Poikilospermum suaveolens
Local names: Akar Tawar, Akar jangkang, Akar kayas, Tentawan
Samsul pulled out a broad leafed plant and explained that this plant is particularly special in the Temuan knowledge as it can be used to treat fever. If one ends up lost in the forest, one can obtain water from the roots of this plant to drink. The water is nutritious though tasteless, as its given name Akar Tawar. It is a large epiphytic climbing shrub, growing on other trees with its vines wrapping the bark and dangling from branches. It is also known that many birds such as the Purple-naped Sunbirds (Hypogramma hypogrammicum nuchale) and the Plain Sunbird (Anthreptes simplex) feed on the purple-coloured flowers to get to the nectar. Refer to video by Dr. Amar-Singh HSS.
Eugeissona tristis
Local name: Bertam
Bertam is by far, one of the most versatile palms to exist in the forest, only its exterior appears of just another massive tree if you pass by them. However, you can never miss its fiercely barbed stems and definitely would want to be cautious around them. The fruit is very similar to buah salak, but the insides are noticeably different. Its cut middle section looks like a three-leaf clover or that of a flower. Only the young fruits are edible and grow higher on the cluster of fruits. The taste of the fruit is almost similar to that of an almond with hints of coconut flavour.
On another note, the inner fibres of the stems can be used to make a fire torch. Break the stems to a few, clump the fibres like a broom and light them with a match.
Phyllagathis rotundifolia (Jack) Blume
Local names: Daun Malam, Tapak Sulaiman
The Forest Reserve possesses an abundant trail of widespread understorey plants called the Tapak Sulaiman, with its distinctive red stems covering the forest floor and sometimes showing off its iridescent blue tint when light hits the leaf surface. It also has pink coloured flowers found in between the beautifully shaped leaves. Just like the ocean, the forest too has a vast floor covering of beautiful diverse plants such as Tapak Sulaiman, which is also a local herb used to treat various illnesses. An indigenous herbal mixture which includes part of the plant is used by the Temuan Indigenous people as natural contraceptives and postpartum analeptic.
Reference: Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, Vol. 14, No. 1, Jan 2007, pp.23-27