Alkaloids, saponins, steroid, terpenoid, flavonoids, phenolic distribution in 14 Malaysian favourite ulam and fruit belonging to different families were assessed and compared. The plants investigated wereparkia speciosa(petai),solanum torvum(terung pipit),pithecellobium bubalinum(kerdas),moringa oleifera(kacang kelor),dryobalanops oblongifolia(keladan),cosmos caudatus(ulam raja),mentha arvensis(pudina),ocimumsp. (selasih),cymbopogon nardus(serai wangi),eugenia polyantha(serai kayu),Barringtonia scortechinii, (Putat),musasp. (pisang),talinum paniculatum(akar som) andphyllanthus acidus(cermai).Moringa oleiferaleaf anddryobalanops oblongifoliafruit were found contain positive reactions of alkaloids. All the samples studied also show high content of saponin except in bark and seed ofparkia speciosaand stem ofphyllanthus acidus. Meanwhile, results of the phytochemical screening on saponins, steroids, terpenoids, phenolic and flavonoids showed thatcosmos caudatus,ocimum sp., mentha arvensis, barringtonia scortechiniiandmoringa oleiferawere the active compounds present in the leaves of the plant.

Local herbs have many potential that may be active with antimicrobial activity. A screening was conducted with 11 species of herbs collected in UiTM Pahang Forest Reserve.Epipremnumsp.,Zingibersp.Tetracera indica, Tectaria crenata, Piper stylosum, Homalomena propinque, Goniothalamus sp., Elephantopus scaber, Mapania patiolale, Melastomasp.,Stemona tuberosa, Phullagathis rotundifolia, Thotea grandifoliaandSmilaxsp. were extracted with methanol to obtain their crude. The agar diffusion method using blank disc of 6 mm diameter were loaded with 1000 µg/mL of methanol crude and applied to the inoculate plate was used to assess the antimicrobial activity against two gram positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilisandStaphylococcus aeureus) and one gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). The results evaluated as the diameter of the inhibition zone of microbial growth, showed that all the extracts were active against gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria. The extract ofStemona tuberosewas found to be the most active against theE. coliandS. aeureuswhilePiper stylosumactive againstB. subtilis.

Dipterocarpaceae is a tree family which consists of 17 genera and approximately 475 species. The Malaysian Plant Red List of Peninsular Malaysia Dipterocarpaceae reported that 35 species are endangered and 15 species are critically endangered. Of the critically endangered species, six are endemics to Peninsular Malaysia in which Dipterocarpus semivestitus or locally known as Keruing padi falls under this category as listed by the Red List and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Historical records show that this species grows only in two places in the world; central Kalimantan and Perak. In 2006, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) researchers discovered a total of 53 trees of D. semivestitus in a patch of freshwater swamp forest in the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) campus in Sri Iskandar, Perak. The stands are reported to be the last population of D. semivestitus in the world as the forest area in central Kalimantan population has been converted into oil palm.In order to protect the species, there is an urgent need for conservation measures to be taken to monitor the populations and aid its recovery and restoration. This paper highlights the distribution, habitat, conservation status, morphological characteristics as well as threat to this species. This information is not only much needed as there are gaps in our understanding of critically endangered plants, but also is essential for the management and conservation of country's botanical heritage.