau purut This unidentified hybrid is more hardy than the common limau purut, but retains the strong pungency of leaves and fruit, and produces excellent juice.
Clerodendron bungei VERBENACEAE China. Cultivated. Many tropical species from this genera are attributed with spiritual & magical properties.
Crinum asiaticum AMARYLLIDACEAE bakong, rumput tembaga suasa SE Asia to Pacific, seashores. Leaves used in poultices for joint pain, sometimes with pepper and gendarusa for fevers, lumbago, headaches, swellings. Chewed roots can induce vomiting.(Outside Taman Sari, next to swimming pool)
Garcinia atroviridis GUTTIFERAE assam gelugor Malay peninsula, Burma. Edible fruit, dried segments used as condiment. Leaf sap used in post natal tonics. (Edge of D)
Iris domestica IRIDACEAE leopard lily, pokok kipis
Jasminum sambac OLEACEAE melor Tropical Asia? Flowers to scent tea, decoction of leaves & roots for fever, headaches, to stimulate lactation. Roots are used to treat asthma.
Melia indica MELIACEAE neem Wild in India & Java, otherwise cultivated for medicines. All parts of tree effective. Dried leaves in books deter insects. Identified by delicate and curiously curved toothed leaflets. Root bark for fever and anti-malarial, leaf poultice for ulcers.
Melissa officinalis LABIATAE lemon balm Southern Europe. Culinary, cosmetic and medicinal herb. Mild sedative properties in refreshing tea, relieves wind, reduces fever, increases perspiration.
Ocimum basilicum LABIATACEAE selasih, basil Cooking herb. Boil and drink for flatulence and cough. Apply extract to ringworm, insect bites and toothache. Drunk after childbirth & to relieve irregular menstrual cycles. Soaked seeds help soothe stomach and stimulate bowel movement. The second image is of toolsi, a variety revered by the Malaysian Hindus, the third is of Lemon Basil, one of many varieties found in SE Asia. (C)
Phyllanthus acidus EUPHORBIACEAE cermai, Malay gooseberry One species, cultivated, origin unknown. Common village tree, especially in north. Fruits cooked as a sour flavouring or acar; root is medicinal but poisonous: boiled and steam inhaled for cough, weak infusion drunk for asthma.
Platycerium ridleyi POLYPODIACEAE Ridley’s Staghorn Fern
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa MYRTACEAE kemunting Use leaves fruits and roots. Fruit for stomach ache and diarrhea, roots as an ingredient for women after childbirth. (Not in Taman Sari)
Scindapsus pictus ARACEAE
Selaginella moellendorffii SELAGINELLACEAE
Telosma cordata ASCLEPIADACEAE bunga siam, melati tongkeng, Tonkin creeper China, India. Edible fragrant flowers and leaves. Chinese in Java make sweetmeat of the fleshy roots. Flowers used in soup to treat weak eyes.

Zingiber spectabile ZINGIBERACEAE tepus tundok, chadak Malaya, Sumatra. Sometimes used for flavouring. Leaves pounded to poultice swellings, cold leaf infusion to bathe eyelids. Name chadak infers connection with the occult (Burkill). Recently become a popular cut flower.