Inside KL’s hidden library of plants

PETALING JAYA: Amidst the traffic, skyscrapers and constant construction that define life in the capital, a quiet archive is preserving traces of a different Kuala Lumpur.

Hidden within Perdana Botanical Gardens, the DBKL Herbarium houses more than 5,000 plant specimens collected from across Malaysia, creating a living record of the country’s rich biodiversity. It even preserves evidence of plants that may no longer exist in their original habitats.

Since opening in 2017, the facility has steadily expanded its collection, gathering specimens from locations ranging from Sarawak’s remote Long Banga to Bukit Dinding in Wangsa Maju, one of KL’s most important urban green spaces.

For research officer Syazwani Azeman, the herbarium is far more than a scientific collection. “Each specimen serves as proof that a particular species existed in a specific place at a certain point in time,” she told Bernama.

“The significance of a herbarium may not be immediately apparent, but in the future it becomes an important record.

“Ten or 15 years from now, that species may no longer be found in its original habitat because of development or environmental changes, but we will still have physical evidence of its existence.”

In many ways, the herbarium functions like a library – except its shelves hold carefully preserved leaves, flowers and fruits instead of books.

Every specimen begins its journey in the field, where researchers typically collect plants when they are flowering or fruiting, making identification easier.

Back at the herbarium, the samples are cleaned, pressed and dried before undergoing a meticulous preservation process.

Once identified, each specimen is labelled with detailed information, including where and when it was collected, its habitat, and precise GPS coordinates.

“It is almost like giving every plant its own birth certificate,” Syazwani quipped.

The specimens are then mounted on archival sheets and stored according to plant families, creating a reference collection that can be used by researchers, students and conservationists for decades to come.

According to Syazwani, properly preserved specimens can remain scientifically valuable for generations, providing researchers with insights into biodiversity, climate change and the evolution of ecosystems.

Notably, some herbarium collections elsewhere in Malaysia have survived for more than a century.

The DBKL herbarium also plays an important role in documenting the city’s remaining natural spaces. Among its latest projects is the cataloguing of plants from Bukit Dinding in Wangsa Maju.

During a recent field survey, researchers collected between 40 and 50 plant specimens from the area, including several striking wild ginger species that are still being identified.

“We have never had collections from Bukit Dinding before,” said Syazwani. “Even if the same species has been collected elsewhere, it is still important to document it because the location is different.”

The findings add to a growing body of research highlighting the ecological importance of the urban forest.

A biodiversity assessment conducted by the Malaysian Nature Society in 2023 recorded 175 plant species, 92 butterfly species, 81 bird species, 28 reptile and amphibian species, nine dragonfly species and five mammal species in Bukit Dinding.

Wildlife spotted there includes leopard cats, civets, monkeys, wild boars, snakes and monitor lizards.

Friends of Bukit Dinding vice-president Inci Anggie Narina Syafruddin said the area’s value extends beyond biodiversity alone. “It is also a space for education, biodiversity awareness and fostering connections between people and nature, which are becoming increasingly rare.”

As KL continues to grow, the herbarium’s role as a keeper of botanical memory becomes increasingly important.

Many of the plants catalogued there are still thriving in forests and green spaces today. But others may one day survive only as carefully preserved specimens: silent reminders of landscapes that have long since changed.

DBKL Herbarium
Perdana Botanical Gardens,
50480 Kuala Lumpur