Pinang Tree

The Pinang trees near the National Museum.

The Pinang trees at the Independence Square.

The Pinang trees at the King's Palace.

Have you ever wonder why in most of the touristic spots in Malaysia there bound to be the Pinang trees?

This is because the Pinang trees has the resemblance of the bunga manggar. Bunga in Malay means flower. Manggar in Malay means mangoes. During the Malay important ceremonies, the bunga manggar is a prominent item found in Malay wedding, VIP welcoming or sent offs, etc. The bunga manggar is an item whereby the Malays welcome the special guests. Hence, at the important touristic spots, the pinang which resembles the bunga manggar is a sign of welcoming the important guests to our country.

The Bunga Manggar procession of welcoming and sending off VIPs in a school.

The man made bunga manggar can be found in a few places in Kuala Lumpur for example at the Parliament building and at the Independence Square. During the night time, they are lit up and it gives a very colourful scenery. These man made bunga manggar is also to beautify the town and also to welcome the foreign guests to the tourists spots.

However, during the course of my research, I realised that there are so many varieties of the Pinang. Hence, I would like to clarify a few species here. Although they look a like, please becareful that we differentiate the species through its fruits, leaves and trunks.

Pinang Tree

Scientific Name : Areca Catechu

Normal Name : Pinang Tree

This plant is planted for its economic purposes in some countries for eg. Fiji, Hainan Island, Taiwan etc.

When the fruit is consumed, a person will feel drowsy because the fruit contains alcaloid like the arecaine and arecoline.

The state of Penang is named after this tree because of its abundance in the island.

In the wedding ceremony of the Malays and Indians, the sireh pinang is a symblic item which is a must have during this important ceremony. Leaves of betel, pinang fruit, gambir, black pepper, etc. will be placed in a box known as the tapak sireh in Malay.

The Bukit Pinang name is also the name for the capital of Kedah before the 18th century.

The False Pinang

Scientific Name : Areca Carpentaria

Normal Name : False Pinang

If observe careully, the fuits are red in colour. The actual pinang fruit is orange in colour. And the fruits are so much more smaller than the normal pinang.

The false pinang can be substitute with the real pinang but the taste of it is different.